Simple Ways To Fight Stress

When your body is under stress the demand for nutrients is more as more key nutrients are burnt up. Stress increases the demand for vitamin C, the B-complex, magnesium, vitamin A, proteins, antioxidants and essential oils.

Stress and Digestion:

Even if we eat a healthy diet, our body will be unable to digest the nutrients if we eat under stressful conditions.  Our state of mind is critical at meal times. The body can assimilate nutrients from food only if we eat in a relaxed environment. Our thoughts during meal times have a profound effect on our digestion. If something is bothering you or you are agitated, it is best not to eat at that time. When you compose yourself later you can resume eating. Treat meal times as sacred moments.  Don’t force yourself to eat just because it is meal time. 

Follow your hunger signals. Try and eat up to 3/4th of your eating capacity for good digestion. If you overfeed yourself, you will be overloading the digestive system with work. This will make your feel lethargic, sleepy, and weak.

Related: Healthy Living Tips

Stress:

Suffering is disease and contentment is good health. This only points out the profound connection between our body and mind.  Health is a biological equilibrium that exists within our bodies. A person with a disturbed mind and soul cannot possess a healthy body. Health is a reflection of physical, mental, spiritual, and economic well-being.

Stress in today’s society is omnipresent. It is the manner in which a person reacts to stress that makes all the difference to health.

Those who handle stress in a detached manner are the ones who are least affected by it. In other words, just `stay cool’ when under stress’.  When you let stress get the better of you it can cause disease. Psychological stress activates the adrenal glands to discharge stress hormones (cortisol) which help us survive the stress but at the cost of our health. It is now a well-known fact that stress has a strong influence on both our mental and physical health.  Stress affects almost all our body systems. When a person is exposed to stress over a period of time, he can develop high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, cancer, immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, depression etc.

VITAMIN C:

There is more concentration of Vitamin C in the brain tissue than in any other tissue in the body.  It is a powerful antioxidant. During stress more of it is used up.  Therefore, those under stress should consume anywhere between 500 to 1000 mg daily.

Fruits:

They are rich in antioxidants and are an ideal food for reducing stress. They contain simple sugars as well as complex carbohydrates which help raise serotonin the `feel good’ neurotransmitter. There are a number of people who overeat during stressful time.

Those who eat food to battle stress eventually end up battling obesity. Fruits are an ideal food for such people

Cruciferous Vegetables:

Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli are rich in bioflavonoids which are powerful antioxidants. During stressful times, the body generates a whole lot of free radicals which harm the cells. The bioflavonoids protect the body against such damage.

Green Tea:

Green tea is particularly rich in polyphenols. These are active agents against cancer, heart disease. They protect the body against stress. It would be worthwhile to switch to drinking green tea instead of regular black tea as black tea loses some of its antioxidant properties due to fermentation.

Chamomile Tea:

This is a herb, which helps bring about relaxation and promotes sound sleep. If you find that your life has been a bit hectic and you find yourself all knotted up like a bundle of nerves, you can take a cup of chamomile tea to put yourself at ease. Due to its ability to induce relaxation, it may help to reduce the effects of stress.  However, some people are known to be allergic to this herb. So use it with caution. If you experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea then stop using it. Chamomile tea should be best taken at bed time. About 1-2 cups in the night are sufficient to wash away the day’s stress and induce sleep.

Yoga and Meditation:

Meditation helps combat stress by allowing the mind to accumulate energy in silence. When we stop our mental chattering we can become more centered and generate a lot of positive energy. Pranayam that is simple breathing exercises and yoga have been proved very beneficial in combating all forms of stress. Pranayam helps to promote controlled breathing and brings about balance in the body.

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