Stress Less This Year

The festive season is over and many of us now face the challenging prospect of returning to the stress of daily work life. New research by The Australia Institute shows that stress is becoming an ‘epidemic’ national health issue. Stress damages many of your body’s systems, including immune and inflammatory response.

Is your health being affected by stress? Do you often feel anxious, worried, depressed, irritable, exhausted, overloaded or forgetful? Do you suffer from stiff or sore muscles or joints, tension headaches, high blood pressure, frequent colds or the flu? Or do you have irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers or worsening of an existing condition? If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, your body is overburdened by stress.

Fight or Flight: Your response to Stress

Your body has a complex, but very important response to stress. Thousands of year ago, the threat of a predator triggered an immediate response to prepare you for attack, or to run away. Chemical messengers including adrenaline, cortisol and noradrenaline produced by the adrenal glands and brain increased blood flow to essential organs such as the heart, lungs, brain and muscles while shutting off non-vital systems such as digestion and reproduction.

This response, known as the fight or flight response, was absolutely vital for survival. Once the threat was gone levels of these chemical messengers reduced and things returned, to normal.

Where’s the Off Switch?

While our bodies response to stress has not changed, the forms of stress we have. Sabre tooth tigers are long gone and the physical threat to our lives and limbs is now the mental and emotional threat of long work hours, financial worries, traffic jams, and family issues. So what happens if this stress response does not turn off because of our non-stop busy lives?

Ongoing stress that does not resolve results in chronic stress, which is the underlying cause of many health conditions. Chronic stress takes its toll on the nervous system leading to exhaustion, headaches and insomnia. Your digestive and immune system can become weakened by stress making you more susceptible to colds and the flu.

Herbs and Nutrients for De-stressing

Go from ‘dis-stressed’ to ‘de-stressed’ with the help of herbs and nutrients.

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• Rhodiola and withania are herbs which enhance the body’s response to stress. Rhodiola reduces both physical and mental fatigue during times of stress.
• The herbs, passionflower, zizyphus and magnolia help reduce stress, anxiety and nervous tension.
• Magnesium, glutamine and B vitamins requirements are increased during periods of stress. Magnesium assists in muscle relaxation and calms the nervous system.

5 Top Stress Busting Tips:

Lessen your stress load by practising the following stress busting strategies:

1. Rest and Relaxation: soak in a bath with aromatherapy essential oils, a walk on the beach, listen to relaxing music , a picnic lunch in the rain forest etc can help you control stress and improve physical and mental wellbeing
2. Think Positive: a good attitude and positive outlook is fundamental for de-stressing. Thinking positively will help you get through a stressful period with greater enthusiasm and drive.
3. Exercise: Exercise is a brilliant form of stress relief as it conditions the body and mind and encourages the release of endorphins, which help you feel good.
4. Indulge Yourself: Enjoy a well deserved massage or some other blissful treatment – perhaps a rejuvenation facial.
5. Eat Healthy Foods: For a healthy mind and body, eat a diet abundant in fresh, brightly coloured fruits and vegetables. Consume protein with meals and snacks, and enjoy healthy fats such as nuts, fish, avocado and coconut oil. Minimise your intake of caffeine, energy drinks, sugar, alcohol and processed foods as these offer a short-term lift but increase fatigue in the long-term.

Although the stress of modern life is inescapable, it is important to remember that we can easily manage our response to stress with the help of dietary and lifestyle changes and some key natural medicines. Supporting a healthy stress response will allow you to feel more energised and ready to tackle life so you can keep up the state of health and wellness you deserve.