Be the Calm Within the Storm
Find Your Natural Balance
There are very few guarantees in life but one thing we know for sure…stress happens. In fact, we experience minor stressors sometimes throughout the day. Stalled traffic, being on-hold too long when calling customer service, the neighbor’s barking dog. The list goes on!
When we’re thrown into stressful situations a series of chemical reactions occur within our bodies. Should this stress response reach high-rev, we might be thrown into what’s called “fight or flight”. This is great! And is actually a healthy response to stress.
When there is real danger, a real threat, we want to be able to react. This fight or flight response triggers these reactions which actually help support mental clarity and indeed, physical strength. Naturally, when the danger goes away, the stress response calms down and we go back to what’s called homeostasis.
But these days many of us are living with a constant hum of stress as our baseline. This is not good. In fact, if our stress response is constantly being triggered, our health will be challenged.
Immune health, for example, can be negatively impacted if we are constantly dealing with an unhinged stress response. Brain fog, heart palpitations and irritability are just a few of the other health challenges that can arise if our fight-or-flight response is constantly being triggered.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to help support a healthy and balanced stress response.
Sleep
We all know that getting enough sleep helps us maneuver throughout the day. And when we don’t get enough sleep trying to handle a “normal” day can seem impossible. So let’s do our best to get that nourishing sleep our bodies and minds need.
Lifestyle considerations include turning off technology at least an hour before bed. Learning deep breathing and meditative techniques to help calm body and mind. Getting blackout blinds to reduce the amount of sleep-disturbing light sources. And doing some sort of physical activity, ideally outside, to help when it comes time to sleep.
Botanicals to consider include lemon balm, chamomile and valerian.
Nutrition
OK, we all know this. Our bodies need nutrients to function. We may also know that consuming too much sugar can wreak havoc on our blood sugar levels. Taking this a step further, if our blood sugar is going up and down so may our moods.
That sort of seesaw action of blood sugar and moods really make it so much more difficult to remain calm in the face of a storm. Getting a handle on sugar consumption and making sure we get proper nutrition goes a long way in supporting a healthy stress response.
Making sure we get enough protein in our diets can help support making healthy choices when it comes to choosing what we eat, including sugar.
Nutrient dense foods and supplements can help. Consider incorporating vegetables, fruits, sources of healthy fiber and even “super foods” like spirulina and chlorella.
Calming Practices
And of course, incorporating meditative practices can help. We’re talking about a walk out in nature, prayer, yoga, whatever it is that you find helps you maintain your balance. This is different for everyone.
Vital health and well-being, including a balanced stress response takes a comprehensive approach to health. You got this!