Ways to Relieve Stress Naturally
Do you have stress in your life? Who doesn’t to some degree? Did you know that chronic low grade stress can cause health problems and even hormone imbalances? And the crazy thing is that chronic stress can lead to insomnia, and then you have the added stress of not being able to sleep. This is just one example of how stress can affect us.
The adrenal glands are small glands on top of the kidney that regulate hormones for a “fight or flight” response to a big stress or event in life. But in our busy world these days most people are under low grade continuous stress, which causes health problems because that is not the way our adrenal glands were designed to work. They were designed to respond to the “big” event or stress and then not have to work so hard. Since we are all under some kind of chronic stress today I would like to give you some tips on how to reduce stress in your life on a daily basis.
Stress reduction tips:
- Meditation is a wonderful way to quiet the mind, and to just be present in the moment for a little while. Meditation is not hard, but takes practice. Just sit and breathe and be present, even for a few minutes a day. Of course the longer you sit the better it gets!
- Can’t meditate sitting? Yes, I have heard that one a lot, so another way of practicing is walking meditation. You get the benefit of exercise, as well as quieting your mind and being present in the moment and space you are in. No thinking about grocery lists or things to do on this walk, just be present and breathe!
- As a woman I feel I must be excellent at multi-tasking, since I do it all the time. But am I really good at it or is it just a big distraction? A new idea is to do one thing at a time! See if it works for you in reducing stress or anxiety in your day.
- Self care can mean different things to different people. Incorporate things into your day that you enjoy and make you feel good. I love taking a hot bath at the end of a day of being on my feet. But sometimes I think I’m too busy. But am always glad when I slow down to do this!
- Herbs and supplements can really help with physical relaxation. Magnesium and calcium are time tested methods relaxing muscles (without drugs). Passionflower, valerian and chamomile are great for relaxation and better sleep. In my practice my patients really like Myocalm and Myocalm P.M. for natural muscle relaxation and sleep. I also really like RelaxMax, which is a powder supplement containing amino acids to support healthy brain chemistry and magnesium for the muscles.
- Acupuncture and chiropractic treatments are also great for stress relief. By balancing your energy and realigning your spine this helps to relax muscles and improve well being.
Know your hormone levels! I offer blood testing and saliva testing that can test for hormones, thyroid and adrenal levels for women and men. Why do you need to know this? Chronic stress can mean that your hormones are out of balance, and I can offer natural solutions to help you.
Dr. Erin Foley, D.C. 
Great article! Isn’t it amazing how we can change our physiology just by thinking, for the better or for the worse. Why is it we seem to ‘naturally’ think for the worse? Perhaps ‘naturally’ isn’t the right word. Kids don’t seem to stress, ‘naturally’.
Thanks for your reply! and I agree with you about changing our physiology by changing our thoughts. It can certainly help with decreasing stress, the way we think about it and perceive it.