Can we avoid stress, anxiety & depression?
I suffered myself with depression for 5 months so I know how difficult it is. I managed to pull myself out of it with these supplements below and I signed myself up to an NLP (neuro linguistic program) course which did wonders for my self esteem. I hope this information helps you in some way.
If you haven't suffered with stress, anxiety or depression then you are most definitely likely to know somebody close to you in your life, that has. Mental health seems more prevalent than ever these days, and there are many causes, external or internal. External being your surrounding work or home life, and internal being a sudden change or drop of hormones. There is evidence out there about the gut/brain connection, meaning that the many trillion friendly microbes in your gut, are an integral part of your brain and mood. In fact, most of serotonin, the feel good hormone, is made in the gut. It certainly gives a different meaning to the expression 'you are what you eat!' 7.3 million people were reported to be prescribed anti-depressants last year and I wonder if they were offered any alternatives.
So what can we do about it?
- Mindfullness and meditation are an amazing way to relax the constant inner chatter. You don't have to be an Om saying guru, just do what works for you such as headspace.
- Do things you enjoy. Do you remember the last time you did something for yourself that you thoroughly enjoyed? If so, do more of that.
- Laugh. I'm talking belly laughs, watch something daily instead of the news that makes you roar.
What supplements can we take?
- Magnesium. Can decrease cortisol which is the stress hormone that makes you gain weight around your middle. Relaxes your muscles.
- Vitamin C. Believe it or not, trials have proved that vitamin C improves mood state, reduces psychological distress as well as work related fatigue, anxiety and depression. It also lowers cortisol levels.
- Omega 3. Oily fish and flaxseed, walnuts and chia seeds have been proved not only to lower cortisol but improve neurocognitive performance, reducing symptoms of anxiety.
-Theanine. Is an amino acid present in green tea and has a well-established anti-stress and anti-anxiety affects in clinical studies.
- Saffron. This is the spice derived from the flowers of Crocus sativus, and is a well established antidepressant that also helps relieve symptoms of stress and anxiety.
- Lemonbalm. This has been used for the treatment of anxiety and depression, add to enhance memory across several traditional cultures. It is beneficial for food, condition and memory and reducing feelings stress. It also enhances the mood, alertness and cognitive function.
- Ashwagandha. The Ayurvedic Herb has been proved to reduce feelings of stress, stress related eating, levels of cortisol and body weight.
- Rhodiola. Also known as arctic root or Golden root, has been shown to enhance mental and physical performance under stress and reduce symptoms of stress related fatigue, anxiety and depression.
- Chamomile. Particularly helpful for anxiety and insomnia.
If you want to see how stressed you are, take the DASS stress test on my website https://reachfornutrition.co.uk/stress-test.php and see for yourself.