What Is Stress Doing To You?What Can You Do To Help Manage

It?How Can Vitamins and Herbs Help

With Stress Management?

What Is Stress?

What is Stress? Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an alteration or reaction. Our bodies respond to stressful situations mentally, physically, and emotionally. Stress is something we will all come across, but knowing how to manage it can help make life a little easier.

But good news is I am here to help you figure out some ways that the stress in your life can be managed!

Is Stress Affecting Your Health and Well Being?

Stress can have a positive affect in our lives at one point or another. But stress becomes negative when a person no longer receives a break from the challenges in

their life. When this happens, it is called distress.What are some of the effects of distress?

•Headaches•Upset stomach

•Elevated blood pressure•Chest pain

•Problems sleeping

Stress can also become dangerous when people try to overcome their stress with the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco products. What people don’t understand is that using

these substances doesn’t help their stress go away, it maintains and even rises the stress levels in their lives!

Facts About Stress• 43% of all adults suffer from health problems caused from stress

• 75-90% of all doctors visit are stress-related• Stress can cause, if not worse headaches, high blood pressure, heart

problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety

• Stress has caused the American industry over $300 billion every year. Stress has been labeled hazardous in the workplace by The Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

What Can You Do?With the expense of everything, it is hard to find something that can get the job done,

but that stays in your budget. Here are some simple ways you can relieve stress:

•Take your vitamins •Add herbs to your daily diet

•Talk with someone about your stress •Get more sleep •Take deep breaths •Go for a walk

•Listen to positive music •Go get a massage

•Or even just take a hot bath

What Are Some Vitamins That Can Help With Stress?

B Vitamins- responsible for feeding the nervous system in which the body uses the nutrients from when we are stressed

•B1 (Thiamine)- enhances intellectual activity and brain function•Folic acid- brain food that helps with depression and anxiety•B6 (pyridoxine)- needed for normal functioning of the brain

•B12 (cyanocobalamin)- helps to prevent nerve damage and protects the nerves; a key factor in memory and learning as well

•B5 (Pantothenic Acid)- needed for developing the central nervous system and properly functioning the adrenal glands that transfers fat and sugars into

energy•Choline- helps with brain function and memory

Vitamin C- helps produce anti-stress hormonesInositol- is used for a calming aid

What Are Some Herbs That Help With Stress?

• Passionflower- used in the past to help with restlessness; has a calming and soothing affect and helps with mood• Fennel- helps strengthen the digestive system

• Feverfew- helps with muscle tension• Hops- helps the body rest

• Chamomile- provides alertness mentally and supports nerve health; also supports circulation throughout the body and

helps with digestion• Schizandra fruit- allows our bodies to have a quick response

time to stress

What Can You Do At Home To Help Manage Your Stress?

• Talk with someone you trust- talking to someone who you can trust and confide in, will help us to see things from a different point of view and will often help the

stress be relieved some if not completely• Sleep does do the body good- getting 8 hours of sleep per night is important

because lack of sleep can cause the body to have meltdowns and become more stressed over situations

• Taking deep breaths is good for the mind, body, and soul- breathing in deeply allows oxygen to flow through the cells of the body and allows the mind to think

before making any rational decisions• Go for a walk- exercising boosts the body’s endorphins and allows us to be in a

better mood; taking a walk for even 10-15 minutes can help make someone’s mood much better

• Turn on some music that speaks positively to you- music can often change the mood, if it is the right music

• Go pamper yourself- being relaxed physically and just as important as being relaxed mentally.

So The Good News Is…

• Yes, stress is everywhere and everyone is going to come across it at one time or another, but there are things that we can do that don’t cost much, or anything for that matter, that can help relieve stress!

• So instead of living with the stress you have now, let’s go out and do something about it!

Where Can You Find Helpful Resources?

• One great place to find information on vitamins and herbs is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine website (NCCAM) http://nccam.nih.gov/

• Another great source to find information that can help you through the journey of finding the perfect medicine for you is the following http://www.webmd.com/depression/stress-anxiety-depression

References

• http://www.clarocet.com/vitamin-b-vitamin-c-and-herbs-for-anxiety/

• http://www.naturessunshine.com/Blog/post/vitamins-herbs-for-stress.aspx

• http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/effects-of-stress-on-your-body