Stress can lead to irritability, tiredness, poor memory, indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, neck and shoulder ache and tearfulness. If you tick any of these boxes, then try these...
Blitz a wardrobe, or the spare room, and throw out everything you haven’t needed or thought about in six months. ‘Walking into a room full of junk makes energy levels dip,’ says space clearing expert Karen Kingston, author of Creating Sacred Space With Feng Shui (Piatkus Books). ‘But the process of decluttering focuses the mind and distracts you from other issues.’ (And you never know what forgotten treasure you may find for your Something Old!)
Float on. Depriving your senses of the usual distractions by lying in a warm dark pool covered by a lid can be very relaxing and the buoyant water suspends your joints and muscles completely. Find a centre near you at floatation.com. If you’re claustrophobic, try the Celestial floatation room at the Nirvana Day Spa in Berkshire. Take your mum or your bridesmaids for a much-needed day off from wedding planning. Visit www.nirvanaspa.co.uk
Have a laugh. Laughter releases feel-good endorphins and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. So have a silly night in with your hens, and rent some bridal movies on DVD.
We love: My Best Friend’s Wedding; The Wedding Crashers and Muriel’s Wedding
‘Take rhodiola – a great herb for stressed out brides-to-be,’ says medical nutritionist Naomi Beinart. ‘It’s an adaptogen, meaning it helps your body adjust to stressful situations, and alleviates anxiety.’
It gets to work within a matter of days and is safe to take alongside the Pill. ‘People have taken it for decades to increase energy, keep depression at bay and improve their libido.’ Try Solgar Rhodiola, £16.55 for 60 capsules (stockists: 01442 890355)
Choose your flowers
For emotional support during the big-day build-up, Bach practitioner Amy Lyddall recommends the following: ‘White Chestnut will help brides who are becoming obsessed by wedding plans and Mimulus is for people who may be getting cold feet (for no reason!),’ she says. ‘Cherry Plum is a great remedy for those worried they’ll turn into bridezilla and lose perspective!’ For more advice click here.
Back to basics
For an instant stress-buster to send feel-good hormones coursing round your body, have sex! ‘It’s amazing how many couples forget to,’ says sex and relationships expert Tracey Cox. ‘Set aside an evening when you ban all wedding talk and concentrate on what attracted you to each other in the first place.’ For sex tips galore as well as books and toys to spice up your honeymoon, click here.
Head start
Think how amazing it feels when the shampoo girl gives you a really good head rub at the hair salon. Times that by 10 and you have Indian head massage (or champissage) – a must if you want to be a blissed-out bride.
‘A massage reduces tension, facilitates sleep, eases anxiety and promotes calm and wellbeing,’ says practitioner Mary Dalgleish, co-author of Indian Head Massage In Essence (Hodder Arnold). ‘It also releases oxytocin and endorphins, hormones which boost your mood and balance stress hormones.’ Find a therapist here.
