{"id":154,"date":"2012-03-02T16:27:41","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T14:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/?p=154"},"modified":"2023-08-11T16:36:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T15:36:29","slug":"top-tips-for-busting-stress-naturally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/top-tips-for-busting-stress-naturally\/","title":{"rendered":"Top tips to bust stress…naturally"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Don't let stress make you feel alone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though a little stress can be positive in motivating us to achieve goals and change parts of our lives we don’t like, there\u2019s widespread agreement that too much is certainly NOT a good thing.\u00a0 Indeed, stress is being implicated in an increasing number of ailments and illnesses, both physical and mental.\u00a0 But when stress and stressful things appear to be all around us, what can we do to beat feeling frazzled \u2013 naturally?\u00a0 Read on to find out.<\/p>\n

Firstly though, what happens when we’re stressed?<\/p>\n

Stress interferes with homeostasis, the self-regulating process by which the body maintains a stable, constant internal environment. When the body is subject to a ‘stressor’ (something which provokes a stress response, whether this is a loud noise or the swirl of thoughts in your head), its first reaction is to prepare for danger.\u00a0 The adrenal glands secrete cortisol and adrenaline until a state of physiological arousal is reached whereby the person can fight with or flight from the perceived danger.\u00a0 Pupils dilate, breathing and heart rates rise and digestion stops. This response was helpful back when humans spent much of their time hiding from wild animals, but perhaps less so when we’re stuck in traffic in 2012.<\/p>\n

Such feelings can often lead to people \u2018self-medicating\u2019 with alcohol, food, tobacco or drugs and chronic stress is associated with conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, OCD and panic attacks which negatively impact on a person’s quality of life.\u00a0 So how can we learn to manage stress naturally?<\/p>\n

First off, remember that there are no genuine quick fixes; learning to create and maintain balance is an on-going process throughout one’s life.\u00a0 Think of it as nurturing yourself in the same way a gardener would tend to a special plant.<\/p>\n

– Learn to think differently.\u00a0 Stress isn’t so much to do with the outside world, but our response to it. NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming)<\/a> can be very helpful in reframing life situations in more positive and less overwhelming ways.<\/p>\n

– Don’t be all thrill and no chill.\u00a0 Make 20 minutes of relaxation every day as part of your health regime, as essential cleaning your teeth.\u00a0 Try a variety of techniques such as Tai Chi, meditation and self-massage until you find what you like best.<\/p>\n

– Ditch the coffee for herbal alternatives.\u00a0 If you’re feeling stressed, a caffeine hit is certainly not going to calm and often makes symptoms of anxiety worse. Many herbs have soothing qualities when drunk as a tea, particularly the pleasant-tasting ones such as Chamomile, Limeflower and Lemon Balm.\u00a0 Pre-blended loose teas<\/a> such as Four Flower (Chamomile, Lavender, Rose and Limeflower) and Rose and Lavender are pleasurable both in the teapot and in the bath!<\/p>\n

– If you struggle to get through the day without some caffeine, drink more tea than coffee.\u00a0 Tea (especially green tea) may contain caffeine, but it also contains theanine, an amino acid helpful for alleviating stress.\u00a0 Theanine is now available in capsule form from Solgar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

– Ask for help.\u00a0 Consider meeting a counsellor or therapist for unbiased, professional support. We are now lucky enough to have a counsellor, Francesca Howell<\/a>, at Woodland Herbs. Your health professional can likely recommend a counsellor in your area. Counsellors are trained in tried and tested ways to cope productively with tricky life situations such as family problems or work pressures.<\/p>\n

– Exercise. Whether it’s a brisk walk to the park or a long-distance run, exercise increases blood and oxygen to the brain and triggers the release of feel-good endorphins.<\/p>\n

– Learn to say No.\u00a0 Remember that we don’t have to do everything we’re asked and it doesn’t mean we’re selfish.\u00a0 In fact, learning to say no (nicely!) can be a responsible act.\u00a0 If we run ourselves so ragged that we make ourselves ill, what use are we to anyone?<\/p>\n

– Make bath and bedtime special.\u00a0 Have a routine that you find nurturing and relaxing.\u00a0 If it means banning phones and computers after a certain hour, DO IT. The world will still be there in the morning.\u00a0 Make this your special time; you deserve it.<\/p>\n

– Use Essential Oils<\/a>.\u00a0 Many essential oils are calming (eg Lavender) or uplifting (eg Bergamot) or help promote a feeling of being ‘grounded’ (eg Cedar or Sandalwood).\u00a0 Use them in the bath, in soap stone burners, on tissues to inhale during the day or use diluted (1 drop to 2mls of carrier such as Grapeseed or Sweet Almond oil) for self-massage.\u00a0 For an accessible, handy guide that won’t break the bank, try Christine Westwood’s Aromatherapy A Guide For Home Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n

– There are a wide range of therapies that different people find helpful during periods of stress.\u00a0 Massage<\/a> is a very popular way of de-stressing, and many also use therapies such as Acupuncture<\/a>, Medical Herbalism<\/a>, Reflexology<\/a> and Reiki<\/a> to relax and unwind.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t suffer alone. Always see your health professional if you have pronounced or prolonged symptoms of stress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When stress and stressful things appear to be all around us, what can we do to beat feeling frazzled \u2013 naturally?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[11,38,40,39,36,42,44,41,10,37,43],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions\/293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodlandherbs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}