Top Suggestions for Managing Stress

Top Suggestions for Managing Stress

There is no doubt that many of us live life in the fast lane and expect our bodies and minds to keep up. But what is often forgotten, that just like a car requires regular servicing and the correct fuel to drive the distance, your body as a whole, needs not just the same but beyond the level of care.

More and more of us are feeling overwhelmed with the daily stresses of life, and unfortunately leave it too long and allow it to significantly impact us. The outcome can result in symptoms that can range from panic disorders, anxiety, poor sleep to complete lack of self-care, all affecting our quality of life and overall wellbeing.

We need these two aspects, fuel (food) and servicing (self-care) to produce the currency the body needs to support the level of demand that we put on it.

We have asked our expert for her top suggestions that can help you cope, nourish and support your body and mind in times of stress.

Nutrition

Eating to support most areas of health involves having whole, unrefined, unprocessed foods that are nutrient-rich, and when you are feeling stressed this is no different. In fact, when our body is working harder to maintain balance – whether as a result of physical injury or psychological stress – our internal stress management system requires a greater supply of certain nutrients found in foods. Below are a just a few of these foods that can help your body to weather the storm efficiently. These include but are not limited to: Eggs, pulses, berries, pumpkin seeds, fermented foods, organic and grass-fed protein sources, healthy sources of fat such as salmon, olives, nuts and seeds as well as avocado of course.

Natural remedies

• ‘Adaptogens ‘is a term used to define those foods or herbs which have shown to help the body adapt to situations of stress, whether physical or mental. Examples include:
  
  
• * Ashwaghanda, traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to support a calm mind and encourage restful sleep. It is extensively used in India as a daily tonic to support energy levels. Ashwaghanda is available in a high quality, pure and wholesome powder form, obtained through a process referred to as ‘super critical extraction’, from Organic Traditions. It can be added to recipes or enjoyed as part of a hot chocolate for example. If preferred as a potent alcohol-free liquid herbal extract, Nature’s Answer has just what you might look into.
• 
  * Bacopa also used traditionally in Ayurvedic principles, for its support on the nervous system anxiety, stress and memory through the properties of its active constituents. Nature’s Answer provides 500mg of herbal extract per capsule, standardised to 20 % of the active compound, ‘bacosides’ to give you all the natural benefits of bacopa.
• 
  * B vitamins can also be supportive. Garden of life has created a wholefoods, certified organic B-complex with meaningful doses that help provide the support the body needs in times when we feel overwhelmed.
• 
  * Magnesium- the king of minerals is responsible for about 300 enzymatic processes in the body. Magnesium levels has been found to generally be low in most individuals who experience high levels of stress or anxiety. It is hard to have therapeutic amounts through food, and a supplement may help to support the body and mind and provide restful sleep. Nature’s answer provides different options.
• 
  * Supporting your gut bacteria, is the best step you can take besides self-care and nutrition, with the sheer amount of research looking into how our microbes affect our mood. Microbiome Formula Mood+, has clinically studied strains of bacteria which have shown to reduce the levels of GABA (generally high when feeling anxious), in addition to having strains of bacteria that help healthy bacteria to flourish. Research shows how gut bacteria have a profound impact on our neurotransmitters, since they communicate with the brain, sending signals which impact on our feel-good hormones. Not only is this probiotic high in ‘colony forming units’ but it also has high diversity of bacteria, and is entirely free of harmful excipients that can be found in others available on the market. It contains clinical doses of Ashwaghanda, Alaskan blueberries as well as Acacia fibre to support the mind, the immune system and gut.

Self-care

• * Surround yourself with positivity and the people you love.
• 
  * Reach out for additional help from healthcare professional and friends.
• 
  * Love yourself and take time to reflect on those niggly things that seem to affect you the most.
• 
  * Be in the moment, and take one thing at a time.
• 
  * Exercise to help relieve the strain and stress on the adrenal glands which produce cortisol, our stress hormone. When you are ready, exercise when it makes you feel good and helps your body release endorphins, the feel-good hormones.
• 
  * Have a shower or bath with Jason’s Himalayan pink salt range for its soothing properties.
• 
  * Go to bed without electronics, as these affect our sleep hormone, melatonin. We all know how sleep affects us the next day and can drastically impact the way we cope with stressors.