Stress is something that we come into contact with daily in one way or another. Understanding how we can control our stress levels is essential to living our best life.Stress plays such an important role in the health of our body. If we stay in a prolonged flight or fight pattern, then you will probably see manly of our body systems affected.
What is going on in the world today are stresses that we can’t really control, like fires, Evacuation Orders, Heavy smoke. The pandemic has taken a toll with many families facing unknowns with work, living circumstances, school and health care.
If the stress is something that we can control and change through a conversation, or rescheduling a meeting or making a new plan then it is possible for us to control and handle this to some degree. But if the stress is out of our control we find that another layer of anxiety arises.
In both cases we react the same way to stress. We get scared and withdraw. And depending on our personalities we respond differently. But it seems to always to manifest with either fear, sorrow or anger. These emotions can play havoc within our body and cause health issues. It will serve you greatly to notice how you are feeling and release the emotion while supporting yourself with a positive affirmation.
Here are 6 ways that you can support your body while undergoing stressful times.
1. Rest and Sleep: Improving your sleep is the #1 thing you can do to recharge and reboot. Magnesium before bedtime helps you sleep. Using essential oils like Lavender, Cedarwood, Vetiver or Peace and Calming before bed will help your body relax and help to release random thoughts and anxieties. Because essential oils as we breathe them in go directly into the Limbic system which has a very strong connection to our emotions and our brain input.
Choose the oils you want to use and keep them by your bedside.
30 minutes before you go to bed place 4-6 drops of your oil for the evening into your diffuser. You can also apply the oils on the bottoms of your feet with a carrier oil. Give yourself a nice massage and LOVE. Or you can massage the oils on the back of your neck or chest.
2. Meditation or PrayerThis will center you and help to you feel what is really important in your life. And allow you to release and let go of the mind forms and difficulties that may be arising in your life. So that you can infuse your being with more depth and fullness.
3. Yoga and Breathing Exercises• Yoga is used in many cultures today. It gives you strength, flexibility, and mind-body awareness. And yoga can reduce tension, anxiety, depression, anger, and hostility. It is very relaxing. Yoga is also coupled with breath exercises which helps tremendously to calm the mind and release tension in the body.
• Deep Breathing is very effective in managing your stress. Here is one deep breathing exercise. From: WebMD.com Very simple but effective. Imagine a spot just below your navel. Breathe into that spot and fill your abdomen with air. Let the air fill you from the abdomen up, and then let it out, like you're deflating a balloon. With every long, slow breath out, you should feel more relaxed. There are other deep breathing exercises that you can find online, but I have always taken my index finger, hold one nostril while breathing in and out of the opposite nostril. A very long, slow and deep breathe all the way down to my abdomen. Then move my index finger to the other nostril and repeat. If you can devote 5 or 10 minutes to this type of breathing exercise you will see immediately your body relaxing and much more peaceful.
4. Physical Exercise, Dancing, Walking in NatureAll these practices will move your energy and allow oxygen to move into your body and brain, thus releasing stress. Exercise also releases endorphins which are the Happy Hormones.
5. Feed your body with Essential Vitamins to naturally boost immunity and stress management• Increase Magnesium Intake-- Magnesium is a calming mineral that helps our brains cope with fear, anxiety, and nervousness. It can get depleted easily throughout the day during times of stress or anxiety. So very important to replenish our bodies magnesium levels throughout the day.
• Multi vitamins: A, D, E, K, B, all support the immune system and help with stress management.
• Probiotics: to help keep you regular. Gut health is directly connected to the immune system and brain health! Probiotics assist in keeping the gut flora happy. Probiotics also are very beneficial for our overall health and digestion.
• Digestive Enzymes: Stress can take a toll on our digestion.Without proper enzymes our bodies have a difficult time absorbing the nutrients and making use of the foods that we eat.
• CBD: my favorite is from Nature’s Ultra and it’s THC-free (non-addictive). Ask me how you can get a discount!
6. Healthy Snacks and this includes Hydration!When life is stressful we want to eat to get rid of the anxiety and at the same time we also need fuel to supply our bodies with good nutrients to handle the stress. So, make sure you have some healthy snacks to cover the cravings that will probably be coming up for you. And also eat a balanced diet that will help you ground and give you energy and nutrients. Here are a couple of snack suggestions to use. And remember that healthy snacks will also stabilize your blood sugar. Trail Mix with a variety of seeds, nuts, dried fruit (raisins, goji berries…) chocolate nibs, whatever appeals to you. Also, pretzels or crackers of your choice. Protein/granola bars, jerky sticks, fruit leather. Hummus or guacamole with tortilla chips or veggies. Nut butters to be used with your crackers. Antioxidant fruit juice packets.
• Hydration: Dehydration can cause stress and if you are stressed you will also find yourself dehydrated. So it is very important to keep yourself hydrated. Here is how you can calculate your ideal water intake for the day (24/hr cycle).Your Weight in Pounds divided by 2 = Your minimum water intake in Ounces.
• To make your water intake more interesting you can add a drop or two of an essential oil. This will also help to oxygenate your water. I like to use Lemon, Orange, Peppermint, or Fennel oil. These make your water delicious and easier to enjoy. Or squeeze ½ of a lemon or lime into your water.
Laugh, Sing, Listen to Music
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