‘I’m not stressed’ he says impatiently as he curses the red light for not turning green.
How stressed are you? I have recently come face to face with this very question. I knew I was a bit stressed but it wasn’t until I really sat down and had a real chat with myself (along with using some other amazing tools such as DASS - a stress, depression and anxiety severity questionnaire) that I realised I was in far deeper than I thought. We have all been there at some point. Whether it be short term or long term, big or small, stress is just a consequence of being human. Stress can be good for us at times. It gets us up to our hungry baby through the night, it gets us through that assignment or work project we left to the last minute, again. It enables us to run, ride and swim fast when we are in competitions and it even helps to save us when we are in life threatening situations. On the other hand sometimes stress can be detrimental to our health. Prolonged stress puts a constant demand on the body to produce energy and hormones to get you through that time. This means your body is constantly using up nutrients to produce these hormones and energy, eventually leading to a deficit which then leads to less nutrients for other systems to go about their normal activity. This is why chronic stress can lead to weight gain, headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, changes in sex drive, mood changes, cognitive changes, lowered immune and much more.
So brilliant! I’m stressed, now what? We need to get to the root cause of the stress. Is there something we can change to reduce the stressor or do we simply need to support the body and its various systems through this time? I often work with my stressed out clients (and myself for that matter) from multiple angles. This may include looking at environmental factors, supporting the body systems with nutritional and herbal supplements, helping to support emotional factors with flower essences or providing different tools for change and coping skills. Stress may be a condition of being human but you don’t have to let stress condition you.
Exercise for stress, anxiety, & depression
Did you know that as little as 20-40 mins of aerobic exercise (also known as cardio exercise which gets your heart pumping like running, swimming, fast past walking etc), can improve mild anxiety and mood alterations such as stress associated anger, confusion, fatigue or tension for several hours?! Depression can also be prevented if regular aerobic exercise is practiced. This may be due many factors such as:
· The release of endorphins during aerobic exercise: Endorphins aid the body through long periods of pain and stress.
· Increased mitochondrial production: There is an abundance of mitochondria (which produces energy for our cells) in the brain. Aerobic exercise increases mitochondrial production leading to increase oxygen and nutrient saturation improving overall brain function.
· Increased neurotransmitters: Neurotransmitter (happy hormones) imbalances of serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline and glutamate have been documented in those with depression and anxiety. Exercise is thought to increase serotonergic and adrenergic happy hormones in the brain effectively working similar to SSRI antidepressant medication.
· Reduce inflammation: There is a connection between chronic inflammation and a host of disease states, and mental health doesn’t escape it either. Exercise helps to reduce inflammation throughout the body by changing inflammatory cell release, reducing visceral adipose tissue (fat around the organs), reduces inappropriate immune response, and increases vagal nerve tone.
But when you are stress, depressed or anxious getting up to exercise can be a challenge! So how do you implement exercise when it’s difficult? Start by setting yourself small, achievable goals. This may be as simple as “This week I will do 3 laps of the house 3 times this week”. Or “I will walk around the block once this week”. You can then slowly increase the speed, distance and the amount of times you do it as you are ready for it. The key is SMALL, ACHIEVABLE GOALS.
Remember there is not one thing that does it all, and there is no quick and easy fix to stress, depression,
Nutrition for stress, anxiety, depression
We all know that eating healthy is good for our health right? Did you know that eating poorly not only negatively effects our energy, growth, and hormone but it also has a big impact on our mental capability and our mental health.
Replacing processed foods and alcohol with whole foods (as little processing as possible) will provide key nutrients such as fibre, protein, B vitamins, zinc, omega 3’s and magnesium important for improving and maintaining mental health. But all of this healthy eating will only get you so far if your digestion is up the pooper (LOVE a good pun).
Digestion starts in the mouth not only with our saliva that has enzymes that start to break down certain foods but also the simple mechanism of chewing. If you don’t completely chew your food it takes more effort and energy for your stomach and stomach acid to break that food down. And that is IF your hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) is at its optimum. If your food isn’t broken down adequately then it’s harder for your microvilli (finger like projections in your intestines) to absorb all the amazing nutrients you are consuming.
Then our body and brain can’t access all the goodness to utilise to make as happy and healthy.
Who knew chowing down and something delicious was so involved??
So lets re-cap:
- ‘My name is Regina and I am stressed’
The first step is acknowledging the stress, depression or anxiety. Otherwise we get into the habit of just suppressing or ignoring it. Then it sneaks up and attacks when we least expect it. It’s OK to be stressed, depressed, or anxious! Let’s try to manage our response to it.
- Spend some time in nature, get out and about. A change of scenery can do wonders, plus there is scientific evidence of the beneficial affect of nature for mental health, so go hug a tree.
-Spend time with people that make you feel good. Being around other gives us an opportunity to stop the cyclic thinking. Talk about how you are feeling or just hang out and change the routine a little.
- Exercise! Even if it just starts out as a gentle walk. Exercise reduces stress, reduces inflammation, increases happy hormones, and helps our cells work to their optimum.
- Nourish your body with good food! Reducing processed foods, increasing whole foods such as fruits, veggies, wholegrain’s, legumes and fermented foods/drinks provides an array of vitamins, minerals, pre & probiotics to ensure you are setting your body up for optimal functioning, especially from a mental health perspective!
- If you are doing all these things but still feel low, or you are finding it hard to get started and would like some extra help talk to a Naturopath, GP, or counsellor. We are here to help and often will work as a team to help you.
By Regina Eylward-Piko (BHSc-Nat)