So you're stressed out? I think there's a club we can join...

Last month we discussed aspects of SLEEP, and how to obtain a good portion of it during the night. When I create essential oil samples and ask people what health concern is their top priority right now, the most asked for sample is something to tackle STRESS, followed by sleep support. So it was suggested that stress be my next topic to discuss. Because we all feel it, right? Or is it just me losing the plot?

According to Way Ahead Mental Health Association NSW "People are often particularly reluctant to admit that the stresses of life are affecting their mental well-being and seek help for it" and "according to the statistics, 86% of us watch TV and movies, closely followed by 81% of us who spend time with our loved ones [as a way to deal with stress]. Other coping mechanisms include; focusing on the positives, listening to music, reading, eating and adjusting our expectations."

You locked your keys in the car. You're running late for school drop off. Stuck in traffic. That bill is overdue. The kids won't listen to anything you ask them to do and they're lying to you about what they have done. You just tidied up that mess 10 minutes ago and it's been completely undone. The clean clothes you folded neatly are now strewn across every corner of the room. You've got your period back with a breakout on your chin. Oh and whilst you're trying to change that poo-splosion, one of your other kids has fallen down the steps in the back yard and their head is bleeding.

I tend you be a natural worry-wart, complete with an overactive imagination to visualise the worse case scenarios. And with four kids under 7, it's all too easy for me to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. It's taken a lot of work to try and let some things go and pick my battles, but if this is something that still eats away at you, then you are not alone.

A little bit of stress in life is normal, even good for you. In the right doses it makes us productive, effective, helps drive us to do what we need to do. But you may not know that these days, because we've become so overloaded with stress that it's unhealthy and we can only thing of stress with negative associations. The kind that robs you of sleep, damages your immune system, and makes me scream like a freaking banshee at my kids because my nerves are just that strained from the pressure of so much STRESS! And it begins to tip the scale back to an unproductive and inefficient level. We can't perform at our optimum range if the scale of stress has gone over the edge.

Sick family members, problems at work or struggles finding employment, separation or divorce or other strains on close relationships; these things can create an ongoing environment of stress that can make you feel like you're just surviving, not thriving, and can eat away at the wellness line we want to stay above. 

Prolonged states of stress can lead to deficiencies in the body. It's not just stripping you of your joy - it is literally stripping you of nutrients your body needs to be healthy and to function well!

A study of university students showed that an increase in anxiety correlated to an increase in the excretion of magnesium through urine, and an increase in stress markers correlated to an increase in the excretion of calcium through urine. They were actually peeing out their vital minerals under the stress and anxiety!

What actually IS stress?

"Stress is the body's reaction to harmful situations -- whether they’re real or perceived. When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in your body that allows you to act in a way to prevent injury. This reaction is known as "fight-or-flight,” or the stress response." WebMD

This is all incredibly vague, because what's stressful for me might be OK for you, and what's a piece of cake for me may make you break out in hives...

But Normal stress becomes Problem stress when your body is unable to return to a calm state once the stressful situation has passed. Your body changes in order to handle the situation - the increase in adrenaline is a survival mechanism to deal with threats in the moment. But if the body doesn't return to normal, or sees too many constant threats, then you end up in an exhaustive expenditure of energy and body functions become impaired.

So let's quickly note some of the physical symptoms of stress and I'm going to go ahead and put my hand up next to the ones that I think I can relate to.

Emotional symptoms of stress include: 

• Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody ✋
•  Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control ✋ 
• Having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind ✋ 
• Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed ✋
• Avoiding others ✋

Physical symptoms of stress include: 

• Low energy ✋ (although I still have a baby who feeds 2 hourly during the night),  
• Headaches ✋ 
• Upset stomach, including diarrhoea, constipation, and nausea, 
• Aches, pains, and tense muscles ✋ 
• Chest pain and rapid heartbeat, 
• Insomnia ✋ 
• Frequent colds and infections, 
• Loss of sexual desire and/or ability, 
• Nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ear, cold or sweaty hands and feet, 
• Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing, 
• Clenched jaw and grinding teeth ✋

Cognitive symptoms of stress include: 

• Constant worrying ✋ 
• Racing thoughts ✋ 
• Forgetfulness and disorganisation ✋ 
• Inability to focus ✋ 
• Poor judgement, 
• Being pessimistic or seeing only the negative side

Whoa OK, that was disturbing. Yes, some of those can be attributed to the sleep deprivation of being a mum with little children but I know I feel the stress, people! 

