We all know that life is full of stress. Stress can be caused by anything disturbing the serenity of our lives, including change, pressure, emotions, and physical trauma. Even activities such as skiing down a mountain, aiming for higher goals, or falling in love can take a toll on one’s nerves. Unfortunately, during difficult times, people often take worse care of themselves. Though stress may be unavoidable, we can come through most ordeals if our lifestyles are balanced by faith, rest, good nutrition, and exercise. Here are some natural ways to take care of yourself.
HERBS THAT RELIEVE STRESS
Nature’s floral pharmacy provides many herbs that nourish and support a frayed nervous system. Taking the time out to savor a cup of soothing herbal tea made out of one of these herbs is a wonderful way to nourish your nerves:
• Valerian calms nerves without dulling the mind and relaxes the muscles, leaving you less uptight.
• Catnip contains nepetalactones, which are chemically similar to valepotriates in valerian, both calming chemicals. It calms anxiety, hysteria, insomnia, and restlessness.
• Chamomile is a great nerve restorative for exhausted systems. Use it for anxiety, hysteria, insomnia, nervousness, and nightmares.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Good posture promotes the best brain function because the oxygen and nutrients the body needs all get delivered where they need to be.
• Hops is helpful for anxiety, hysteria, insomnia, irritability, nervous heart, nightmares, and stress.
• Kava kava is good for anxiety, stiff muscles, and tension that prevents sleep.
• Oat straw calms anxiety and nervous exhaustion.
Natural food stores carry herbal combinations of calming plants in tea, tincture, or capsule form. Use when needed, up to three times daily, though some prefer these remedies at night as they can make you too restful during the day.
ESSENTIAL OILS THAT RELIEVE STRESS
Essential oils that relieve stress include anise, basil, cardamom, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, fennel, frankincense, geranium, juniper, lavender, lemon, marjoram, melissa, neroli, nutmeg, orange, peppermint, pine, rose, rosewood, sandalwood, spearmint, and ylang-ylang. You can take up to ten deep inhalations from the bottle or add five to seven drops to bath water.
BEST FOODS TO RELIEVE STRESS
During tense times, you owe it to yourself to choose nutritious foods. Small, frequent whole-grain meals rich in complex carbohydrates help to keep the blood sugar on an even keel as well as provide important B vitamins. Oatmeal and yogurt are two foods that are easy to digest and rich in calming calcium. Other good stress foods include almonds, beans, raisins, and sunflower seeds, as they are rich in nerve-nourishing minerals like calcium and magnesium as well as B vitamins. Onions contain tension-relieving prostaglandins.
SOOTHING PRACTICES TO RELIEVE STRESS
Here are a few other ideas to enhance the serenity of your life.
1. Exercise improves respiration and circulation, sends nutrients to the cells and stimulates endorphin production. Yoga and t’ai chi can help relax the mind and body.
2. Every day, do something you really enjoy. Read books that are uplifting. Act like a kid. Throw a Frisbee. Read fairytales. Play with clay.
3. Get a massage or massage your own hands, face, and feet.
4. Reach out to someone. Hug your child, love your mate, pet your dog or cat, get in touch with an old friend, lend a hand to someone in need.
5. Breathe more deeply and slowly. Oxygen nourishes the brain. Alternate nostril breathing is an excellent technique to relieve stress.
6. Slow down your eating, talking, walking, and driving. Do whatever you need to do, but do it slower. Even speaking more calmly can have a calming effect.
7. Psychotherapy can be essential for releasing pent-up feelings that cause stress.
8. Wear comfortable clothing that allows your skin to breathe and allows freedom of movement. Some people find that wearing the blue and green is calming. Avoid yellow as it contributes to anxiety.
9. When choosing music, select that which is calming and contemplative.
10. Get out of bed 15 minutes earlier to allow time to take care of what’s needed. Prepare your clothes, paperwork, and perhaps lunch the night before rather than starting your morning in a frenzy.
11. Rather than letting your mind carry around so much, get an engagement book and write down numbers, errands, and appointments.
12. Write down all your problems and brainstorm possible solutions for solving them. Remember that you don’t need to be perfect.
13. Learn to say no to the things you really don’t want or have time to do.
14. Get rid of clutter in your life. Clutter causes confusion.
Skip This!
Foods that increase the negative effects of stress include alcohol, caffeinated beverages, fruit juices, and sugar.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Stress depletes the body’s reserves of vitamins and minerals, so it’s wise to take daily supplements during stressful periods. Consider a vitamin B complex (50 mg) with C (500 mg) to replenish the water-soluble nutrients. They not only can nourish the nervous system but also give you the energy you need to deal with life’s problems. Calcium (1000 mg) and magnesium (500 mg) help to ease tension and irritability.
15. Practice visualization. There a many tapes available where you close your eyes and visualize yourself floating on a cloud or lying by a trickling brook. Visit these tranquil places in your mind.
16. Learn to do a craft. To create things of beauty is great for self-esteem.
17. Get a set of Chinese hand balls, available at many natural foods stores. Learn to use them.
18. Be prepared for lines that keep you waiting. Have something to read so you don’t have to feel like you are wasting time.
19. Smile. Relaxing your face helps the rest of your body as well as putting those around you at ease.
20. Spend time in the beauty and quietude of nature. Go outside and look at the sky. Sit by a stream.
21. Pray for guidance and/or meditate. Have some alone time every day.
22. Take a short nap when you can.
23. Make two lists: one of the stresses in your life you can change and the other of the stresses you can’t.
24. Plan something to look forward to.
25. Remember to count your blessings!
This Stress Relief Techniques article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
