ANNA’S TOP WELLBEING TIPS

Create morning and evening routines for your weekdays.

Safeguard the ‘bookends’ of your days by getting up and going to bed at the same time each day, and creating routines to ease you into the day and wind down for the night. (Anna herself starts the day with warm lemon water, 15 minutes each of yoga and meditation and an hour and a half without her phone; she winds down by writing in her gratitude diary, lying on her Shakti mat and reading.)

Diaphragmatic breathing.

When you find yourself in a moment of stress, take 5-20 long, slow, deep breaths into your belly and stretch out your ribs to signal to your brain that everything’s safe. This is a great calming technique because you can do it anywhere without equipment!

Be deliberate about your downtime.

In today’s world, it can be di icult to find time to take a break – but it’s vital! To make sure she gets her precious downtime, Anna diaries it like any other commitment: every morning at 10.30, she stops for a mindful tea break.

Move your body.

Likewise, schedule in exercise to make sure you’ll actually view it as a commitment each week. For Anna, that means a regular HIIT class on Tuesday mornings and yoga on Thursdays – but what would it look like in your week?

Learn a tool for processing di icult emotions.

Anna swears by a technique called ‘acknowledge, link and let go’. When something di icult happens, name and acknowledge the di icult emotion you’re feeling and reassure yourself it makes sense to be feeling it given the circumstances. Then breathe in, and as you breathe out, let the emotion go. Anna says this technique helps the brain to categorise di icult events and move forward rather than getting stuck.

Choose food that nourishes your gut and brain.

Anna opts for foods that will increase the diversity of the gut microbiome – plenty of fibre, varied veggies, a healthy helping of fermented foods, not too much sugar – which in turn help support immunity and mental health. Her top tip? Don’t keep unhealthy food in the house – instead, make sure you have lots of healthy treats to turn to when the inevitable cravings hit.