Everyday life can be very stressful and sometimes it’s hard to work out how to handle it all. It’s important to understand that, although stressful events are often happening in our lives, it’s our responses that makes us feel stressed.
Imagine an experienced doctor in the emergency department; we would classify most events happening for each patient as “stressful” and yet the doctor is competent and confident in their abilities to manage the situation and therefore these events don’t trigger their stress response. Another great example is the Dalai Lama; he has had plenty of “stressful” events happen to his country, and yet his stress response is activated much less than most of us!
Whole Life Naturopathy can help to reduce your stress responses to external stimuli, and ease some everyday difficulties that accompany chronic stress.
10 steps to lower your stress response:
- Meditate daily.
- Accept your emotions and thoughts in response to what’s happening in your life. You can then choose your response without activating your stress response (read more in ACT and Mindfulness).
- Get 7-9 hours sleep each night.
- Exercise 5 times per week for at least 40 minutes (including 3 weight bearing sessions).
- Eat unprocessed wholefoods, in small portions throughout the day, to maintain glucose delivery to the brain and even out your energy levels and mood.
- Include small portions of wholegrain carbohydrates: brown rice, basmati or wild rice, oats and bran as found in untoasted muesli and porridge, and wholegrain breads.
- Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, especially leafy greens.
- Quality protein: lean red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, soybean products, nuts & seeds, legumes.
- Reduce stimulants (alcohol, caffeine, sugar, refined carbohydrate foods such as white bread and pasta, biscuits, lollies, chocolate, non prescription drugs).
- Drink at least 2 litres of water each day: add fresh mint, lemon or lime.
For more information about Whole Life Naturopathy or any of our stress management and stress reduction treatments, fill out our contact form or give us a call at our two clinics across Melbourne.
Frankston clinic :03 9783 9990
Prahran clinic: 03 8807 4770