Mental Health Awareness Week 14th – 20th May 2018

1. At times stress can be a positive, motivating factor in life, but chronic stress impacts negatively on our physical and emotional health.

8 Natural Ways to Beat Stress

1. Talk to Someone

Find someone that will listen to you. It’s even better if they will ask challenging questions. This is what is offered in our half price stress coaching sessions.

1. Exercise and Yoga

Exercise releases powerful endorphins (chemicals in the brain) which act as natural pain killers and mood lifters. Exercise also helps with our natural sleep/ wake cycles, moods and blood sugar levels. All of these affect our ability to cope with stress.

Yoga has exercise benefits, but also improves how people feel about their bodies.

Exercising while listening to uplifting music positively impacts on the stress system and has benefits for hormonal balance and brain functioning.

1. Meditation and Breathing Exercises

These help you to relieve stress and find peace of mind. Meditating for as little as 10 minutes a day has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, improve mental alertness and help overcome mental and physical problems.

1. A Nutrient Based Diet

Some of the best foods for stress relief are foods rich in vitamin B. These include eggs, grass fed beef, wild caught fish, poultry and green leafy vegetables.

Foods high in calcium and magnesium are also useful. These include yogurt, wild caught salmon, beans, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, avocados and nuts.

High protein foods and healthy fats found in salmon and sardines are also helpful at keeping stress levels reasonable.

1. Spending More Time in Nature

Getting away from built up areas to the seaside or countryside; just sitting being fully aware of your surroundings is mood lifting. Walking, cycling or running is even better, but remember to concentrate on where you are. I find walking my dogs in the countryside helps me keep stress levels low and I often find the solutions to challenges or become motivated by ideas whilst walking.

1. Being Social

It has been shown that loneliness affects adversely affects stress and mood levels and even longevity. Connectiveness The way we are connected to others brings meaning to our lives.

Whilst social media is a useful way to keep in touch with people, being with friends and family just to enjoy yourself is a major stress reliever and mood lifter.

1. Keeping a journal

Keeping a journal of your emotions, both positive and negative, alongside events can help you identify triggers and the cause of stress. Once you know these you need the courage to do something about it even if it seems impossible. Doing one of these 8 things is not hard and will start to help. Keeping a journal can also help to relieve stress by helping you to stay organised.

1. Natural Remedies

Always check with your G.P. if you are already on medication but some natural remedies can help relieve stress.

Ginseng helps regulate hormones and physiological functions which can help relieve stress.

Essential oils that can help calm stress are Lavender, Myrrh, Frankincense and Bergamot. I’ve found it handy to carry these with me and use on a pulse point or smell them to relieve stress (N.B. Do not put neat oil on the skin. Buy it in diluted form or dilute it yourself in carrier oil.)

I hope that you find this useful and please add your own tips to our website.

Sally