And when we think that the events of our life or the environment we're in is beyond our ability to cope, that's when feelings of helplessness and panic can set in. 

What can we do?

I like to look at things holistically so before we get to the aromatherapy let's address some other natural ways we can approach a more balanced relationship to stress.

Adopt a Positive Mental Attitude 

AKA positive thinking. 

You are a great Mum. You are a better version of yourself than you were yesterday, and you'll be better tomorrow. You really rocked that dinner, even if your kids didn't eat it. You are good enough. It's OK to make mistakes - you do not need to be perfect. And by the way, you're beautiful!

Eat a healthy, low inflammatory diet

Studies have shown that there is a significant difference in the effects of a poor diet if stress is also present. 

"Many people think a calorie is a calorie, but this study suggests that two women who eat the same thing could have different metabolic responses based on their level of stress. There appears to be a stress pathway that works through diet" - Kirstin Aschbacher, PhD (Source)

So if I eat that chocolate bar, but don't stress out about it, the calories will have less effect on me? Hmm, I'm not sure if that's the conclusion they want me to draw, but it's awfully tempting. Essentially, stress does something to mess up your metabolism. So an unhealthy diet will have a greater impact on the body of a stressed individual, then the person who is not.

Over-eating, and eating fatty/fried/sweet foods can throw your body into all kinds of imbalance. Excessive drinking, too much caffeine, sugar, gluten, and processed foods should be limited as they can mess around with the hormones that control emotions and mood control, and suppresses the activity of healthy brain neurons.

If "just eating healthy" is too vague for you, you can look into specific dietary regimes that are naturally inclined to reduce inflammation and oxidisation such as the Mediterranean diet. 

Exercise

Some people love to hate exercise - I used to be one of them. "Oh gee, another thing that says exercise is the answer. Seriously, it can't be that bad if I don't do it, right?" WRONG. Suck it up, Buttercup! It is NOT something that can be ignored, but HOW you exercise can be up to you. Don't just join a gym because that's what people do to tick off that box. If you want to go hiking, or dancing, or swimming, or yoga, or do zumba... whatever - just find a way to move and get your heart rate going that YOU will enjoy. Try something, and if you don't like it DON'T GIVE UP on exercising, just try something different! 

"Exercise decreases stress hormones like cortisol. It also increases endorphins—your body's ‘feel-good’ chemicals—giving your mood a natural boost... Exercise provides a buffer against stress. Physical activity may be linked to lower physiological reactivity toward stress. Simply put, those who get more exercise may become less affected by the stress they face. So, in addition to all the other benefits, exercise may supply some immunity toward future stress as well as a way to cope with current stress." (Source)

"Oh but I don't have time for exercise". Yeah I thought so too. But I think it was more along the lines of, when I do have time I'm too tired to think about exercising, so I'd rather spend that time vegging in front of the TV with my current Netflix binge. Or it would mean getting up early and cutting into sleep time. Well, fortunately exercise is great at giving you more energy and helping you to sleep better at night. The hardest part is always just getting started. Once you're in it, it'll be so beneficial for you you'll be glad you committed to giving it a go. As a society, we definitely make ourselves "too busy" to do important self-care activities. Is there something in your world that you can put aside so that you can have the time to focus on your health a little more? Just have a good think about it. Your health is worth investing the time, and sacrificing something else, so you can be a healthier you for the long term. 

So let's get moving!

Get Magnesium into your diet

Magnesium is a great stress-reliever, but remember that group of university students I mentioned? Excess stress depletes your magnesium, and in a nasty cycle, being magnesium deficient makes you more reactive to stress. Including magnesium rich foods in your diet, and taking a natural magnesium supplement can help to interrupt that vicious merry-go-round, help relieve stress and increase your overall well-being. Magnesium is beneficial for sleep and energy levels, mood, healthy heart functions and is vital for the body's absorption of calcium. So taking care of your magnesium levels is an all round good thing.

