Lifestyle
Stress has become a byword for the fast-paced living of the 21st century. Whether your stress triggers are at home, work, school or all three, that six-letter word can take an enormous toll on your emotions, mental state, physical health and lifestyle.
Here are some staggering statistics from the past few years:
Chronic and lifestyle related health issues are growing rapidly in India, especially among our
‘young India workforce’
46% of the workforce in India suffer from some form of stress (Optum)
42.5% of corporate employees in India suffer from depression (Assocham)
Nearly 38.5% of corporate employees in India sleep less than 6 hours a night (Assocham)
Anxiety and Depression in corporate employees has risen by an average of 50% (Assocham)
On average, there are 371 suicides reported in India daily (National Crime Records Bureau)
Most national suicides are in people aged below 44 (WHO)
While stress is a fact of our everyday lives and human nature, it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to stress. Stress can be good and bad; acute and chronic; physical and emotional. And how we each react to stress varies person to person, experience to experience. Awareness about the causes of stress and your reaction to those triggers can be the first step in handling stress more productively, in our increasingly stressful world.
When you face a stressful event, your body responds by activating the nervous system and releasing
hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol. According to
Psychology Today, stress generally refers to two things:
1. The psychological perception of pressure
2. The body’s response to that pressure. Your response to pressure “involves multiple systems,
from metabolism to muscles to memory.”
Your ancestors wouldn’t have existed without the stress response.
Imagine this: you’re walking down the road and come across an angry, growling dog and your
heart rate immediately increases. The fear we experience in this situation is stressful.
When we’re under attack our bodies enact what is called the fight or flight response, also
known as the acute stress response. This response has evolved as a survival mechanism.
The source of stress comes from either physical or emotional stressors. The fight or flight response
triggered by an angry dog is a physical trigger
Is stress a purely physical response to fear?
When you’re feeling everyday stress, be it with work, family or finances, are you feeling
like your life is threatened? Probably not. That’s because your body can overreact to stressors
that are not life-threatening too, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties.
This is what modern day stress has become and at times, it is wrecking havoc on our mind,
body and spirits.
Adrenaline and cortisol are stress hormones in your body that are secreted from the adrenal glands.
Though both chemicals are stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol play different biochemical
roles. Adrenaline primarily binds to receptors on the heart and heart vessels. This increases
heart rate, force of muscle contraction and respiration.
The lesser-known Cortisol is the primary stress hormone in the body.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Cortisol acts as a natural alarm system for the body by
starting bodily responses that will help us both flight and flee. Scientists have known for
years that elevated cortisol levels can interfere with learning and memory, lower immune
function and bone density, increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease.
This hormone restricts body functions that are nonessential or harmful in a fight-or-flight
scenario, such as suppressing the digestive and reproductive systems. Additionally, it communicates
with regions of your brain that control your mood, motivation and fear.
Needless to say, cortisol is very important to how we respond to stressful or fearful situations.
Stress can reveal itself in many guises, depending on the person, situation and severity. A common complaint is mild to severe forms of insomnia. A person may, for example, notice a change in their sleep patterns where they are either unable to fall asleep or, wake in the middle of the night with their brain in overdrive. Another typical symptom is experiencing digestion issues such as lack of appetite or stomach pain. Stress often shows itself in our relationships, with impatience and irritability leading to arguments and a change in libido.
The first step is identifying your triggers, then stepping back to understand your patterns of
response to your stressors.
Here are some strategies to help you adapt to and approach stress, peacefully
Yoga can make you flexible and toned, but it also aligns the body with the mind. This ancient
form of mental and physical exercise provides a welcome diversion from mental over-activity
and replaces it with a sense of calm. It’s also a practice that has greater mental benefits
the more frequently you do it. For example, with regular practice, you can slip into a relaxed
state of mind easily and quickly.
The best poses for stress relief are ones that involve forward bends. The Child’s Pose is
a great starting point for beginners as it gives a pleasurable and comfortable stretch, regardless
of flexibility.
How to do the Child’s Pose: Kneel on your yoga mat and spread your knees outwards at 45 degrees,
feet touching. Breathe in and raise your hands above your head with palms touching. As you
breathe out lean forwards and bring your arms and hands down flat onto the mat, walking your
fingers out as far in front of you as you can. Breathe slowly and deeply in the pose. Try
to eliminate random thoughts and bring your mind’s focus to your breathing. Stay in this
position for as long as you feel comfortable.
If you are feeling stressed getting a good night’s sleep can be difficult to achieve – until
you change your approach. There’s more to falling asleep than simply putting your head down
on the pillow, shutting your eyes and hoping for the best.
The first step is to remove any electrical devices from your room.
The beeps, pings and rings can interrupt your sleep, and the very light they emit can prevent
us from feeling sleepy. A study in the
New York Times shows that blue light waves, emitted from computer screens, can reduce
melatonin levels. Our levels of melatonin should be high at night as this peak in hormones
helps us to fall asleep. Blue light, however, has been found to reduce melatonin levels.
Before shut-eye, make sure you’ve had time away from the blue light - this includes screens,
but also charging and standby lights.
Another thing to check is the temperature of your room, as this can hamper sleep. Ideally,
you should avoid being too hot – a cool 15-20°C is recommended.
