April is stress awareness month so I thought I would share a few simple remedies with you to help you reduce your stress levels.

Nutrient rich diet
Studies have shown that nutrient dense foods can help our brains handle stress. Foods like salmon, walnuts, blueberries and drinking plenty of water. It isn’t all about our food though. Other products we use such as shower gels, toothpaste and deodorants contain lots of elements that are not at all natural. Using more natural products can help us when we are in a state of stress.

Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a great way of easing stress. If you have a diffuser at home then great but if you don’t then there are still many ways you can use oils to create the same effect.
– Try putting a few drops into a massage oil and applying to your shoulders and chest.
– Lavender is the most common essential oil for relaxation as it has been proven to restore the nervous system by lowering blood pressure and heart rate. It can also calm the nerves and will help with sleep quality.
– Rose is renowned for soothing emotions, headaches and balancing hormones, it can also strengthen the heart in periods of high stress, grief and depression.
– Ylang ylang promotes feelings of com fort and joy. It reduces the heart rate and improves mood. It can help to release negative emotions and reduces stress acting as a natural anxiety and depression remedy.
– Bergamot brings back balance into the body and improves blood circulation and digestive health.
– Chamomile promotes inner calm and reduces anxiety and calms the nervous system. It is known to reduce inflammation of the digestive tract and regulate stress and mood.
– Melissa can help release feelings of sadness and worry and can help to promote deep relaxation.
– Jasmine acts as a natural sedative as well as having stimulating effects on the brain improving mood and energy levels.
– Clary sage is very effective in calming stress and anxiety and is a great hormone balancer. It can reduce symptoms of PMS but be careful if you need to drive and never use this oil if you are pregnant.
– Neroli acts as a sedative and will help release feelings of anger, irritability and worry.
– Basil is one of the best essential oils to reduce anxiety and enhance mood. It can also ease mental strain and has a calming effect on the nervous system.
– As well as massage you can add them to your bath water or you can use natural bath salts and soaps to enhance your relaxation.

Please note that essential oils are highly concentrated and medicinal substances so safety precautions need to be observed. Never use oils if you have a series illness, during pregnancy and with children under 12 years old. Be sure to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before using on the skin. Also be aware that essential oils can affect certain medication.

Drinks
Herbal teas have different therapeutic properties. Chamomile has a wonderful calming effect on our brains and peppermint, rose and lemon balm can also help to relieve stress.

Decorate
Decorate your home with lavender as this can lower your heart rate and even reduce blood pressure and help you to relax.

Yoga and mediation
It is very difficult to think of anything else when you are doing yoga. You will almost definitely feel much better after a yoga session. Meditation is great for stilling the mind and simply focusing on the breath coming in and the breath going out. Yoga is a great way of stretching out those tight muscles and keeping yourself flexible. It is so effective for stress relief as it encourages a good mood and an increase in mindfulness. It controls your breathing, it is a meditation using physical movement and it brings together the mind, body and spirit.

It is important to remember that these natural remedies are very different to conventional western medicine and if you feel your stress levels are becoming unendurable you would be better speaking to myself as a qualified counsellor and hypnotherapist or your doctor. Please feel free to drop me a message through my contact page.