What I do when I'm stressed: The Bek Sandwich

Here are some of the tricks that I use to help me get through the periods when life gets stressful or starts to really heat up. The Sandwich Technique. It's about combining self care with daily habits for positive framework building.

To start with, I create something that I call a Bek-Sandwich. Essentially what this looks like is doing something for myself both in the morning and in the evening, so if the day throws some fresh hell at me it doesn’t matter as much because I know I’m going to start the day doing something just for me, and end the day doing something just for me.

In The Morning

A thing that is non-negotiable in my world is for me to get up and move my body. I feel that by moving that energy through first thing in the morning it helps me feel settled and grounded for the rest of the day. This morning movement always finishes with a 5-10 minute round of slow breathing, so when I’m coming out of my exercise and the endorphins are pumping and I feel amazing, I then take the time to ground myself so that I walk out of my session feeling energised but also grounded and ready for the day.

During the Day

The other thing I do when life heats up is to get outside, take my shoes off and put my feet on the ground. Even if it’s only five minutes if the day is super busy. I leave my phone inside and put my feet on the dirt. While I’m standing there I think about what I can see, hear, feel and really come down to my senses and get out of the whirr of my racing head just for a moment so I can then be more productive when I go back to my desk. I am very aware that when I’m busy this is the last thing that I want to do but I know how much more productive and grounded I am when I do it so it has to stay on my priority non-negotiable list.

In The Evening

I finish the day with a warm bath or shower and then I do some slow breathing and writing down 3 things that I am grateful for. We know when life really heats up you can get caught up in the negative thoughts and stories we tell ourselves. Writing down 3 things everyday that I'm grateful for actually changes the way that I think so that throughout the day I’m actually looking for those positive things, things I’m grateful for, and it starts to rewire my brain so the focus is instead on the positive. It’s one of my favourite practices.

Extra good bits

A really good quality magnesium is also essential for my body when I’m feeling like that, and a good night sleep. I really prioritise an early bedtime because I know that me without sleep is not great.