Looking techniques for stress relief and reducing your anxiety? What about natural plant based alternatives to help reduce and manage stress? Stress can really stop us in our tracks, it affects our work, our relationships and how we feel about our life as a whole. Unfortunately, stress doesn’t just magically disappear on it’s own, it requires us to be productive and try out different stress busting tactics. There are many times in our lives when stress creeps in and causes great angst.
Life is busy and work, kids, school and responsibilities can seem overwhelming at times. Do you feel stress getting you down? Here are some tips to help deal with stress and its after-effects.
Why Stress and Anxiety Relief is Important
Stress has become a major cause of anxiety and panic attacks. If not dealt with, it can have an incapacitating effect on your life. More often than not, most people with A-type personalities are prime candidates for stress induced symptoms. The perfectionism they seek in everything they do never quite measures up to their expectations. This is not a perfect world; and it’s time those who live in it realize they aren’t perfect either.
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Sometimes, however, stress reveals itself in other ways. Lightheadedness, an inability to focus, feelings of pressure and palpitations are all symptoms of stress. Moreover, continued stress can produce anxiety, panic, and the fright or flight syndrome.
How Stress Can Overwhelm You
Here is one such case of how stress can simply overwhelm and, in some cases, debilitate. A secretary was called into her administrator’s office, which was quite large and comfortable. When she started taking notes for the meeting, she suddenly found it hard to breathe; began to lose focus; and a queasy feeling in her stomach ensued. She could no longer concentrate on his voice, and ran out of the room.
Unbeknownst to her, she had just experienced an anxiety attack brought on by stress. However, while there was nothing stressful going on at the time, she later identified the cause. An unpleasant thought had entered her mind while she was taking dictation, causing fear to take over forcing her to flee the office.
Upon further examination, it was determined the stress in her home life simply became too much, and filtered its way in to her work day.
Start with the Basics for Stress Management
Most people deal with stress in different ways; either they ignore the initial problem which caused it; retreat within themselves, or fall apart. However, those who recognize the signs nip it in the bud before it completely takes over. Some basic ways to ease stress immediately include:
- Breathing exercises can bring you back to a calm state anytime, anywhere.
- Going outside for some fresh air also helps.
- Walking or running for 20 minutes can release endorphins which relieve stress.
- Listening to classical music for stress relief lowers the blood pressure, and brings calm within.
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If stress is getting you down, examine the cause. Determine the origin, and discuss it with a professional or a loved one. Stress, if not acted upon, can cause serious health problems. In the meantime, try to reduce your stress as much as you can.
Tools such as meditation for stress relief or yoga for stress relief are popular to help calm you and make you more relaxed. There are also many natural remedies you can try. These six plant based supplements can help you to relieve feelings of stress.
What are the Best Supplements for Stress Relief?
1 . Chamomile
Chamomile is a yellow and white flowered plant, with a botanical name of ‘Matricaria recutita’. It’s widely suggested that chamomile is useful to relieve stress and promote sleep. You can purchase chamomile supplements, or try it in the form of a herbal tea. Chamomile has also been associated with boosting the immune system and treating the symptoms of a common cold.
- Kava Kava
Kava Kava is a plant found across the South Pacific Islands, Kava has been used throughout history as a drink to celebrate special occasions. Inside the plant there are kava pyrones, which help our minds to relax and feel calm. Kava is also associated with relieving pain and helps to ease muscle tension.
- Bacopa
Bacopa is a herb that’s native to Asia, Africa and South America. It’s also referred to as ‘Indian pennywort’ or ‘water hyssop’. According to a study in Healthline Bacopa reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Taking Bacopa supplements can also help to reduce anxiety. Bacopa is currently being studied to assess its neuroprotective activity.
- Passionflower
A beautiful flowered plant, Passionflower is commonly sold as a supplement or a herbal tea. Passionflower works to improve GABA activity, which can help our brains to relax. Various studies have linked passionflower to easing stress and reducing the effects of insomnia. It’s useful to take a passionflower about 30 minutes before you go to sleep. Consuming in the day can make some people feel a little drowsy.
- CBD
Cannabidiol (CBD) is made using cannabis plants. CBD is a single compound from cannabis, and it is not the same substance which produces an intoxicated effect. Cannabidiol is an excellent way to ease stress, lessen anxiety or offer pain relief. You can purchase CBD products, in the form of oil or capsules, in most health food stores and at some pharmacies. In the medical world, CBD has been used to treat various conditions including epilepsy and arthritis.
- Damiana
Damiana is a yellow flowered plant that is found in Mexico. Several studies have linked Damiana to stress reduction, it’s believed that this may be caused by the thymol content. The herb also has the ability to reduce your appetite, so can be a useful supplement if you’re looking to lose weight.
All of these supplements are made from natural ingredients, and are safe for consumption on a long-term basis. Having said that, it’s important to discuss with your doctor if you take any prescription medication. Sometimes prescription medication can interact with herbal supplements. It’s useful to take these supplements with food, to increase bioavailability. In addition to supplements, there are also essential oils which help reduce anxiety.