Stress: You can handle it (Part 2)

This article is reprinted with permission from herbalist expert Steven Horne.

You can read part 1 of this series here.

Supporting your body is an important aspect of stress management. If your body is depleted of vital nutrients, or you are always doing things that stress your body without taking time to unwind, you’ll end up experiencing more unhealthy eustress.

Give Your Body the Nutrients It Needs

The production of neurotransmitters and hormones requires nutrients, which long periods of stress can deplete. The healthier your diet is, the better you’ll be able to cope. Unfortunately, one way people attempt to soothe their stress is to eat junk food, particularly sugary foods. This is because simple sugars temporarily increase the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. Unfortunately, refined carbohydrates also spike the blood sugar and are followed by a big let down or crash about two hours later. In contrast, if you eat complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you’ll get a more sustained lift and the nutrients your nerves need to function properly.

There are also nutritional supplements that can help. Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins are particularly important for the nervous system during stressful times. An anti-stress vitamin supplement containing these important vitamins along with herbs to help calm your nervous system can be very helpful.

Neurotransmitters require amino acids from protein, so when stressed, it also helps to make sure you’re getting adequate protein. An algae supplement containing spirulina, blue-green algae, and chlorella may be helpful for this.

The mineral silica aids resiliency in the nervous system. If you aren’t getting enough silica and other minerals to keep your hair, skin, fingernails, bones, joints, and teeth healthy, you’ll also have a harder time coping with stress. So, as surprising as it may sound, a hair, skin, and nails formula, which contains horsetail, dulse, sage, and rosemary, may also help you be more resilient under stress.

Two other minerals that may be helpful when you feel you’re under a lot of stress are magnesium and zinc. Both are responsible for helping to produce calming neurotransmitters in the brain, which can aid feelings of relaxation and the ability to sleep. Magnesium is especially important if you feel tense and edgy, finding yourself easily irritated or upset by small things. Zinc is important if you feel cranky and irritable.

Take Time to Care For Your Body

While it’s important to try to do something constructive about the problems you’re facing, this doesn’t always mean doing something to tackle the problems head-on. Taking the time to unwind and de-stress can be an important step in reducing distress.

In The Pleasure Prescription, Dr. Paul Pearsall explains that pleasurable experiences do more good than stressful experiences cause harm. This is good news, because while you can’t avoid all problems and stressful experiences, you can create pleasurable experiences to counteract them.

The key is that these experiences need to be physically pleasurable, causing pleasurable sensations in the body. Mental activities, such as watching videos, playing games, or even reading don’t soothe the body. Examples of things that do help include getting a massage, soaking in a hot tub or bath, taking a walk in nature, and surrounding yourself with pleasant fragrances, calming colors, or relaxing sounds. Playing with children, being affectionate with one’s partner, or engaging in a relaxing hobby or activity are other examples of pleasurable experiences one can create.

The pleasure prescription involves making a list of ten activities you find physically pleasurable and devoting at least 20-30 minutes each day to one of those activities. Making time for such activities can be likened to sharpening a saw or axe when cutting wood. A sharp cutting instrument makes the job easier, and following the pleasure prescription will make the job of dealing with stressful situations easier.

If you’re having trouble thinking of things you can do, here’s a good place to start. Try taking an Epsom salt bath every night. Run a tub of water as hot as is comfortable for you and add 1-2 cups of Epsom salt to the bath along with some relaxing essential oils. Lavender, chamomile, rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang are all good choices. (Mix 10-20 drops of the oil with a little liquid soap when adding them to the bath.) Light some candles, put on some relaxing music, dim the lights, and soak for at least 15-20 minutes.

Get the Help You Need

Even the best of us can get overwhelmed from time to time, so don’t be afraid to reach out for help when life gets too difficult to handle. Seek help from friends, family, and spiritual leaders, or get some counseling to help you sort through the things that are distressing you and gain the skills you need to cope. It also helps to pray and seek Divine strength and wisdom to help you cope with life’s difficulties.

Using Herbs to Manage Stress

If you need help relaxing and coping with stress, use herbal remedies. They can both help you relax and increase your ability to cope with stress.

Nervines are the herbs that can help you relax. Along with the nutrients previously mentioned, you can try taking a nervine formula, especially in the evening to help you unwind and sleep better. Herbs that are helpful include hops, valerian, passion flower, skullcap, vervain, California poppy, and motherwort. Try taking a formula containing herbs like this.

A good relaxing formula can also contain non-herbal ingredients like l-threonine, magnesium, zinc, B-complex vitamins, and CBD. CBD can help dial down your stress reactions because it aids a feedback process in the nervous system that calms down the stress-inducing neurotransmitters.

Adaptogens are herbs that can help increase your ability to cope with stress. They can help you have more physical and emotional resilience when facing life’s challenges. Examples of adaptogens include ashwagandha, cordyceps, eleuthero, holy basil, maca, reishi mushrooms, rhodiola, schisandra, and suma. If you’re feeling tired and are struggling to cope with life’s problems, try taking an adaptogen formula containing herbs like these.

Avoid using drugs or alcohol to relax or cope with stress. While these substances may temporarily mask stressful feelings, they won’t help resolve the problem.

As you learn and practice these different stress management skills, remember to have faith that whatever life hands you, you really can handle it!

 

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash