5 Tips for Dealing with Stress & Anxiety
If you struggle with anxiety and stress, you are not alone. One of the most common complaints that I hear from clients - kids and adults alike - is feelings of anxiety.
We are all under so much pressure day in and day out, and running from one thing to the next - it is easy to feel like a hamster running on those hamster wheels all day long!!
Excess stress can lead to elevated blood pressure, and overtime it can also cause elevated cholesterol levels, weight gain, hormone imbalances, digestion issues, mood imbalances, blood sugar issues, and can even be a trigger for diseases.
5 tips to reduce stress & anxiety:
1. Swap your morning cup of coffee for a cup of matcha tea
I love a good cup of Joe, but if you are trying to reduce your stress levels - that might not be the best way to start your day because it can amp you up too much and make you jittery and anxious. You might be thinking - "But, Sara! I need my caffeine to get going in200 mg of zen the morning!"
The perfect solution is the switch your morning cup of coffee for a cup of matcha tea. Matcha tea has just enough caffeine to give you a nice energy boost, without making you jittery. And the bonus - matcha tea also has a compound called L-Theanine - which is an amino acid that helps to promote a calm focused feeling. L-Theanine is such a powerful way to reduce anxiety and promote calm feelings, that it is sometimes called "Nature's Xanax". It does this by enhancing the brain's alpha waves - which creates a deep feeling of relaxation without any sedation or drowsiness. L-theanine may also help to clear excess free glutamates from the brain, which may contribute to anxiety (free glutamates are found in processed foods, especially those which contain monosodium glutamate - so I always tell clients with anxious kids to skip the Flamin' Hot Cheetos and Doritos - and any other foods which contain MSG)! If you want the benefit of the L-theanine without the caffeine - you can take an L-theanine supplement too - which is nice to do in the evening to calm down before bedtime. L-Theanine does not contain caffeine, so you can take it any time of day. Although it won't make you feel sleepy, the calm feeling L-theanine provides, can enhance sleep at night. A 2004 Australian study found L-Theanine to be more effective at inducing relaxation than Xanax!
I find that L-Theanine can even be an effective replacement a glass of wine for taking the 'edge off', it can also help to lower blood sugar, and ward off sugar cravings too.
Read: Why Everyone is Drinking Matcha.
Read: Natural Alternative to Xanax: L-Theanine
Read: Quick Relief from Anxiety and Stress Without Tranquilizer Drugs
Read: L-Theanine for Anxiety – Self Medicating Anxiety with Tea?
2. Get some magnesium (the "calming mineral").
Magnesium is a mineral, a very important mineral at that - it is responsible for over 350 biochemical processes in the body - from glucose regulation to ATP production, bone & heart health, hormones, and much more. Most people are already deficient in magnesium - and stress only makes us more depleted. Magnesium is often called "the calming mineral, or the "chill pill" - so if we are deficient, it is no wonder we could be feeling anxious. To increase your magnesium, you could eat more magnesium rich foods like nuts, seeds, Magnesium malateleafy greens, and....chocolate!! But go for the dark chocolate, because it is raw cacao where the magnesium is found, and dark chocolate has less sugar than milk chocolate.
You can also take a magnesium supplement - just know that not all types of magnesium are created equal - some are poorly absorbed, and some can have stool softening effects. So it is important to choose the right form of magnesium - I avoid the oxide form, which is poorly absorbed, and has a laxative effect. I prefer these forms of magnesium: malate, glycinate, orotate, and citrate (citrate is highly bioavailable, but it can also cause loose stools, so start with a low dose like 150 mg). Magensium can also be absorbed through the skin, so soaking in a bath with magnesium-rich epsom salts can boost your magnesium levels. Or you can spray a magnesium oil on your skin too. When I am under stress, I find that increasing my magnesium supplements can help me feel a lot calmer. This is the magnesium supplement that we take at our house: Designs for Health Magnesium Malate.
Read: Magnesium & The Brain, The Original "Chill Pill"
Read: Does Magesium work for Anxiety?
3. Try essential oils.
Believe it or not, essential oils can have a very powerful effect on our mood. I like to diffuse them, use them topically, and I even will put a couple drops of lavendar into my foot soak and onto my pillow for a calming effect at night. Interested in learning more about essential oils? Contact sara@rebalancelife.com
Read: The top 7 oils for anxiety
4. Balance your gut bacteria.
Whenever someone tells me they have anxiety - I ask how their digestion is, because believe it or not - many cases of anxiety begin in the gut. Our gut has actually been called our second brain! So addressing gut issues is a great tool for dealing with anxiety. One thingDigestive Defense I like to recommend is trying to add a high quality probiotic. I usually recommend a specific strain - called Bacilius coagulans - because it is it is a soil based probiotic - which means it helps to "seed" your gut with good bacteria and crowd out the bad. It is also generally very well tolerated and doesn't tend to cause bloating. So that is my favorite strain, and it is not the most common one either. You can also eat fermented foods and drinks too - that will help to tip the balance of good bacteria back in your favor too. I have heard that just doing this has helped people reduce their anxiety levels. This is the probiotic I take and recommend: Pure Prescriptions' Digestive Defense.
Read: How gut bacteria may impact mental illness, treatment
Read: Got Anxiety? Consider Your Second Brain.
5. Stimulate your Vagus Nerve.
Our gut is connected to our brain via something called the Vagus Nerve. The vagus nerve plays a critical role in our parasympathetic nervous system - the side of our nervous system that is responsible for relaxation, rest, and recovery. When the sympathetic nervous system is turned on all the time - we are stuck in a stress response - this can lead to anxiety, poorly controlled stress, and can cause our digestion and hormones to get out of balance.
When there are problems with the vagus nerve, it can lead to all kinds of issues - ranging from anxiety to focus, and even digestion issues like slow motility. When we have out of control stress levels for long periods of time, our vagus nerve can get weak. In order to get it working again and doing its' job to calm us down, we need to stimuate it. One way to stimulate the vagus nerve is by gargling - very vigorously several times a day. Singing loudly can also stimulate the vagus nerve, and so can the gag reflex- although some people may not wish to gag repeatedly every day.
If those things don't sound appealing to you - you might want to consider the Nervana device. I recently found and started using this amazing device called Nervana - it looks like a music player - but really what it is doing is stimulating the vagus nerve. Kind of like a workout for the vagus nerve!! I have been using it twice a day, and I have found that my digestion and mood have definitely benefitted.
Read: Simple Trick to Relieve Stress - Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Read: It’s very easy to deal with your anxiety using your vagus nerve
