Stress triggers

Every one of us has dealt with some level of stress in our lives.

Most of the stress that we experience comes from triggers that appear in our everyday lives. Triggers come in many forms, but some of the common ones include:

• Major life changes
• Environment
• Unpredictable events
• Workplace
• Social
• Traumatic events

It may be difficult for us to completely avoid some of these events, such as school, work, or personal reasons, therefore it is important that we learn to manage them. So, whether you are experiencing some of these stress triggers because of work, school, family, or other personal reasons - it's important that we try to manage them.

Stress management tips

Stress doesn’t just affect our mental and emotional health, but it can have effects on our physical body as well. Here are some of the ways that you can practice effective stress relief and stress management.

Learn how to relax with breathing

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, worried, or under a lot of pressure, breathing exercises can help. They’re a great way to relax and keep your head clear of the negative thoughts that may be clouding your mind (1).

You can practise deep breathing by going to a quiet place where you can focus on your breathing. A simple breathing exercise with a regular rhythm to help you calm down can go something like this (2):

• Breathe in through your nose and inhale until your lungs are filled. Put your hands on your stomach when you do this, and feel your hands ascend and descend.
• Inhale slowly and regularly, counting 1 to 5.
• Exhale slowly, counting 1 to 5. Imagine the stress going away as you do this.
• Repeat this exercise until you feel calm.

Exercise the stress away

There’s a reason why it’s common to hear that exercise is a great method for stress relief. Exercise is known to make our bodies produce endorphins, the chemical that helps relieve stress and pain naturally.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to do excessive amounts of exercise to produce endorphins. Doing something as simple as aerobics, jogging, yoga, or Tai Chi can help you with endorphin production (3).

Avoid unhealthy habits

Over the years, many of us have learned how to deal with stress in many different ways. Some of the most common ways people have learned to “destress” is by consuming alcohol and using tobacco/nicotine products.

However excessive consumption of alcohol may lead to more stress as it can cause health issues (3).

Using tobacco/nicotine products may appear to be a temporary stress reliever for many, but it’s important to remember that these products can cause some serious health issues with breathing and blood flow down the road (3).

Support stress management with supplementation

A healthy and well-rounded diet can ensure that your body receives important nutrients to help it function. Supplementing your diet with the right minerals and vitamins can be helpful in cases where you are unable to meet your recommended daily intake.

Here are the essential vitamins and minerals that you can consider as part of your daily supplementation plan:

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a herb that supports a healthy stress response in the body. It has been shown to safely and effectively improve a stress response in the body (4).

Magnesium

Being stressed increases the body’s need for magnesium (5). Magnesium is needed by the body for hundreds of biochemical processes. The hormones that are released in response to stress can also lead to a decrease in magnesium in the body.

B complex

B vitamins help maintain a healthy nervous system which in return assists with stress management and mood (6).

Calcium

Calcium helps to initiate muscle contraction -  specifically the regulation of heart muscle contractions (7). Stronger heart muscles enable us to exercise and work out more effectively, allowing us to better engage in this stress-busting activity.

Vitamin B12

Just like calcium, vitamin B12 can help with healthy stress release via exercise. This is because Vitamin B12 helps produce energy for the body that it needs when performing any kind of physical activity such as exercise. Like other B vitamins, vitamin B12 helps transform the food you eat into energy (8).

Ginkgo Brahmi

Ginkgo and Brahmi enhance the body’s adaptation to stress and helps relieve symptoms of stress (9). Gingko helps reduce stress and mild anxiety, and Brahmi shows to help with the normalisation of stress induced changes in regions of the brain (9).

Facing stress will always be a part of our lives, but just because it’s always there, it doesn’t mean that we can’t take the right measures to manage it. By practicing some of the healthy stress management tips given; and supplementing your healthy diet with the minerals and vitamins needed to fight stress - you can find yourself in a better position to handle stress.

To get started on creating your own daily vitamin packs for stress, you can count on Vitable Australia’s vitamin subscription service to help you out with just that!

Find out more about other areas that the above supplements can help you with:

Ashwagandha | Magnesium | B Complex | Calcium plus | Vitamin B12 | Ginkgo Brahmi

*Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional. Vitamin and/or mineral supplements should not replace a balanced diet.

References:

1. Mayo Clinic. “Stress Management”. Mayo Clinic. Published (n.d) on https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-management/art-20044151. Accessed November 22, 2021.
2. Health Direct. “Relaxation techniques for stress relief”. Health Direct. Published (n.d) on https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/relaxation-techniques-for-stress-relief. Accessed November 22, 2021.
3. Cleveland Clinic. “Stress: 10 Ways to Ease Stress”. Cleveland Clinic. Published (n.d.) on https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/8133-stress-10-ways-to-ease-stress. Accessed November 22, 2021.
4. Vitable. “Ashwagandha”. Vitable. Published (n.d.) on https://research.vitable.com.au/ashwagandha-plus. Accessed November 22, 2021.
5. Vitable. “Magnesium”. Vitable. Published (n.d.) on https://research.vitable.com.au/magnesium. Accessed November 22, 2021.
6. Vitable. “B-Complex”. Vitable. Published (n.d.) on https://research.vitable.com.au/b-complex. Accessed November 22, 2021.
7. Vitable. “Calcium Plus”. Vitable. Published (n.d.) on https://research.vitable.com.au/calcium-plus. Accessed November 22, 2021.
8. Vitable. “B-12”. Vitable. Published (n.d.). On https://research.vitable.com.au/vitamin-b12. Accessed January 6, 2022.
9. Vitable. “Gingko & Brahmi”. Vitable. Published (n.d.) on https://research.vitable.com.au/ginkgo-brahmi. Accessed November 22, 2021.