1. Breathe - Slow your breath down. Breathe deeply. Box breathing is my go to: breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4. Repeat.

2. Body Scan - Fists, neck, jaw. Whatever it is for you, your muscles often tense up in stressful moments as your body prepares for flight or fight. Do a quick body scan, on- by-one relaxing the muscles from head to toe as you identify tension and relax your body.

3. Relax Eyes - When stressed, we tend to hone in on the stress stimulus. Use your peripheral vision, relax the eyes and try and lightly take in all of your surroundings. Blur your focus a little.

Feelings are overwhelming and they can make us do stupid things, stuff we regret. Locate where you feel it in your body - examine it. Give it a name - is it sad, mad or scared? Regardless of whether you triggered it or not, own the emotion, it’s your emotion. Finally, allow it to sit, do its thing without causing carnage. It will pass. Learn more

* Concept courtesy of The Choice, by Edith Edger

The inner critic can tear our self-identify apart. Judging ourselves or our actions gives a verdict, often labelling us in black & white terms. If you don’t keep the inner critic in check, it will run riot, amplifying our fixed mindset.

It starts with noticing our thoughts from afar. Pick up on them, reflecting on them with curiosity. Write them down. Would you talk to your best mate like that?

Then, progress to catching & rebutting, a conscious shift to the inner advocate. Shift your thoughts towards a positive mindset, that which is in line with what you value - which works for you, not against you.

For whatever reason, resistance of pain tends to amplify unwanted feelings. Acceptance on the other hand tends to reduce pain, mellow feelings out and make them easier to deal with.

* Image courtesy of newhappco

It takes time to change the way you think, but with time and patience, you can see things differently. Start by being aware of your thoughts, as though you’re noticing them from afar. Accept they are your thoughts -no one elses. Adjust the thought to how you want it to be. Apply it by repeating it over and over again utill it becomes automatic.

The moment can seem as though it will remain that way forever - that there’s no way out.

The mind has the ability to pour all its energy to the present - it’s overwhelming. But it won’t always be that way. You need need to beleive that, hope is a wonderful, comforting things

One day you’ll look at yourself in the mirror and see that moment differently.

Put in the work, play the long game, and change is around the corner.

* Image courtesy of newhappco

Flow is a state you reach when you are totally absorbed in an activity without distraction. When you reach a state of flow, you feel energised, getting massive hits of feel good neuro chemicals such as dopamine, seroton and endorphins.

Three things need to align to find flow:

1.Focus on a single goal

2. Do something meaningful to you

3. Do something challenging but not impossible.

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Where do you invest your thinking? Focus on the centre of the circle, what you can control, and you’re bound to make headway. Put your energy into the outer circle, that which you’re aware of but can’t control… your energy will be sapped; you’ll be pulled here there and everywhere. Discover more

* Image courtesy of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Panic attacks are scary and overwhelming. The claustrophobia of your mind. One of the most practical ways to get on top of them is by reducing your general stress levels in life. The idea is simple - the higher your general stress levels in life are, the less range you have until you reach a state of panic. Reduce your overall life stress to an 8 or lower so you have room for movement. Discover more

Stop your thought. Catch it. Recognise you’re heading into that same old trash talk.

Take a Breath. A big deep one. Think about one thing alone - your breath. Interfere the thought.

Observe. Rumination is when your thoughts drive how you think & feel. Observation Is when your curiosity breaks how you think & feel. Observe the story, accept the story, shift the story.

Progress. Continue with the story you know is the better one, the inner dialogue that will ensure you progress rather than regress.

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* Acronym courtesy of The House of Wellness Podcast

Our body has excellent strategies dealing with stress, aka preparing for Fight or Flight. Here’s a few physiological changes that naturally take place:

1. Senses sharpen

2. Beath quickens

3. Muscles tighten

This is great if we need strength, stamina or speed. But in our day and age, stress is presented in all kind of weird and wonderful ways, and often unnecessarily maxes us out.

Fortunately, our body has a natural way of regulating itself. Simply being aware that stress is a physiological response through our nervous system is calming. It serves a great purpose in certain places at certain times. Don’t freak out