Stress Relief – Natural Techniques and Supplements to Calm Body and Mind
Stress, it affects us all. It’s a natural defence system inbuilt into our bodies to protect us from perceived dangers. But what happens when stress becomes so intertwined in our lives it impacts our abilities, our moods, and even our health?
• What is Psychological Stress?
• How do I Recognise Stress?
• How Physical Stress Manifests in our Bodies
• How do I Fix It?
• Stress and the Future
What is psychological stress?
Stress comes in different forms. It has been perceived as a fight or flight response to imminent danger, think of our pre-historic ancestors running from a deadly predator and you get the picture. We still have that response today but just as humans have evolved over time, so has stress. Daily life places demands on us, and stress is how we respond to daily encounters, events or situations. It is normally followed by our bodies regulating and returning to a normal state. But that isn’t always the case. Living in a high state of stress can have an impact on both our mental and physical health.
How do I Recognise Stress?
To create a healthy environment for our bodies to thrive, it’s important to be able to recognise and identify the different states of stress. Psychological stress can be divided into three groups:
1. Acute stress – Also known as Fight or flight stress. Acute stress can be enjoyable, like going on a rollercoaster or fear inducing like being chased by a dog. It is normally short-lived, with your body to returning to a natural calm state.
2. Episodic acute stress – This form of stress is the same as acute stress, yet happens more frequently. For example working in high pressured environment, where your body doesn’t get the opportunity to calm and regulate. You can often feel exhausted by this with an overwhelming sense that things are always going wrong.
3. Chronic stress – It can be difficult to identify chronic stress as it often becomes part of daily life. Financial struggles, relationship issues, or daily pressures from work and family can create a never-ending cycle of stress. So many of us accept this as part of life but there is hope.
How Physical Stress Manifests in Our Bodies
Our body’s innate response to stress can manifest in both physical and psychological signs and symptoms. Here are some common ones.
Physical signs of stress may be:
• Racing heart
• Trouble sleeping
• Headaches
• Physical weakness
• Digestive issues
• Chest pain
• High blood pressure ( 1 )
Emotional and mental signs of stress:
• Anxiety
• Moodiness
• Irritability
• Unable to concentrate
• Forgetfulness
• Depression
• Lack of motivation
• Feeling overwhelmed ( 1 )
How do I Fix it?
Now we have an understanding of the different types of stress and how to recognise them within our bodies. Let’s explore what we can do to minimise the effects and regain balance over our physical and emotional health once more.
Journaling-Write it down
Maybe you need to release emotions but find it hard to share with someone else, daily journaling can be a way to off-load. It can help you organise your thoughts, recognise your feelings and even track patterns or triggers. Journaling can be a pretty cost effective way to release stressful moods and stay in control of your emotions. Studies have proven releasing stress through journaling as an effective way to relieve anxiety and worries (2,3).
Nutrition- Magnesium supplements
Magnesium is a vital mineral, responsible for the regulation of over 300 biochemical reactions in the human body. Found in dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, and whole grains magnesium is a normal part of our daily diets. So why would a magnesium supplement be a good idea? Unfortunately magnesium and stress run in a vicious cycle. Stress depletes magnesium stores, and magnesium deficiency enhances stress. Making sure your magnesium is at an optimum level can aid in the damaging impact of living with stress (4, 5).
Magnesium is known as a relaxer, calming and regulating the nervous system. It can help regulate your mind and even promote sleep. Using our magnesium spray on tense achy muscles may provide physical relief and aid relaxation.
Control- Breathe deeply
When panic ensues we are often advised to “take a deep breath” and calm down. During labour breathing techniques are encouraged to bring a sense of calm and control. So surely breathing can help counteract the symptoms of stress.
When we breathe deeply and consciously there is a connection between our body and mind. With each deep breath the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, engaging our bodies to calm and slow down. Research shows diaphragmatic breathing, can reduce cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’. The release of cortisol isn’t necessarily a bad thing but with chronic stress, cortisol levels can be elevated for long periods. This can increase inflammation, weaken the immune system and lead to ill health (6).
To take control of your health and a stressful situation remember to breathe. Try incorporating deep breathing exercises into your daily routine. Relax, unwind and see how beneficial the power of your breath is for optimising your wellbeing.
Nature-Sunshine and Vitamin D
Nature can bring a different perspective to things. Just spending a few minutes with the sun on your face and birds singing can distract from the mundane. But did you know that immersing yourself in nature can actually reduce stress? From boosting your mood, to bringing some happiness, time outdoors can reduce elevated cortisol levels and reduce stress. A 2019 study showed that a short 20 minute walk was enough to make a difference to stress levels (7,8).
