Four wellbeing experts share their personal anxiety-busting tips

STRESS affects everybody from time to time, but taking steps to relax is vital for your physical and mental wellbeing.

Four wellbeing experts share their personal anxiety-busting tips:

* Anna Magee, Healthista editor and co-author of The De-Stress Diet: The Revolutionary Lifestyle Plan For A Calmer, Slimmer You (www.healthista.com)

“Classical music has been shown to have an emotionally uplifting effect. In fact, one experiment took subjects and played them Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major three times.

The result? Stress-induced anxiety, heart rate and blood pressure all significantly decreased. Experts say that rather than having this music on in the background, taking five minutes a couple of times a day — or whenever you feel stressed — to close your eyes and immerse yourself in the sound has the most reviving effect.

“There’s also no better soother than made-from-scratch chicken soup. Nutritional therapist Charlotte Watts suggested this, as it’s full of B-vitamins which are the nutrients we lose when we’re stressed (not replacing them can lead to cravings for instant sugar hits like chocolate).

“Lastly, I love a salts bath for the deep and instant relaxation that comes from the magnesium in the salts. Lusciously relaxing.”

* Annie Aulds, wellbeing expert and holistic therapist

“Find what works for you. For me, stress subsides the moment I walk in the countryside. The combination of exercise, the peaceful opportunity to relax and reflect, and being surrounded by the fresh smells, intense colours and effortless beauty is a certain remedy for me.”

* Marisa Peer, best-selling author and behavioural expert

“One of my favourite instant stress relievers is to think of a song that you love and hum it to yourself, like Feeling Good or Simply The Best.”

* Steve Tromans, hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner

“For me, the best fast way of becoming more relaxed and centred is to spend 10 minutes a day doing nothing... Well, I mean sitting down in a chair with my back supported and feet on the floor, and resting my hands on my abdomen.

Then I breathe slowly and easily, proper abdominal breaths, and I imagine a healing warmth spreading through my abdomen and into my whole body. I then alternate that with the visualisation of a clear soft blue healing light travelling in through my mouth and down through my entire digestive system.