15 Tips to Reduce Stress
1.)Identify and eliminate food intolerances/allergies, and reduce exposure to environmental intolerances. These can be a source of constant unseen threat in the body, causing stress and fatigue, along with unpleasant symptoms, hindering the health of all body systems.
2.)Improve blood sugar levels. Balanced bloods sugars will supply more energy to the body and brain, and will stabilize your moods. Between 2:30 and 4pm our blood sugars are at our lowest. Eating a protein rich snack accompanied by fresh veggies and fruits, will prevent that ‘hangry’ feeling and slump at this time of day. Adding ½ tsp of cinnamon helps to even our blood sugars, and is a nice addition to nut butters, fruits, and grains.
3.)Support your Liver! This is the organ responsible for a large majority of digestion and detoxification. It is responsible for conjugating, releasing and detoxifying excess hormones produced in the body. It is known as the seat of unexpressed anger. Feelings of guilt, frustration, annoyance and anger, commonly suppressed during periods of stress, will accumulate in the liver. Physical and emotional build up in the liver will hinder detoxification, contribute to mood imbalances, and reduce our overall health. Starting the day with 12-16 oz of warm water with lemon juice, green juices and/or bitter green veggies (rocket, arugula, romaine, wheat/barley grass), and regular consumption of cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, etc), as well as herb and spices in whole food or supplements such as ginger, turmeric, milk thistle, and dandelion root, will support your liver. Also find ways to release suppressed and built up emotions, such as journaling and EFT (emotional freedom technique, aka ‘Tapping’).
4.)Get healthy hormone levels! There are many possible causes of hormone dysfunction, most causing high levels of oxidation and inflammation in the body. This creates a cycle of stress in the body. If your hormones are not balanced look to the following factors: hormone sensitivity/insensitivity issues, nutrient deficiencies, xeno-hormone loading from food and environmental factors, electromagnetic/geopathic stresses, physical and emotional stressors.
5.)Support your Adrenals! There are several stages that lead to adrenal fatigue. Unfortunately most people do not recognize these subtle stages until at the last, which is exhaustion. The adrenal hormones are adaptive to survival, driving our fight or flight response. Unfortunately our stress response in the body has a hard time differentiating between true seen physical threats (ie. being hunted or in harsh physical environments) and unseen treats ( ie. electromagnetic currents, emotional stress and negative thoughts). Regular support of adrenal function is key in reducing stress. Along with the other items on this list, the adrenals can be supported with the following: vitamin B- Complex, vitamin C, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, GABA, Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, Siberian Ginseng, Suma, Maca.
6.)Reduce caffeine. Caffeine enhances the response to both histamine and coristol, increasing the feelings of physical and mental stress.
7.)Rebuild the digestive system! Digestion uses approximately 80% of energy. Avoiding food sensitivities is the first step to rebuilding the digestive system. You can also follow other rules to enhance digestion such as food combining. (referto my handout on ‘Tips to achieve proper digestion’).
8.)Go hug a tree! Several studies have supported that connecting to earth energy (grounding), by direct contact with the K1 meridian point (wellspring of life point) on the ball of your foot, has profound effects on reducing physical and emotional stress. This is best when in direct bare foot contact such as walking on the grass, dirt or damp sand, but when you are unable to go barefoot, hugging a tree is your next best option.
9.)Follow these simple rules for a healthy emotional approach to reducing stress:
-No negative guessing of the future.
-No negative recall of the past.
-Accept life as it is now, with faith and action.
-No over-idealization of people, places or things.
-No over-expectation of people, places, or things.
-Avoid high glycemic foods, and refined foods. High glycemic foods (starches, sugars, bread, etc) will increase blood sugar fluctuations, leading to mood disturbance. Refined foods are stripped of nutrients and therefore are robbing us of valuable energy and nutritional benefit by consuming them.
10.)Avoid high glycemic foods, and refined foods. High glycemic foods (starches, sugars, bread, etc) will increase blood sugar fluctuations, leading to mood disturbance. Refined foods are stripped of nutrients and therefore are robbing us of valuable energy and nutritional benefit by consuming them.
11.)Engage in regular physical and emotional pampering! Start your day off with gratitude, positive affirmations, hugs and kisses. Try skin brushing, massage, essential oils, or spa treatments. Do something that makes you feel good about yourself! I like to include Epson salts baths to give an extra boost of magnesium, release negative energy and cleanse the aura. Ultimate bath recipe: 1 cup Epson salts, ½ cup baking soda, ¼ cup Himalayan sea salt, essential oils of your choice (rose, lavender, chamomile, sandlewood, etc).
12.)Engage in activities that support body, mind spirit connection: deep breathing, meditation, qi-gong, yoga, positive affirmations and mirror work, energy exercises, and meditation. These all help to rebalance emotions and relieve stress.
13.)Detoxify your life! Regular detoxification of the body is essential in reducing stress, and can be done through herbal cleanses (best done 2-4 times yearly), and daily through specific foods and drinks. Detoxifying your life also means reducing and elimination negative people, places, situations and things from your life. This means making choices to change your life that best support your health, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
14.)Make key lifestyle changes: assess for heavy metal toxicity, assess for candida/parasites, develop a bedtime routine to ensure quality sleep, engage in regular daily physical activity, limit exposure to television/video games/ computer use, and consume nutrient dense organic foods. Candida overgrowth and parasites are a constant drain on us physically and emotionally and will prevent us from achieving health if not addressed and eliminated!
15.)Energy exercises! We are energetic beings, and daily care of our energetic pathways and body, can provide huge benefits to reducing stress and improving our overall health. For regular care you can do the following:
-Hookup: place one hand with your middle finger in your navel and the other hand with your middle finger on you ‘third eye’. Push in and pull up on both points at the same time. This reduces anxiety, strengthens the aura, increases coordination and connects the central and governing meridians.
-Cross-Crawl: Begin with a march in one spot, then do an exaggerated march crossing your hands over to the opposite knee. This helps you to think more clearly, facilitates crossover of energy, and increases energy.
-Massage the Gait Relexes: These are the spaces between your toes. I like to do this in the bath. Simply use your fingers and thumb to pull the energy off your toes. This is excellent for releasing clogged energy and release tension.
-Hold your own stress points (neurovascular points). Hold both hands on your forehead. Palms down and fingertips touching. Hold for 1 minute. Then hold one hand on your forehead above the eyebrows, the other on the back of the head. Hold for 2-3 minutes. This helps to prevent blood from leaving the forebrain, which enhances concentration and memory, as well as calming the fight-or-flight response, and assists in repatterning unwanted habits.
-The Hug: Wrap the left hand around your right arm, just above the elbow. Wrap your right arm around the left side of your body, underneath your breast. Hold for 3 deep breaths. Reverse sides, holding again for 3 deep breaths or longer. The hug helps to balance the fight-or-flight response with the spleen meridian, which aids in reduced stress and digestive ailments, as well as promoting a feeling of safety.
For more energy techniques you can contact me, or visit innersource.net .
Health and Blessings,
MyiaSparreboom, RHN, R.BIE
Spruce Wellness