Top 5 Tips to Conquer Stress and Anxiety
Everything from our fast-paced, modern lives to poor food quality, impaired gut microbiome and lack of true connection with the people we love, to name but a few, have an impact on our mental health.
Stress can have a deep impact on our body, such as our digestive system and gut. Stress prompts the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which in the long-term can have a negative effect on our physical and mental health.
High cortisol has been linked to concerns including weight gain, hair loss and depression.
It is truly important that we find ways to manage and reduce stress so that we can maintain overall wellbeing and enjoy our lives to the full.
This month we are sharing our top five tips for managing and reducing stress and anxiety…
The Gut -Brain Axis
Did you know that there is a network of nerves that connect your brain and gut and send signals back and forth? It is known as the gut-brain axis. This means that what is going on in your mind can have a huge impact on your gut microbiome, and visa-versa. You can read more about healing your gut in this blog post.
Probiotics have been linked to helping reduce anxious feelings in the brain.
Gut microbiota play an essential role in many neurochemical responses in the brain, so by adding in a high quality probiotic, as well as being mindful of what you’re eating and opting for whole, organic foods instead of processed foods, you can support the good bacteria in your gut and at the same time, reduce anxious feelings and stress.
We love and highly recommend doTERRA’s Probiome. If you want to know more about this product, and would like to order it, please send us an email info@puracy.co.za or send us a WhatsApp on 0827844227.
Lower Caffeine and try Honeybush Tea
If you suffer with stress and/or anxiety, we recommend lowering your caffeine intake and replacing your daily cup of coffee with something like honeybush tea.
Honeybush tea has incredible health benefits, including antioxidant and blood sugar balancing (blood sugar balance is key when addressing mental health issues) properties and polyphenols which feed the gut microbiome, as well as much more.
You can learn more about honeybush by reading our Instagram post here.
We also sell Honeybush in both loose leaf and teabag form on Puracy.
The Best Essential Oils for Promoting Relaxation
If you know us at all, you know how much we love using essential oils.
Our go to oil, when it comes to stress and anxiety is Adaptiv. Adaptiv was formulated with essential oils that have been renowned for centuries for their uplifting aromas and soothing properties. This blend consists of
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Wild Orange
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Lavender
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Copaiba
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Spearmint
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Magnolia
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Rosemary
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Neroli
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Sweetgum
Ways to use Adaptiv, include diffusing it in your ultrasonic diffuser, or put a drop of two in your palms and cup this over your nose, and deeply inhale a couple of times. Rub the remaining oils over the back of your neck, and on your wrists. This oil brings quick relief and smalls amazing.
You can get Adaptiv, in the oil form, or in Touch (which is a roller already diluted ready for topical application), and also Adaptic Capsules which brings amazing support for stress and anxiety. These capsules contain Sceletium, GABA, Ahiflower and the following essential oils: Lavender, Coriander, Fennel and Wild Orange.
Get your Stress/ Anxiety Kit here.
Some of our favorite single essential oils for promoting relaxation are the following. Lavender essential oil is considered a nervous system restorative and helps with inner peace, sleep, restlessness, irritability, panic attacks, nervous tension and nervous stomach. It’s considered one of the best essential oils for reducing anxiety.
Clary sage is another essential oil we love for reducing stress. You can diffuse Clary sage to create a calming effect throughout a room.
We also love Ylang Ylang for treating anxiety for its calming and uplifting effects. It may also calm heart agitation and nervous palpitations.
Frankincense is another essential oil we recommend for treating anxiety and chronic stress because it calms the mind.
All of these oils can be diffused, or used to make a stress roller that you can carry with you and apply regularly during the day.
Get out into Nature & Soak up the Sunshine
Sunlight plays a critical role in our physical and mental health.
Research has shown that getting higher levels of vitamin D can improve your mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety.
Exposure to sunlight can also increase serotonin levels (often called the body’s natural feel-good chemical) and regulate the production of melatonin, which is responsible for quality sleep (extremely important for mental health too).
Getting enough sunshine can also lower blood pressure and improve cognitive function.
At the same time, being outside has been shown to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, improve your mood and boost feelings of happiness and well-being.
Consider how much time you are spending indoors and find ways to get outside more. For example, now that the sun is rising earlier and it is warming up, maybe take your breakfast or morning cup of coffee outside or go for a walk instead of going to the gym. Find small ways to get outside more each day and notice how your mood improves.
Move your body
Exercise releases endorphins which do wonders for our mental health as well as improve our physical health.
Good exercise can also contribute to a better night’s sleep, which in turn will improve our mood.
Some of our favourite forms of exercise are Pilates, walking and strength training.
Another powerful way you can lower stress is to practice deep abdominal breathing, or breathwork.
When we are under stress or feeling anxious, we tend to breath more shallowly, which can lead to increased feelings of stress or anxiety.
Controlled breathing can help lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduce levels of stress in the blood and increase feelings of calm and relaxation.
There are some great apps available for doing breathwork.
Our Bonus Tips for Keeping Stress & Anxiety at Bay
We have a few more tips for you when it comes to managing and reducing stress and anxiety…
Do have a look at the Blue Zones of the world, where people are living to over 100. The great thing is that we don’t need to live in a Blue Zone to enjoy quality of life, health and longevity. We do have the ability to change our environment. Keep a watch on our social media this coming month, as we will be sharing quite a bit around Blue Zones, and principles we can learn from them. For now, head on over to this TED talk by Dan Buettner. Do you want to understand the Blue Zone principles in greater depth, then read more here.
Be mindful of blood sugar levels, so make sure all your meals are balanced and switch out all processed foods for whole, organic foods.
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We also encourage you to spend time with the people you love and who uplift you. Being around people who make us happy releases oxytocin, one of our “happy hormones”, which in turn, reduce stress and anxiety.
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Make time for the things that bring you joy - is there a new hobby you want to try?
How about opting for a walk on the beach instead of binge watching Netflix till late at night?
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And on that note, we would highly suggest that if you suffer from stress or anxiety, you limit screen time. The lights and stimuli from our screens cause repeated stress on our nervous system which can lead to or exacerbate mental health issues.