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The BBC is launching a first-of-its-kind newsletter course, Six Steps to Calm, for international audiences.
Stress and anxiety can have a serious effect on your quality of life. It can make it harder to concentrate, put strain on our relationships and be detrimental to how we perform at work. Prolonged states of stress can have lasting effects on our physical and mental health, too.
And in an increasingly polarised and pressurised world, more of us are experiencing this on a regular basis.
While there's sadly no magic cure for mental health challenges, there are several evidence-based activities which can promote calmness and help us to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
This is the thinking behind Six Steps to Calm – the BBC's first-of-its-kind newsletter course, written by me, Melissa Hogenboom, a science journalist and editor based in London. Over a period of six weeks, I'll introduce you to simple, science-backed anti-anxiety exercises, all of which you can try out from the comfort of your home.
I learned some of these tools while dealing with various unexpected physical health issues earlier this year, which required two major emergency surgeries. These exercises made a huge different to my personal stress levels and helped me reframe how I think about the future. I'm excited to share them with you too.
Hopefully, you will finish this free course feeling calmer and with a strong selection of anti-anxiety tools in your armoury, should you need them in the future.
Six Steps to Calm is just one of a growing slate of newsletters from the BBC on topics ranging from climate change to history to technology. Explore all those available to you here.
Melissa Hogenboom (@Melissa_Hogenboom)
Science writer
Please note that while the tools explored in Six Steps to Calm will hopefully help with combatting some of the stresses of daily life, if you are experiencing long-lasting or chronic mental-health issues, do consider seeking professional help. All content within the newsletter will be provided for general information only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of health care professionals.
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