7 Ways to Maximise Your Mental Wellbeing When Stressed

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Stress and energy depletion are some of the biggest afflictions plaguing today’s 24/7 society, which is partly why successful model and AfN-accredited nutritionist, Sarah Ann Macklin, founded the Be Well Collective. Her wellbeing initiative works to support models throughout the stressful times of Fashion Week (and beyond), but its message of self-care and nutritional awareness applies to most of us living our breakneck lifestyles today.

At the launch of her Fashion Fix breakfast at W London, (an immunity-boosting, stress-reducing, protein-rich menu Macklin’s curated for all visitors – not just the fash pack), she hosted a panel on ways to maximise mental wellbeing.

Alongside experts Dr Nick Knight, a London-based GP; Howard Napper, TEDx speaker of ‘The Art of Lifestyle Medicine’; and Jillian Lavender, founder of the London Meditation Centre, Macklin discussed the importance of nutrition, sleep, self-care and understanding anxiety during times of stress. Here are some stress management lessons we learnt from the event that will resonate with many.

This article first appeared in Harper's BAZAAR UK

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6. Arm yourself with a tool kit

Dr Knight suggests trying various tools to help manage your stress. Some of these might work for you better than others. Try:

Regulating your beliefs and visualisation: Basically, you choose how to react. Decide to react positively to a stressor and conjure up positive images in your mind. “There’s a reason why all professional athletes use this as a key part of their preparation. It really does help,” he says.

Progressive muscle relaxation: Starting from the feet and working all the way up to the head, one by one focus on tensing your muscles, ten seconds at a time, before releasing and completely relaxing them. If you don’t want to do the muscle tension (you may be in public!), simply do a mental scan of your body, from bottom to top, and acknowledge how every part of your body feels along the way.