Hands up who feels stressed today? Stress is a natural response to feeling under pressure.
While some stress can be beneficial, increasing alertness and performance, stress also causes the body to release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline and when you start to feel overwhelmed, this can lead to mental health problems. The Mental Health Foundation says 74% of us have felt so stressed that we have felt unable to cope.
Ruby Wax knows these mental health pressures all too well and famously left her career in comedy 25 years ago to seek a way to fix her recurring bouts of depression.
When we chat on the phone, she’s her usual charismatic self, but when she tells me she has just three days left to finish her latest (and seventh) book, I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was, I feel slightly panicked for her.
‘Oh, I’m not feeling stressed about it at all,’ she says. ‘I’m on my way to the countryside so I can focus. If I did it in London I would just burn out as there are too many distractions.
‘Most people don’t know where their tipping point is and they’re trying to keep up with the Joneses – jogging at 4am and baking with their kids – and then they feel ashamed when they can’t do it all. I wish there was a Fitbit for the mind. That way we could know where where our limits are. In the past I would have freaked out, but not now.’
After leaving TV, Ruby went to Oxford University to study a Master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and has since become a devout mental health campaigner, appointed an OBE for her services.
‘I decided to find a way to deal with it [the depression] so I could see it coming,’ she says. ‘I thought that, if I knew what was going on in my brain then it wouldn’t be so terrifying.
‘Mindfulness is about accepting that you can’t stop the negative thoughts, but if you spot them, you can stop what happens next. It’s about taming the mind. When people ask me, “Why mindfulness?” – well, they didn’t teach crystal healing at Oxford,’ she quips.
Because of the positive impact it has had on her own life, Ruby has teamed up with cosmetics brand Rituals to create Mindfulness For Modern Life a free, easy-to-do, exclusive five-day masterclass with five online articles and videos, plus seven tasks and one meditation.
Why laughter really is the best medicine
‘They say laughter’s the best medicine,’ says comedian-turned-psychologist and performance coach, Paul Boross. ‘I don’t know who says that, but I suspect they’re not shareholders of any pharmaceutical companies.
‘Doctors are well aware of the connection between good health and good humour, with various medical studies extolling the physical benefits of laughter, from lower blood pressure to reduced stress levels and even a higher pain tolerance.
‘Despite the commonality of stress among the general population, it can sometimes feel like the most personal and isolating experience. Laughter brings us together and reminds us that we’re not alone, and after the last few years of being apart, its healing powers are all too necessary.
‘The physical release of laughter can be soothing when experiencing intense emotions like stress and anxiety. It enables us to rise above a situation, even just for a few seconds, and reframe it, allowing us to handle life’s challenges with resilience and bounce back quicker, and perhaps even stronger.
‘Life will inevitably throw you a series of curve balls and while you can’t stop them, you can approach them with lightness, mirth, and good humour.’
Paul’s new book Humourology: The Serious Business Of Humour At Work
is out now
‘My approach to mindfulness is very simple and I make it funny,’ says Ruby. ‘I spent 45 minutes every day doing it and my professor at Oxford used to do it sitting on the floor or in a chair, but people don’t have time for that these days. Instead, I teach people how to do it anytime, anywhere, like when they’re drinking a cup of coffee, online shopping, or mountain climbing.’
So, what exactly is mindfulness and how can it help with stress? ‘Mindfulness deactivates a part of the brain called the amygdala that drives the “fight and flight” response. When it’s deactivated another part of the brain, called the insula, gets to work. The more you practise mindfulness, the bigger the insula grows and that is important because it’s responsible for heightening our senses and increasing our ability to make decisions.’
With 79% of UK adults feeling stressed at least one day a month, carving out a little time to practise being fully present and not reacting to negative thoughts and feelings, might be just what you need to lower your stress levels.
Ruby says you can even do it while you’re on the loo. There really are no excuses.
To find out more about the Rituals Mindfulness For Modern Life masterclass, visit Rituals Cosmetics Global on YouTube
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