Stress management program

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Unfortunately stress is a part of modern daily life, often many of the sources of stress are unavoidable. Stress impacts people of all ages and genders at any point in their life, however we all respond to stress in our own way with sometimes stress being so imbedded in your life it feels normal. 

However stress impacts you it is important to not underestimate the negative impacts stress has on your mind, body and life. 

The stress management program allows us to work together to increase your ability to cope with stress by improving your body's resistance to stress. 

Stress management program focuses on:

• Relief of your symptoms of stress, anxiety and low mood 
• Address underlying issues which contribute to your stress
• Balance physical symptoms to reduce them being ongoing drivers for stress
• Restore your body's healthy stress response by using nutrients specific for stress resilience, improved mood, quality sleep, balanced energy production and healthy neurotransmitter production
• Establish resistance to stress by addressing diet, sleep, exercise and lifestyle behaviours which can contribute to your body's stress response

So what drives stress?

Stress triggers your body to release hormones needed to increase focus in situations where quick action is needed, the greater the intensity of the situation the bigger the stress response will be. For example in a dangerous situation your body activates your stress response (fight or flight response), this provides you with increase short term energy to help you either fight or run away from the danger. In daily life we also have constant emotional stress triggers like traffic, being late to work, important deadlines for work or school, copious negative stories on the news, bullying, and others. Making your stress responses regularly activate. 

When responding to stress your body releases a hormone called cortisol, this allows your body to be active and alert in order to deal with a stressful encounter. However with multiple and ongoing stress sources your body's response to stress affects all other areas of your body and if left poorly managed can increase the risk of developing illnesses. 

Stress can impact your mood, digestive function, sleep quality, energy, reproductive hormones, weight, and cardiovascular function including heart rate and blood pressure.

What can stress feel like?

Stress can present in a variety of ways and not everyone responds to stress the same way. For you it might be one or a mixture of the following:

• Nervous tension, anxiety, fear, worry, restlessness, tightness in the chest, racing heartbeat or panic attacks
• Feeling alert and awake but tired, often with ongoing stress your body is trying to keep you alert to potential dangers which impacts your ability to relax, feel unable to switch off and wind down even when exhausted
• Feeling exhausted physically and mentally
• Low mood, feeling overwhelmed, having teary weepy moments
• Insomnia with poor sleep quality and quantity. This can present as feeling able to relax and fall asleep, racing thoughts at night, waking multiple times during the night and waking tired in the morning

What does the stress management program entail?

To improve your resistance to stress and protect your body from the harmful effects of stress the program involves both herbal and nutritional medicine combined with specific diet and lifestyle elements designed to support your body. Herbal and nutritional medicine is used to both replenish nutrients depleted during stress and address symptoms of stress like anxiety or insomnia. During the program you will be supplied a list of foods that support your body during foods as well as a list of those to avoid which exacerbate your body's stress response. 

To find out more and how you could benefit from reduced stress, contact me and we can work together to improve your resistance to stress