10 Tips on How to Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Feeling of Overwhelm Naturally!
Living with anxiety or stress can be so disruptive in our lives.
This year, more than ever we are seeking coping mechanisms and here we will share our top tips!
You may have or are currently experiencing the reality of your daily life, feeling as though it is in turmoil and you don’t know what to do to stay on track! Which can be quite scary.
Anxiety, no matter what extent can impact our daily routines and whilst we can go along to our general practitioner and be prescribed some medication which may work it is not always what people want, some are seeking natural remedies and coping mechanisms for anxiety and stress.
These can include:
More than 40 million adult Americans are living with anxiety disorders according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
If you landed on our blog post you may be wondering if you are suffering and what to do next?
Anxiety can include feelings of:
- Nervousness
- Fear
- Worry
Even those who do not suffer from anxiety sometimes don't know how to calm down - calm the mind. Especially as our lives can be so busy juggling multiple priorities at once.
Managing stress and anxiety is about finding ways to feel calm, cool and collected on the inside and let's face it in control - but of only what you yourself can control. Remember we cannot and will never be able to control anyone or anything else other than ourselves.
Here are our top tips for keeping you in a state of calm, cool and collected. We hope they help and if they do please share with your family, friends and loved ones. Remember sharing is caring!
Right let's find some calm in the storm, shall we?
1. Move - exercise
Whether you like it or not we need to move our bodies even if it is a small walk. Our bodies were made to move!
Remember we are energy and when we are in a state of stress, anxiety and overwhelm we would normally just sit pondering on if, buts and whys - but lets face it that does not help one bit because we are worrying about things outside of our control. Now sometimes we can be feeling so low we don’t even feel confident to get up or go out. For this we need to take baby steps. Eventually we can build up to bigger and longer exercise.
Start with stretching everyday upon waking and before going to bed, do some gentle Yoga movements, Star Jumps on the spot, walk outside in nature - just do something to move those limbs and slowly you will release some endorphins.
2. Soak up some sunlight!
Time to get some Vitamin D. Ideally 40 minutes from the sun itself a day. Be mindful of an ongoing lack of exposure to the sun (aka Vitamin D) do to the pandemic, lockdown can result in levels of serotonin levels. Which is a mood-boosting hormone that can help to make you feel calmer.
3. Avoid caffeine!
Grab a cuppa, opt for sipping herbal tea, to avoid those caffeine jitters, herbal teas act as natural remedies for anxiety, stress and sleep (circadian rhythm). Chamomile, rosemary and lavender are known for helping.
4. Get some good old sleep
Let you head hit the pillow! No matter how busy you are and you feel the clock is against you remember we only have 24 hours in a day and we cannot control this. Staying up all hours to work - which I believe me is becoming a common thing - now we work from home where it is hard to set boundaries. But remember we need sleep is actually good for you, not getting enough eventually takes it toll on you.
- Get 7 - 9 hours a day.
- Switch off screens 60 minutes before bed - read or listen to a podcast instead
5. Do some Meditation
It really isn't that bad! It is great for reducing stress and anxiety!
In 2013 a study found that mediation had the largest impact on those who suffer with anxiety.
Meditation as a mindfulness practice is shown to reduce the inflammation responses stress causes.
We can use youtube, google or our smart phone to find some good guided meditations and yes they do work in the beginning a lot of people think no way! I can’t do this woo woo stuff but then boy do they realise how much it helps. If you were watching Joe Wicks live on IGTV during lock down you may have seen him doing it after Russel brand mentioned it to him.
In the next few weeks we will be sharing some of the best apps, sites, books and podcasts we have found to be helpful. Feel free to share ones you found worked.
6. Take a breath
Take a deep breathing in for 4 through your nose out hold for 4 and then for 8 from your mouth. Keep doing this and count the breath.
This little process we hope will help you to reduce stress and improve mood.
Be grateful
No matter religion, beliefs being grateful and saying a few words, or writin them in a little diary daily can really help you to be calm, as well as be clear about your path ahead and how you have got this!
Just jot down what you were grateful for the day before or that day, find a time that suits you best morning or evening usually works for people!
This little daily task can help you focus and feel ready to face what's ahead with confidence for those with more severe anxiety. It can also be used as tracking your feelings, thought patterns.
7. Have a salt bath
Not only does the magnesium in Epsom salt help relax your muscles, it can also help relax your mind! Research has shown that magnesium deficiency enhances stress reactions and utilising the healing properties of soaking in Epsom salts can help reduce both stress and cortisol levels.
If you have a bath great fill it up if not grab a foot bath!
8. Eat well - Serotonin rich foods (the happy hormone)
-
Eggs
-
Pineapples
-
Tofu
-
Salmon
-
Nuts & seeds
-
Turkey
Avoid sugar, fast foods fill yourself up with good stuff!
9. Try some natural remedies:
Ashwaganda
An ancient medicinal herb with multiple health benefits. It can reduce anxiety and stress, help fight depression, boost fertility and testosterone in men, and even boost brain function.
A 2000 study suggested that the herb had a comparable anxiety-reducing effect with lorazepam, suggesting that ashwagandha might be as effective for reducing anxiety. However, the researchers conducted this study in mice, not humans.
In a 2019 study in humans, researchers found that taking a daily dose of 240 milligrams (mg) of ashwagandha significantly reduced people’s stress levels when compared with a placebo. This included reduced levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone.
In another 2019 study in humans, taking 250 mg or 600 mg of ashwagandha per day resulted in lower self-reported stress levels, as well as lower cortisol levels.
Although this research is promising, scientists need to collect much more data before recommending the herb to treat anxiety
Triplex Complex Mood Tonic
A safe, non-addictive, natural supplement containing 100% homeopathic ingredients that were selected to support balanced, normal and healthy serotonin levels to help maintain a balanced mood.
A combination of three biochemic, cellular-supporting tissue salts and may be taken at the first signs of irritation and moodiness for effective help.
Moods are influenced by several parts of the brain, and more and more evidence is being discovered that suggests that there are specific areas in the brain that are at the center of mood experiences.
Research suggests that vitamin K2 plays a critical role in the process. For decades, vitamin D3 and vitamin K have been considered 'stand-alone' vitamins. But really your health can't benefit from one without the other, It's true! So, get the most out of Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 today, in one sublingual spray formula!
- To Help Support Normal Immune System Response (doing this helps your bodies response mechanism)
- Better Calcium Absorption
- Better Phosphorus Absorption In The Blood And Bones
10. Seek help if you need
Suffering from anxiety and stress is not uncommon! Do not feel bad or ashamed you are normal we all go through stages in our lives where we feel overwhelmed! This doesn’t mean you need to suffer in silence.
Seeking help may just be going to meet a friend to talk things over, however sometimes this isn't enough because our friends usually are wanting to do everything they can to help and it is natural to want to help someone and suggest what we would do but this is not always what we need.
What we need is a trained professional who can guide us through this turmoil and you will surprise yourself. I know I did. I looked forward to my sessions, the clarity and calmness I felt afterwards was amazing.
Remember we cannot control anything but ourselves and our own thoughts and actions.
We can explore making these small changes and try the remedies to see if they help you feel more calm, cool and collected.
Should you wish. to speak to a profession book in at Blissful's Mind Clinic by calling on +356 21437254.
*Always recommending you consult your help care professional for advice.