It is easy to say to someone, “don’t be stressed out,” but with a bad economy, pressure-driven jobs, unsatisfying jobs, disappointments, faulty relationships, depression, lack of money, lack of help, lack of approval and overwhelming situations, it is easy to get stressed out. Stress is any reaction to a physical, mental, or emotional stimulus that upsets your body’s balance
Symptoms
- Lack of interest, bored, nervous
- Physically look tired
- Short-tempered, anger
- Sadness
- Insomnia
- Chronic back, neck and head pain – tense muscles
- Elevated heart rate, change in breathing
Causes
- Emotional or psychological
- Financial
- Work and job pressure
- Drugs – illegal & prescription
- Fatigue
- Lack of sleep or rest
- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Allergies
- Loss of body minerals
- Marital
- Lack of a personal relationship
- Social problems
- Loss
- Noise
- Hormonal
- Pesticides & environmental chemicals and pollutants
Our bodies are designed to handle stress. In life, you can’t avoid stress, but your body has to be strong to survive stress or your immune system will break down and you will get sick.
melsSteps for Reducing Stress
- Eat more protein
- Eat superfoods
- Eat whole grains
- Eat fish at least once or twice a week
- Eat magnesium-rich foods
- Try to eat up to 75% of your diet in vegetable-based foods
- Reduce caffeine
- Drink 100% juices daily
- Drink green tea
- Laugh at least once or twice a day
- Exercise a minimum of 3 days a week for 30 minutes or more
- Walk daily
- Change location or scenery, if possible – go on a mini-vacation
- Call friends & strengthen ties
- Hang out with your family more – be invested in your family
- Sleep
- Listen to your favorite music; watch your favorite show or movie
- Drink lots of water
- Avoid fast food, fried, processed or refined food
- Stay away from sugar
- No smoking
- No drugs of any kind
- Do something you would not normally do
- Take a deep breath and inhale life
In addition to eating a balanced diet, take the following vitamins, minerals, supplements and herbs:
- Beta carotene
- Selenium
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- B-complex vitamin
- B5 or pantothenic acid
- L-Tyrosine
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Melatonin – night only for sleep
- Psyllium husks
- Lecithin
- Maitake
- Potassium
- Raw adrenal
- Zinc
- Bilberry
- Ginkgo biloba
- Milk thistle
- Catnip
Energy
If you have had stress, fatigue is not far behind. Sometimes do you just feel tired all day, and feel like a shot of energy? What do you do, a couple shots of espresso or wheat grass? You cannot always rely on a short-term fix to get you through the day. If you want to feel better and improve your energy, here are some tips:
- A diet broken down as follows: 70% complex carbs, fruits & veggies, whole grains and legumes; 20% protein from nuts seeds, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish and chicken; 10% fats from low-fat dairy, eggs, vegetable, nut and seed oils
- Magnesium-rich foods
- Iron-rich foods
- Vitamins B & C foods
- Reduce sugar
- Avoid caffeine
- Stay away from high-fat dairy
- Drink tea
- Drink 100% juices
- Eat superfoods
- Exercise 3-5 times per week
- Walk daily
- Weekly massage if you can afford it
- Eight hours of sleep nightly
- No drugs of any kind
- No smoking
- Moderate alcohol – wine is best
In addition to eating a balanced diet, take the following vitamins, minerals, supplements and herbs:
- Ginseng
- Hawthorn
- Chromium
- Magnesium
- B-complex vitamin
- B12 vitamin
- CoQ10
- Vitamin C
- Glutamine
- Zinc
Sleep
Who doesn’t like sleep? Sleep replenishes your energy, releases valuable hormones, affects your mood and relaxes your body. Approximately 70 million people suffer from sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep can have a major effect on your immune system.
If you are tired, stressed or depressed, your body is weakened, your metabolism is impaired and invading bacteria or viruses can enter your body because your body’s defense mechanisms are down. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can lead to:
Most people need between seven and eight hours of sleep per night, but sleep varies with every person based on lifestyle, diet, heredity and health issues. The key is to reduce your stress.
melsSleepSteps to getting a good night’s sleep:
- Make sure your bedroom is comfortable and your bed is even more comfortable. Find the right sheets, pillows and blankets for you. The atmosphere in your room is critical. You need to feel comfortable and free of life’s clutter. No computers, books, magazines, or any kind of work. Your room should be cool, dark and quiet. If not, listen to music and put on eye shades (to block out any light). Your body needs to calm down and decompress.
- Shower or bathe just before bedtime
- Wear whatever is comfortable for you. Some people wear nothing at all
- Stick to a sleep schedule – changing sleep schedules or sleeping late throws your body’s rhythms out of sync
- Don’t have any caffeinated drinks after late morning
- Exercise a minimum of between five and six hours before bedtime
- Avoid alcohol – initially it’s a good stress reliever, but once the sedating effects have passed, you will be wide awake (and probably have to go to the bathroom)
- Avoid nicotine – any kind of smoking or chewing tobacco
- Don’t eat or drink at least 3 hours before bedtime – a meal can cause indigestion and fluids will affect your bladder
- If you sleep near a noisy person, get ear plugs
I’m not a big fan of sleeping pills, but over 40 million people use prescription insomnia drugs to assist them in getting a good night’s sleep. Consult your doctor and understand the benefits and risks of taking this kind of medication.
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