Expert shares tips to challenge negative thinking in stressful times

On her podcast, On The Journey with SJK Sneha shares tools that she hopes will help listeners to overcome challenges, improve their relationships and even their business.

Now she is sharing seven tips to challenge negative thinking during stressful times like the busy festive season.

Sneha said: "Everything in our lives is interconnected. The way we feel about one thing influences everything. The more we dwell on the good things in life, the more they expand in our lives.

"As human beings we have so much creative force, we have so much internal power, and this energy has to be harnessed in the right way."

"Challenge can be an opportunity to elevate yourself, to shift your perspective and change the way you respond to life."

1) Deep breathing and meditation - I highly recommend using breathwork as part of your daily routine. In an anxious moment, it is the easiest go-to tool that can be used in a personal or professional setting. Inhale, hold and exhale, this can really calm the nerves down and make us feel centred and grounded immediately.

2) Anchor memories- Create a collection of happy, empowered and calming memories from your life. Write them down. Actively take your mind to these best moments of your life when you are in stressful situations. This often helps give perspective when we're overwhelmed.

3) Incorporate exercise in your schedule. Daily exercise can be life changing. This doesn't mean hours at the gym. Even a few exercises at home or a short walk can be enough to give a dopamine boost, that can keep us calm and positive during different situations that arise during the day.

4) Create a support group - Seek compassionate and trustworthy people whom you can talk to in your moment of stress. Sometimes, you don't need guidance - you just need someone to give you a listening ear, so you don't store the negative emotions within yourself.

5) Incremental step - If you can't think positive, think neutral. But try to snap out of the negative, as it will only cause us to spiral.

6) Set aside "Gadget Free Time." Take time out daily to do something that doesn't involve gadgets or screens. This could be playing a sport, reading a book, playing an instrument, gardening, being in nature - just some down time to connect with yourself and remove distractions that often add to our stress levels.

7) Remember that everything is temporary and "this too shall pass".

Sneha is a social entrepreneur with a background in Economics, Finance and Energy Policy.

She is the founder of an educational nonprofit and a former business entrepreneur who has retrained in Neuro-Linguistic Programming and has been on her own spiritual journey of self discovery.

On the Journey with SJK offers accessible, real-world guidance to help you move closer to the life you want.