Stress

Stress is your body’s natural defence mechanism against threats or difficulties – the flight or fight reaction.  If you stay constantly stressed, your body stays in a state of high alert, and you may develop on-going stress related symptoms, including:

• Headaches
• Muscle tension or pain
• Sleep problems and feeling tired
• Racing thoughts and constant worrying
• Overwhelmed, irritable or anxious

Try these tips to help with stress:

Tips

Diet

To help improve your levels of serotonin, try eating more of the following foods which contain high levels of tryptophan: eggs, cheese, pineapples, tofu, salmon, poultry, and nuts and seeds, including sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and almonds.

To improve your gut bacteria try eating probiotic yoghurts.  Onions, leeks and garlic all contain prebiotics, which help the keep gut bacteria you already have healthy.

Being stressed puts your liver under pressure.  Eat more asparagus, avocados and cucumber to soothe your liver and your blood, to help your body to deal with stress more effectively.  Cutting back on fatty foods, caffeine and alcohol can also help improve your liver function, so unfortunately this is another time when a healthy diet is best.

A recent review has found that eating plenty of omega 3 fatty acids can help to reduce the symptoms of clinical anxiety (anxiety that has been diagnosed by a doctor).  The study noted that  there was not so much improvement in anxiety for those whose depression had not been diagnosed by a doctor, but it might still be worth trying eat more food with omega 3 to tackle mild anxiety.

Click here for recipe ideas.

Supplements

Try taking the following supplements to manage the symptoms of stress.

• Siberian Ginseng (for increased energy)
• Rhodiola Rosea (for increased energy)
• Valerian tea (to help with sleep)
• Camomile tea (calming, to help with sleep)

Remember to check with your doctor if you are already taking any other medication, and check out our tips for taking supplements here.

Mood

Try these ideas to help to improve your mood.  Or you could try an App like Headspace, Calm or Muse.

Breathing exercises

Deep breathing can help to calm the fight or flight response, and so can be a great stress reliever.  You might think there is no point in learning how to breathe, as you already do it naturally, but taking some time out to practice deep breathing can be surprisingly restful.  Try sitting quietly and concentrate on your breath.  Try to breathe slowly and evenly, inhaling through your nose for 5 seconds.  Then slowly breathe out through your nose or mouth.  Feel how your breath fills your lungs, right down to your tummy, round to your back, and up to your shoulders.  Try to spend a few minutes of your day practicing deep breathing, so that it is easier to remember to do next time you are stressed.

One simple breathing exercise is to slowly breathe in one third of a breath, hold for a second, then breathe in the next third of your breath, hold for another second, then breathe in the final third of your breath.  Repeat this pattern as you breathe out, breathing out one third of your breath, and hold, breathe out the next third and hold, then breathe out the last third of your breath.

Another breathing technique to try is the 4-7-8 technique developed by Dr Andrew Weil.  First, breathe out completely through your mouth, making a whooshing sound.  Then:

• Close your mouth and breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds
• Hold your breath for 7 seconds
• Breathe out completely through your mouth, making a whooshing sound for 8 seconds

This is one breath: Repeat the above three steps 4 times

You might want to try a yoga class to learn some more deep breathing techniques.

Mindfulness

Some people find mindfulness a helpful way to calm their body and mind.  Try our introduction to Mindfulness here.  Or why not try combining knitting or whittling with breathing exercises as a way to relieve stress?  Books like Mindfulness in Knitting or Knit Yourself Calm could help you get started.

Or, if that doesn’t sound like you, research published by UCL in 2019 suggested that playing a game of Tetris was more relaxing than mindfulness.

Sleep

If you are having trouble sleeping, try our tips here.

Exercise

There is lots of evidence that aerobic activity (e.g. walking, dancing, running) and non-aerobic activity (e.g. weight training) can help to reduce stress.  A recent study has also found that both aerobic and non-aerobic activity can help reduce anxiety.  Personally, I find swimming a great stress reliever – why not find an exercise that works for you?

Lavender

Lavender has a reputation for its calming scent, and has been used for centuries to reduce anxiety.  There are also many clinical trials that support the fact that lavender scent can reduce stress.  It has even been shown to work on mice.  Why not try aromatherapy and see if it works for you, or treat yourself to some lavender scented toiletries.

TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises)

This is a new type of exercise class, concentrating on releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. The exercises safely activate a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system.  Check out the UK website here.