Natural Stress Relief

If you're feeling like all of your responsibilities are getting the drop on you, or you are finding it difficult to function and adapt as you normally do or perhaps you're simply feeling down in the dumps, here are some amazing tips for unwinding your mind.

1. Change Your Attitude

Imagine you are about to take part in your first marathon and your stomach is in knots. The goal is to switch your "Oh, no!" thinking to "Bring. It. On!" confidence. Easier said than done, surely, but know this: Short stints of stress are actually good for you because they maximize performance. Blood pressure rises and digestion of food slows, allowing your body to summon the energy to combat the anxiety-producing situation. It is chronic stress that shortens your life and makes things seem hopeless. You can use positive affirmations to change your patterns of thinking, and to help squash negative thought patterns. I will go into this in more detail in future blog posts.

If changing your mindset isn't working, try this: Realize it's okay to feel anxious as you contemplate a stressful situation. But remember, to envision positive outcomes, do not focus on the negative, this will hold you back. One recent study found that people who learned to identify and acknowledge stressful thoughts and think them through showed notable improvements in their inner calm. You can, too!


2. Find Your Sanctuary

Have a big presentation to make? Scared you'll stutter or fumble? Try this before venturing into the conference room: Close your eyes. In a quiet area, settle into a comfortable position. Relax every muscle, starting with your toes and moving upward. Focus on your breathing. With every inhale, sink deeper into your body. As you exhale, imagine tension leaving your muscles. Feel better? Congrats, you've just performed a "body scan", a meditative exercise that helps you be super-aware of where your body is holding stress, so you can physically let go of your worry. Other mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga, have been shown to ease anxiety substantially as well. Also try doing things that normally relax you, such as cozying up with a good book, having a delicious beer on your back porch while listening to the sounds of nature, the kind of thing that makes you smile.

3. The Food-Mood Connection

Many foods that people subsist on nowadays are nutrient deficient, and raise blood sugar levels; and, consequently, the level of stress hormones and adrenaline in our bodies. This is disastrous for many reasons, it triggers your fight-flight response, and picks at your ability to think clearly, as well as your ability to handle situations in an effective manner. Most people do not get enough minerals and micro-nutrients (Antioxidants, phytosterols, etc) from fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

Without proper mineral nutrition, your neurons fire erratically, cause undue stress and anxiety. Phytonutrients are certain compounds found in plants that evidence has shown to increase overall health and protect against certain diseases including cancer. Minerals are absolutely vital to the proper functioning of our cells, brains, and bodies. They make every little thing in your body possible. Magnesium, for instance, improves muscle and nerve function, reduces stress levels, helps ease pain and inflammation of the joints and muscles, and improves sleep and concentration. This is only scratching the surface of the beneficial things minerals do for us!

By improving your diet, you will start to feel absolutely wonderful, day after day! You will realize how your lifestyle choices always held you back, without you knowing it. You will feel calm, content, and ready to take on anything! Trust me, I have made the change in my own life!

4. Get Regular Exercise!!

This cannot be stressed (Ha!) enough! Exercising for even an hour every day, be it walking, yoga, strength training, or biking, has innumerable benefits! Some of these positive benefits include enhanced mental function and increased clarity of thought, relief from symptoms of depression, lowered blood pressure, increase bone density, and even prevention of diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, and heart disease!

Even as little as 20 minutes of exercise a day is a great start on the path to calm happiness; the problem for most people isn't thinking of something to do, but actually doing it. Sometimes you have to just get up and go! And what more reason could you want? This could very well change your life!

I will be posting more info on the above topics in the near-future! Stay tuned, and be well!