If the stress of juggling work, family life and older parents is taking over your life, these tips from the spiritual healer to the stars Master Oh will help you get a handle on it. 

On the eve of Stress Awareness Month, the South Korean happiness and healing advocate took to the red carpet in London’s West End to launch his new film About Light and Shadows and share the wisdom he has gathered over decades of work.

Having appeared at Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place festival and treated celebrities such as Gabby Logan and Clare Balding, the film follows Master Oh as he travels the world treating clients and sharing the secrets to a happy, stress-free life.

Stress, as we know, has a huge impact on all aspects of life from mental to physical, causing chronic pain. According to the experts in the film, just one minute of intense stress can cause a drop in the immune system that lasts six hours, in turn impacting our health.

Here are some takeaways from Master Oh’s lessons in how to deal with stress and live a happier life.

1. Start the day with a smile

No matter how you are feeling in the morning, a wonderful and surprising stress relief is to look in the mirror and smile from the moment you wake up.

It has a powerful impact on your emotional state by stimulating muscle memory which releases feel-good chemicals in your body, which in turn change your mood. Also, smiling is infectious – when you smile, others will follow suit and feel good around you.

2. Practise meditation

“Mindfulness and meditation are known to functionally and structurally change our frontal (brain) areas. Meditation is being aware of the present and what you’re going through, which helps you heal and lower stress levels,” says Master Oh.

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By practicing a five-minute-gratitude meditation at the end of each day, the happier you become, no matter how challenging the situation is, you will learn something.

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3. Do something for others

When we do something for other people to make them happier, we become happier in return. According to Master Oh, this comes from the law of nature. Nature is always giving back without asking for anything in return. 

4. Take a break

Take this as your sign to put your feet up and relax. Breaks are an often-forgotten necessity, but we need to consciously take them in our lives, by breathing, meditating or simply relaxing.

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We need silence to help our brains regroup and quiet down. If we take a break, it helps our cortisol levels to drop which means we’ll sleep better and get restful sleep. This in turn will decrease our anxiety, our problems and our inflammation. 

5. Manage negative thoughts 

Feeling overwhelmed by negative thoughts is often a symptom of being stressed – and can affect you mentally and physically. Be aware of what your thoughts are trying to say in a stressful situation and every time you have a negative thought, acknowledge it and say to yourself, ‘That’s not helpful.’ By constant practice you can change the pattern of negative thinking.  

6. Breathe

There is a power that comes from focusing on your breath. By pausing and focusing your attention on breathing slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth it can help you create an inner calm. When that happens, there is chain reaction in your body and you can think more clearly and make the right decisions. 

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7. Protect yourself

“Anybody can hurt you, so you need to protect yourself, says Master Oh. But his solution is simple, if practised regularly. “When you have pain – a mental, emotional, physical pain – or you hate somebody, you hate the circumstance and then your pain is getting bigger, your problems are getting bigger. 

“If you open yourself and treat yourself with love you will receive more, then you are going to be in a better place.” In the words of Elsa, “Let It Go”.

“When you are brighter, you have the ability to digest whatever happened in the past and this point in charge of love. So, when this part is open, the emotions, trauma anger, frustration, your hatred starts to disappear. So you have more brightness from today, more love, more power.”

Be kind to yourself and practise regular self-care, doing this means your invisible suit of armour will help you get through all life throws at you with a smile, instead of stress.

About Light and Shadows is out in cinemas on April 4th