Stressed out? Natural remedies can help you

Stress is an interesting conversation that I often have with people in the shop. Some of you will be in denial about stress perhaps because you feel that it doesn’t affect you. After all stress is a normal part of living, it’s a healthy response from the body to things that are going on in your life.

It’s not healthy when you don’t deal with excessive stress effectively. For example, you could be working from home and you haven’t the proper space to work from, or there are constant interruptions. Ok it’s great because you don’t have to get dressed if you don’t want to. And you can take breaks when it suits. But there can be problems of bad internet connections, or you can’t contact someone when you need to resolve a problem. You might internalise the stress or you might be snapping at everyone.

Common symptoms of stress include: lack of energy, disturbed sleep patterns, irritability, recurring infections, and low sex drive. It can affect your mood; you can be irritable or you can be quieter than normal and withdrawn. It can cause headaches, and weaken the immune system resulting in frequent colds.

Stress increases inflammation and this could be the reason why your joints are aching. It depletes magnesium and as a result you can end up with sore tense muscles, low energy, and sleep problems. You may turn to junk food or eat on the go. If you do this you could end up with digestive problems like bloating and wind.

Do you recognise any of these signs? If yes, how can you help yourself ? Perhaps you have to put in some boundaries around your work space. Maybe you need to take breaks from your work station. Or would delegating some tasks help? Some of you don’t like asking for help, you don’t want to put people out. But most people would be delighted to give you a hand.

Meditation, exercise, resting or doing something you love may relieve stress. Natural remedies can help too, one of my favourites is FMD Stressveda, it contains Ashwaganda an adaptogenic herb with B vitamins to help support you through times of stress, helping you feel better and have more energy too. Stressveda might be worth a try.

Clair Whitty is a Bach Flower Practitioner, a Nutritional Health Coach at The Natural Health Store, 24 North Main Street, Wexford 053 9121613 clair@naturalhealthstore.ie | www.naturalhealthstore.ie