Stress and Mindset

When it comes to stress, there are many nutrients and herbs that can help the body handles stress better. A few of my favourites are:

• Activated B vitamins

• Withania*

• Vitamin C

• Rhodiola

• Magnesium

• Passionflower

• Zinc

• Siberian ginseng

*Amazing herb for stress, but it interacts with a lot of medications so be careful, get some advice first.

To be honest, though, these nutrients and herbs are just support – not cures, not a magic wand to make it all go away. Instead, the mindset of stress is where the real work and benefit is achieved when it comes to handling stress.

In my opinion, there are three main aspects of mindset that can truly change how your respond, both physically and mentally to stress and the recovery from stressful situations.

1. Foundations

These may seem obvious (and I feel like I harp on about these all the time) but these are fundamental to how you handle and recover from stress. In some cases, you won’t need anything else, including nutrients and herbs, if you are doing the following well and consistently:

• Quality sleep

• A wide variety of wholefoods

• Drinking enough water daily

• Moving your body daily

• Connecting with self and others regularly

• Calming the mind with meditation, journaling, yoga, etc.

You may be wondering how are these about mindset. A healthy mindset is easier to practice and maintain when you do the above. You will be stronger and more resilient for the above practices.

2. Inventory and Monitoring

This is regular (preferably daily or weekly) practice of asking yourself:

• How are my stress levels? Rating 0 to 10, with 10 being the most severe is an easy tool that can be done anytime.

• How am I handling my stress? High levels may be appropriate but if you are handling it well, then you may not need any other support/action.

• Can I do better? This usually comes down to the inventory side- what are my stressors? For each one, then asking, can I:

  • Avoid – An example might be seeing a friend, colleague or family member who causes you unnecessary stress and angst. Avoiding them in periods of high stress may be an entirely appropriate and healthy act.

  • Delegate – An example are chores around the house. If you are feeling overwhelmed or losing sleep over getting chores done around the house, can you ask others to help? Can you hire a cleaner, even if just temporarily?

  • Accept – if the situation of high stress at work due to upcoming deadline or family coming for the holidays, then these is the acceptance of this is the stress, but it is temporary and you will get thought it.

The final question is “what am I making this mean?” Somewhere in my travels, I remember someone using the example of the pile of dishes left in the sink. You could look at the dishes as evidence that no one helps around the house, that your house is always untidy. Or you could look at it as evidence of your love of cooking, a loving family that eats together or proof of a good dinner party. It is still just pile of dishes in the sink but you can make it positive or negative by simply altering your perspective.

3. Acute care

Finally, there is the aspect of acute care. When you can see and feel that your stress levels are high, you are not managing them well and you cannot seem to alter the way you handle or perceive them, then you need to have a suite of acute care actions and behaviours to help you through this situation. Some examples might be:

• More of the Foundations – reach out to a helpful friend for a catch up, taka nanna nap, a green smoothie to provide energy and calming nutrients, walk along the beach, etc.

• Healing such as massage, kinesiology, reiki, hypnotherapy – whatever suits you best.

• A break – an afternoon at the movies, a weekend away. Maybe break from emails or social media might help.

• Get professional help – talking with a counsellor is great when you need help navigating stress. There are tools to help you but also simply being able to vent in safe place is healing in and of itself.

When it comes to stress, nutrients and herbs can help you handle minor stress better and recover from chronic stress quicker. They can also support the symptoms of stress such as fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, poor immunity, etc. They work best to amplify the above actions and behaviours. That is the true magic of herbs and nutrients – making your efforts more effective and stronger.

Get in touch to book an appointment if you’d like more information about stress.