Stress can manifest in many different ways - from emotional discomfort to physical symptoms like muscle or stomach pain. The body is designed to withstand small amounts of stress. When faced with a stressful event, your body releases specific hormones like cortisol that activate a range of physiological symptoms. You’ve likely experienced this rush of adrenaline after a near-miss in the car. The key is that after the stressful event passes, the body calms down and relaxes. With chronic stress, there is no downtime, no recovery and recalibration. This leads to low resistance, overwhelm, exhuastion and long-term adrenal maladaption.

Chronic stress is like a slow leak from a water pipe under your house. Over time the leak grows, and what was once a tiny puddle can destroy the entire foundation. With chronic stress, your body is trapped in fight or flight mode, and the constant wear and tear of stress hormones can impact your long-term health. This can also create negative patterning or a "rewiring" of the brain and nervous system into sympathic nervous system dominance.

When we are in survival mode, so much of our physiology 'shuts down'... we lose focus and concentration, our digestion gets affected (and therefore our nutrition and absorption/metabolism), our hormones (cortisol and sex hormones) get dysregulated (goodbye libido!) and our metabolism can slow down (storage mode for a potential famine or unknown environmental hardship).

Stress management and stress resilience go hand-in-hand. You may not be able to completely avoid certain stressful situations (like a problematic work environment or, ahem... the current state of the world?!), but you can learn how to better manage your response. Behavioural stress management techniques combined with supplements and lifestyle behaviours can help you manage stress and the associated symptoms while supporting resilience.

These six tips for stress relief are simple, natural tools to add to your toolbox:

Make sleep a priority. While most people understand that sleep is essential for wellness, getting a good night’s rest is not always easy, especially if you are already struggling with the cycle of insomnia. Stress and sleep affect one another. Interruptions in your body’s natural circadian rhythms can increase cortisol levels making it more difficult for you to fall asleep, even if you are exhausted.

Sleep hygiene, or creating an environment that is sleep supportive, is a critical first step if you struggle with sleep. This means examining your sleep environment (including temperature, darkness, and noise control) as well as your evening wind-down routine while avoiding screen-time, eating too late, or work emails in bed. Support your vital circadian rhythm by avoiding blue light at least 1 hr before bed, if not more, AND getting full spectrum light (sunlight/natural light) within 30-60min of waking (avoid hitting the snooze button, as tempting as it is!)

In addition to sleep hygiene, many natural supplements can support sleep without the side effects that some over-the-counter or prescription medications may cause. Most are familiar with melatonin, but with the approval of your health care practitioner, alterative solutions including botanicals like lavender, lemon balm, chammomile, magnolia, passionflower or kava, have the double benefit of promoting sleep while supporting feelings of anxiety and calming the mind to help you get a restful nights’ sleep.

Move your body. The wellness benefits of physical activity extend to stress reduction as daily movement can lead to better sleep, improved mood, and even an enhanced ability to bounce back from stressful events. Researchers suggest that since exercise induces physiological responses that match anxiety symptoms (think heart pounding and sweating), the body can recognise and recover more quickly even if the feelings come from a stressful event.

Multiple studies have also found correlations between improvements in mental health and exercise. A meta-analysis found that physical activity significantly improved feelings of anxiety across various studies with a range of subjects. This may be because exercise can influence the neurotransmitters that affect positive emotions, including serotonin and dopamine. Your body also naturally creates endorphins through various forms of exercise that can relieve stress and pain. These neurotransmitters may also help cushion the reaction to cortisol or other stress hormones.

Cut back on coffee. While coffee is surprisingly high in antioxidants, for some people the high amounts of caffeine may be doing more harm than good. As stress can negatively impact energy levels, an afternoon latte may sound enticing, but that extra dose of caffeine late in the day can increase feelings of stress and anxiety while sabotaging sleep. Try substitute your second (or third or fourth!) coffee with Matcha or green tea (high in theanine which has a beautifully calming focus effect), Yerba Mate or Cacao. *Cacao has many incredible health benefits! More on that to come in a separate post.

Consider adaptogens. Adaptogens are botanicals that help your body respond appropriately to stress. These herbs are named because they appear to adapt to each person’s needs. There are several types of adaptogens, each providing a unique benefit for the stress response, from calming your stress hormones, improving energy levels, and even supporting sleep.

One of the most commonly used adaptogens is Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that strengthens the stress response through neurological, immune, and endocrine support.

Ashwagandha has a notable amount of evidence behind its use for managing stress. In one study, people who took a daily dose of ashwagandha for sixty days noted significant improvements in stress levels, better mood, and reduced serum cortisol measurements compared to placebo. Another recent study also found that ashwagandha significantly improved occasional physical and mental stress symptoms after six weeks.

Other adrenal herbs include Rhodiola, the family of ginsengs, Rehmannia and medicinal mushrooms.

Bump up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are associated with stress support that can translate to improved stress resilience. Low dietary levels of omega-3 are associated with mood disorders. One study conducted on medical students found that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids significantly improved mood and stress symptoms while also reduced inflammatory markers.

While omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained in the diet by eating foods like fatty fish or flaxseed, many people do not eat enough to reach the necessary amount of omega-3 to meet their daily needs. In these cases, supplementation can help.

Focus on magnesium. You may not immediately think of magnesium as a stress-supporting nutrient, but this critical cofactor can help with your stress response and even support your sleep patterns. Magnesium helps to support the activity of neurotransmitters that regulate the stress response, but chronic stress and sleep disruption can also deplete magnesium. Studies have also found an association between low magnesium levels and people who struggle with stress, feelings of anxiety, and sleep deprivation.

While magnesium is available in many foods, especially grains, legumes, and leafy greens, many people still don’t get enough. Supplementation can support symptoms of stress, mood support, and sleep, especially for those who have suboptimal magnesium intake and status. Opt for magnesium glycinate or citrate for best absorption.

Applying natural solutions for stress management

Stress resilience doesn’t arise from one single behaviour change or supplement. Diet, lifestyle, and behaviour all can play a role in protecting you from the adverse consequences of chronic stress.

Assuming you can’t simply walk away from whatever is impacting you, these natural options can help you find simple yet effective solutions to keep you healthy and able to adapt to difficult challenges in your life.