Magnesium rich foods include leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, bananas, nuts, fruit such as peaches and apricots, beetroot, tuna, pumpkin, seafood, and cereal grains.

Young Living sell a calcium/magnesium supplement powder called MegaCal that can be easily dissolved in a glass of water.

And you can also try making a Magnesium Spray:

Take a 1/3 cup of Magnesium Chloride flakes (I got mine from Nourished Life) and dissolve it in 1/3 cup of boiling water. Let the water cool and funnel it into a 100ml spritzer bottle. Add 10 drops of Stress Away (or one of the other aromatherapy options listed below). Shake and spritz the Magnesium Spray over your arms, legs, and abdomen daily. (Source)

AROMATHERAPY OPTIONS

Essential oils won't erase stress, but they can help aid in your body's calming responses to stress and help your body to return to its relaxed state. By dermal application, the body can benefit from the physiological response to the oils in the blood stream, and through inhalation the olfactory system which influences our emotional brain will be activated. Which oils benefit you will be very subjective, depending on fragrances that you personally find pleasing and calming, but there are some great options to try.

Stress Away

This Young Living blend of oils was aptly named for the purpose with which it was created. Copaiba, Lime, Cedarwood, Ocotea, Vanilla, and Lavender make up this favourite that became my main reason for delving more deeply into what essential oils could do for my body. I used it daily (diffusing and applying topically, diluted in a roller) and noticed such an amazing difference in my overall well-being. Then I started to feel not-so-great, and the only difference was that I had run out of my Stress Away oil. It's definitely one to try if you're looking into essential oils to send that stress packing!

Peace and Calming II

Another well named oil, and another personal favourite that I have turned to many times when my stress reactions are feeling overloaded. When my jaw feels tense, and my fingers keep curling up, I've been known to grab this bottle and just inhale straight up. The effect happens in mere minutes. It's been a go-to oil for the diffuser in my bedroom to ease those racing thoughts at bedtime, calm my body, and help me to enter into sleep more quickly. I've gone from spending 2 hours trying to get to sleep at night, to about 15 -20 minutes, sometimes less. 

It's a blend of Tangerine, Orange, Ylang Ylang, Northern Lights Black Spruce, German Chamomile, Vetiver, Cistus, Bergamot, Cassia, and Davana.

Lavender

Well, yeah, you probably guessed it. Lavender is the most renowned oil for its calming therapeutic qualities in most individuals, and famous for it's ability to aid sleep. 

Citrus Oils

Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Lime, Tangerine... many people find that citrus oils are uplifting, refreshing, can ease nervous tension, and create a clean and calm atmosphere. The d-limonene found in citrus oils has a profound anti-stress effect. Diffusing any of these oils can be beneficial to your mood. If you choose to apply topically, beware of possible increase in photo-sensitivity to the skin for 12 -48 hours after application.

My own stress-busting combo

I looked into more oils for this kind of emotional support over a year ago and came upon this combination that sent the biggest sigh of relief through my body: Ylang Ylang, Roman Chamomile, and Tangerine. In the diffuser, or added together, diluted in a roller on the pulse points and I'm a happy woman!

Other oils of note

Frankincense, Geranium, Sandalwood, Melissa, Sacred Frankincense, Marjoram, Cedarwood, Rose, Clary Sage, and Valor (Young Living blend).

And you know what? A lot of the oils I've just mentioned, are the same oils I recommended in my blog on SLEEP. Isn't it amazing how connected these two things are! Sleeplessness effects your ability to cope with stress, and stress affects your ability to sleep well.

The things I have mentioned here are not the conclusive list of things to do to de-stress your life, but they are some suggestions on where and how to start.

I hope we can all learn to look after ourselves better, because you're worth it, and the world needs you. Breathe in, breathe out, and remember... YOU'RE AMAZING!


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