Don't go crackers

Here's a gift of coping strategies for when the time of peace and plum pudding turns to custard.

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Close your eyes and clench your fist. I mean squeeze hard (without hurting yourself) and concentrate on that feeling for at least five seconds. Hold your breath as you do. Now, let all that tension flow away as you relax, slowly breathing out, all while attending to the feeling of letting it go. Good work.

If you want a bit more exercise, do it again, with the other hand. Or your feet. For a good workout, start with your feet and work up your body, tensing and relaxing, until you get to your neck, throat, jaw, forehead.

Practise this a bit until you can clench the different body parts without tensing other areas at the same time. After that, you can attempt the speed version, doing groups of muscles – lower body, abdomen and chest, upper body and arms, and finally your head.