According to Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University
of California, Berkeley and author of a greater sleep opportunity book, says: “The body’s
core temperature needs to drop by about two to three degrees to initiate sleep. If our core
temperature is too high, the brain cannot easily make the switch from being awake to being
asleep, or create the best quality sleep.”
High cortisone levels and stress are interlinked, so finding a way to decrease cortisone is one way to combat stress. Drinking Tulsi tea, a brew made of the green leaves of the Ocimum Tenuiflorum plant can lower cortisone levels, restoring a feeling of calm. Furthermore, a 2014 study in The Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, showed consuming Tulsi had a positive effect on physical, chemical, metabolic and psychological stress. The report states:
"Tulsi has been found to protect organs and tissues against chemical stress from industrial pollutants and heavy metals, and physical stress from prolonged physical exertion, ischemia, physical restraint and exposure to cold and excessive noise. Tulsi has also been shown to counter metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels, and psychological stress through positive effects on memory and cognitive function and through its anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties."
Train your brain to cope with stress by using biofeedback technology. The latest innovation?
The Melomind is a high-tech headset that uses Bluetooth technology and EEG sensors to monitor
your brainwaves and ultimately, helps you to relax.
The frequency of the music played through the Melomind headphones is automatically adjusted,
depending on the wearer’s brainwaves. The data is then sent back to the wearer’s smartphone
for monitoring purposes. This can be useful in working out how, when and where your stress
is caused.
Much like meditation, regular use of The Melomind improves your ability to unwind and train
your brain to deal with stress.
Are you getting your daily dose of Vitamin B? Signs of a deficiency include irritability, apathy
and depression – feelings which are all interlinked to stress. Check that your diet includes
plenty of the following: whole foods, unprocessed cereals, beans, peas, nuts, and berries,
as well as organic eggs and dairy products.
Vitamin B12 is naturally found in meat and dairy. It can also be found in foods fortified
with B12, including some plant milks, soy products and breakfast cereals. Vegetarians and
vegans can address deficiencies too by eating more of these or taking supplements. Taking
too much Vitamin B can be toxic so checking with your doctor for deficiencies and confirming
correct amounts beforehand is important, keeping in mind that the guidelines of how much
Vitamin B you need is different for adult males and females, those with certain illness and
conditions (pregnancy, for example). Arranging a blood test is a good starting point if you
are concerned, or experiencing any signs of deficiency.
Sometimes it’s the simple stuff that can tip us over the edge and, thankfully, put us right back
on track. An organised mind leaves little room to make mistakes. If keeping lists or calendars
or having reminders flashing up on your phone prevents you from missing appointments, running
late and getting stressed – make these things a habit.
It may seem trivial, but research shows that stress can also be brought about by untidiness.
If you can’t think straight when your house isn’t ‘straight’ you need to devote time to tidying
and organising. See it as ‘lifestyle filing’. As with most jobs, more hands make light work.
Try asking your entire household to get involved and help. You may be surprised by their
willingness to help.
Sometimes doing what’s good for us can feel counterintuitive. However, if you take the plunge, a warm bath can boost circulation and release muscle tension. Adding aromatherapy oils to the water will boost your bath’s effectiveness. Aromatherapy gurus recommend oils such as lavender and eucalyptus to lower cortisone (those stress-inducing hormones) and provide stress relief. Tulsi Essential Oil can also be deeply stress-relieving. Use 5-6 drops of oil in your bath and inhale deeply. Whatever oil you choose, always check that it is safe to use on the skin
When we put our bodies under long periods of physical and emotional stress, we risk depleting
ourselves of key nutrients, unbalancing hormones and neurotransmitters. Left untreated, stress
can lead to long term health problems. To recover from chronic stress and give ourselves
the best chance at healing requires treating ourselves well on a daily basis.
A powerful way to kick-start our restoration after a period of prolonged stress is to comprehensively
cleanse our bodies, minds and spirits. ORGANIC INDIA's ORGANIC INDIA CLEAN Cleanse Program
has been carefully designed to easily fit into your daily schedule combining gentle guidance
and daily encouragement with the complete nutritional support of ORGANIC INDIA herbal supplements,
specially formulated smoothie powders, adaptogens like Tulsi, relaxation techniques, yoga,
movement and meditation videos, which altogether can help you to adapt to daily stressors
by improving your body's natural detoxification channels, repairing and revitalising your
whole health after periods of sustained stress
What's best? You do not have to go into a retreat to try ORGANIC INDIA CLEAN. It has been
designed to be done from the comfort of your own home, while still fulfilling your regular
duties.
Stress can reveal itself in many guises, depending on the person, situation and severity. Taking
preventative steps such as working out, practising yoga, eating healthy, taking 30 minutes
for yourself a day or every week, drinking Tulsi tea, consuming B vitamins, and cleansing
can all assist you to handle stress in the future.
When stress does come, because stressful moments happen - no matter what steps you take to
prevent them - take a moment during, or afterwards, to analyse:
What’s causing your stress (trigger)?
What’s your initial reaction?
We each have different triggers and no one experience is the same from one person to the
next. That’s why identifying what your triggers and your initial reaction to them will help
you make an action plan to handle a similar situation in the future with less stress for
you.
This article originally appeared on the ORGANIC INDIA AUSTRALIA blog. It was written by Kelsey Stevenson and edited with permission by Angela Rowland for the ORGANIC INDIA CLEAN India Blog.
