Do something scary

Short, intense bursts of excitement can actually make you more resilient and able to cope better with prolonged stress and tension.

Have a day off work and organise to spend it doing something you’ve always wanted to do – but make it a challenge which makes you just a little bit nervous, something that expands your boundaries! Book a flight in a hot-air balloon, go on a roller-coaster ride or a parachute jump, or plan a day at the races with friends. Learn how to rally-drive, or go on an ocean trip where you can see whales and dolphins.

Taking time out to do something new, exciting and a little bit scary can set off the biological fight-or-flight response, flooding the body with stress hormones. But once the ride or jump is over, the hormonal changes are rapidly reversed and anxiety is replaced by elation. Research from the University of Nebraska confirms this idea, showing that the ‘rush’ you get from intermittent physiological arousal resulting in a short-term stress response can be as effective in beating stress as repeated exercise.