We’re finishing up our energy series talking all about STRESS!

Stress is one of the top reasons for lack of energy. It’s draining for everyone. We all have it, but oh-so-many of us do not deal with it well…and it shows – 75-90% of all doctor visits are because of a stress-related issue – that’s crazy! We’re becoming more and more stressed and it’s affecting us mentally and physically.

Today’s episode offers up our own personal tried and true stress management tools that we’ve found to be especially effective for dealing with the inevitable stress that comes from everyday life…let alone what’s been added to it over the past year with COVID!

Our first recommendation is always to start with what you feed your body. We’ve talked a lot during our other episodes about ways to improve your diet and how important it is for our health. There is a direct connection between the gut and brain and “information” flows both ways between the two in that connection. What we eat plays such a huge role in digestion and gut health, as well as brain health and when we eat a high quality diet with lots of variation, we’re supporting our our brain and gut so that they are strong enough to better deal with what happens in the body when we experience stress. So if you’re feeling especially stressed out or overwhelmed, start by taking a good look at what you’re putting into your body – it matters!

We also recommend several lifestyle tools that we’ve found to be especially helpful in our own lives. Meditation is top on that list! It is my number one recommendation for every client because it is that effective at helping to manage feelings of stress and anxiety. Gratitude journaling, reframing, forest bathing, exercising, yoga and socializing with friends are all things we’ve used to help us when we’re feeling overwhelmed with stress. 

It’s important to note that these things take practice…they don’t work overnight – although, some of them actually do help pretty immediately! The key to success with all of these things is consistency. Schedule it in, start slow, and keep going…you’ll be so glad you did. We can’t escape the stress, but there are many things we can do to help manage it!

Be sure to listen to our other episodes (on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts) for more great information, tips and tools to help improve your overall health and happines. And please send us any questions you have, or topics you’d like us to cover!