A Busy Person’s Guide to Beating Stress & Avoiding Burnout

For Stress Awareness Month, let's delve into stress, its impact on our body’s physiology, and some strategies to help our bodies cope with stress.  

In modern society, sources of stress (physical or psychological) are everywhere around us and can affect some people’s everyday life, from work pressure, the demands of family and social life to daily commuting.  Longer term stress can take its toll on our overall wellbeing.

Initially, we may experience signs and symptoms like tiredness, irritability, and sleep disturbances.  Long-term stress can start to affect our psychological wellbeing, digestive health, hormonal balance, weight, blood glucose balance, and immune, cardiovascular and thyroid function.

Since our digestive system can be affected by stress, the breakdown and absorption of nutrients can be impacted, leading to low levels of nutrients or deficiencies in the body.  Nutrient imbalances may exacerbate the effects of stress and contribute to low energy.  Additionally, stress can cause nutrients to be used in the body more quickly, including:  

Magnesium: Stress can deplete us of magnesium, yet this mineral can help us cope better with stress.  Magnesium is also useful for supporting energy levels, sleep, mood and relaxation.

B Vitamins: B vitamins can be depleted due to stress and are important for energy production and for supporting the nervous system.

Vitamin C: The body's requirement for vitamin C can increase during stressful periods, as high amounts are found in the adrenal glands (the gland involved in our stress response).  Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, helping protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals and oxidative damage, which can in turn be a stressor on the body.  

Zinc: This immune supporting mineral is used up more quickly during stressful periods.

Ensuring adequate intake of these nutrients through a balanced diet (and supplements, if necessary) can help support the body's ability to cope with stress and maintain overall health and well-being.  Contact a healthcare professional before taking new supplements.

It’s easy to say ‘just try and stop being so stressed’, but our busy lives can make stressors unavoidable.  We need to take a holistic approach to support stress management, understanding the root causes of stress, in life, emotionally and imbalances in the body, finding ways to manage our lives better, improving our sleep and lifestyle, while nurturing our bodies as well as minds.

If you want to feel more energised, less overwhelmed and support your general wellbeing, then contact me for a Free 30-minute Health and Energy Review call (here).

Here are some recommendations to start looking at to reclaim your vitality and resilience:

Nutritional Recommendations:

-        Consume a wholefood, nutrient-dense diet.

-        Eat protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates with each meal, and ensure you eat regular meals, to help optimise blood glucose balance.

-        Finish your last meal at least 2 hours before bed, but ideally 4 hours, to help support digestion before bed, so this doesn’t negatively affect your sleep.

-        Limit caffeine and alcohol intake, which can exacerbate stress and disrupt sleep patterns.

-        Add more magnesium-rich foods such as beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and green leafy vegetables to promote relaxation.

-        Minimise ultra-processed foods and refined sugars.

Lifestyle Recommendations:

-        Prioritise 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

-        Practice stress-reducing techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises or yoga, which helps the body activate its calming parasympathetic nervous system, rather than the stress triggered sympathetic nervous system.

-        Engage in regular movement or exercise to help support your psychological wellbeing, energy and help you feel less stressed (gentle exercises only, if fatigue is an issue).

-        Set boundaries and learn to say no to excessive demands on your time and energy.

-        Spend time outdoors in nature to help regulate your circadian rhythm, support mood and energy levels.

-        Limit exposure to artificial and blue light in the evening to promote sleep.

-        Add in daily self-care activities, even just for 15 minutes.  Do something that you enjoy and can help you feel calm, things like reading, listening to music, walking, stretching, yoga, journalling, sitting on a bench amongst nature or a bath.

Some people like to take supplements like adaptogenic plants to help support the body during stressful periods.  Adaptogenic plants have been used in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, and they may help optimise stress resilience, aid relaxation and normal mood, support endocrine function, and may help energy levels. 

Adaptogenic supplements include:

-        Ashwagandha

-        Rhodiola Rosea

-        Maca

-        Cordyceps Mushroom

-        Ginseng (Korean or Siberian)

L-Theanine is a fast-acting amino acid found naturally in green and black tea, which can also be found in supplement form.  It has calming properties, helping to promote relaxation and stress management, and it shouldn’t cause drowsiness (in most people), whilst supporting focused attention and cognitive function.  L-theanine also appears to counteract the stimulatory effects of caffeine, which you don’t want if cortisol is high.

It's important to seek advice from a healthcare practitioner before taking supplements, especially if you are taking medication or have a medical condition.

Stress is all around us, and although sometimes we cannot avoid it, we can do our best to look after ourselves, so we have better stress management and keep our energy optimised. 

Book a Free Health and Energy Review call to start your journey, so you can feel more energised and balanced, less overwhelmed, and sleep better.  

Prioritise yourself, for once!

Please note that this blog does not replace professional medical advice.

 Speak to your GP if you are experiencing a high level of stress.