Combine that with Vitamin D and things might get even better. Vitamin D is renowned for being the sunshine vitamin. Vital for immunity and a healthy wellbeing, vitamin D is obtained from sunshine. However dark winter months can play havoc with the maintenance of healthy vitamin D levels. Supplementing with a potent Vitamin D supplement can ensure depleted levels are a thing of the past.
When it comes to stress, vitamin D can also provide relief. It has been proven to provide protection against stress and increase the body’s resilience to stress. One study showed that taking a Vitamin D supplement during the winter provided better resilience to stress in spring. From improving the ability to keep clam and problem solve to bringing a bit of sunshine into heavy days, Vitamin D is one mineral to boost your health and wellbeing (9,10,11).
Stress and the Future
It doesn’t look as though stress is going to vanish anytime soon. Learning to recognise different types of stress and how it can impact us can be the first step to regaining control. Boosting depleted vitamin and minerals with high quality supplements can provide our bodies the nutrition they are missing. This nourishment can, in turn help in the battle against stress. Finally implementing simple techniques such as breath-work, journaling or soaking up nature may release emotions, provide a calming relief and reduce stress.
To boost your nutrition through supplements, explore our extensive range here.
References
1. Adamsson A, Bernhardsson S. Symptoms that may be stress-related and lead to exhaustion disorder: a retrospective medical chart review in Swedish primary care. BMC Fam Pract. 2018 Oct 30;19(1):172. doi: 10.1186/s12875-018-0858-7. PMID: 30376811; PMCID: PMC6208049.
2. Smyth JM, Johnson JA, Auer BJ, Lehman E, Talamo G, Sciamanna CN. Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients With Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2018 Dec 10;5(4):e11290. doi: 10.2196/11290. PMID: 30530460; PMCID: PMC6305886.
3. Sohal M, Singh P, Dhillon BS, Gill HS. Efficacy of journaling in the management of mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fam Med Community Health. 2022 Mar;10(1):e001154. doi: 10.1136/fmch-2021-001154. PMID: 35304431; PMCID: PMC8935176.
4. Pickering G, Mazur A, Trousselard M, Bienkowski P, Yaltsewa N, Amessou M, Noah L, Pouteau E. Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 28;12(12):3672. doi: 10.3390/nu12123672. PMID: 33260549; PMCID: PMC7761127.
5. Noah L, Dye L, Bois De Fer B, Mazur A, Pickering G, Pouteau E. Effect of magnesium and vitamin B6 supplementation on mental health and quality of life in stressed healthy adults: Post-hoc analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Stress Health. 2021 Dec;37(5):1000-1009. doi: 10.1002/smi.3051. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33864354; PMCID: PMC9292249.
6. Ma X, Yue ZQ, Gong ZQ, Zhang H, Duan NY, Shi YT, Wei GX, Li YF. The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Front Psychol. 2017 Jun 6;8:874. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874. PMID: 28626434; PMCID: PMC5455070.
7. Ewert A, Chang Y. Levels of Nature and Stress Response. Behav Sci (Basel). 2018 May 17;8(5):49. doi: 10.3390/bs8050049. PMID: 29772763; PMCID: PMC5981243.
8. Hunter MaryCarol R., Gillespie Brenda W., Chen Sophie Yu-Pu.Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers. Front. Psychol., 04 April 2019Sec. Environmental Psychology Volume 10 – 2019 |https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722
9. Hansen AL, Ambroziak G, Thornton D, Mundt JC, Kahn RE, Dahl L, Waage L, Kattenbraker D, Araujo P, Murison R, Rypdal K, Grung B. Vitamin D Supplementation during Winter: Effects on Stress Resilience in a Randomized Control Trial. Nutrients. 2020 Oct 24;12(11):3258. doi: 10.3390/nu12113258. PMID: 33114392; PMCID: PMC7692327.
10. Gwon M, Tak YJ, Kim YJ, Lee SY, Lee JG, Jeong DW, Yi YH, Lee SH, Hwang HR, Lee Y. Is Hypovitaminosis D Associated with Stress Perception in the Elderly? A Nationwide Representative Study in Korea. Nutrients. 2016 Oct 19;8(10):647. doi: 10.3390/nu8100647. PMID: 27775565; PMCID: PMC5084034.
11. Hansen A. L., Ambroziak G., Thornton D. M., Mundt J. C., Kahn R. E., Dahl L., Waage L., Kattenbraker D., & Grung B. (2023). Can vitamin D status influence the effect of stress on planning and problem-solving? A randomized control trial. Food & Nutrition Research, 67. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v67.8970
