How do you manage stress? Are you even aware of your stressors? If you are a person who is easily stressed it can be very helpful to stop and think about this so that next time you feel yourself getting worked up you can think about why and do something about it. I started using Essential Oils a few months ago to help deal with stress and I am impressed. Combined with other healthy practices including regular exercise and a healthy diet, I am able to maintain a healthy amount of stress in my life. Have you ever thought about that i.e. that you need some stress to stay alive and healthy?

But perhaps we need to talk about stress a bit more before we can talk about balance and good stress!

What is Stress?

There are lots of definitions of the word ‘Stress’ but here are a few that I find helpful:

A disturbing physiological or psychological influence which produces a state of tension in an individual.

Stress is a problem when we perceive that we can’t control a situation or we can’t control our response to that situation.

Stress is a natural occurrence and a daily event.

We can see from these definitions that stress and tension are related as are perception and control. And of course the final definition tells us that there is no escaping stress because it is with us every day. This is because we need stress to be able to function. There are two different types of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is stress that motivates us, gives us drive to succeed and keeps us alive! Distress is stress that worries us, undermines our ability to cope both physically and mentally.

But because we are all different, one person’s eustress could be another person’s distress – stress is triggered by many different stressors.

Episodic and Chronic Stress

Our stress can arise from specific events or situations in which we find ourselves. This is called episodic stress. For example a sudden change in work hours or a move to a new neighbourhood could trigger a negative response.

But of course we are also all susceptible to chronic stressors that are ongoing and difficult to change or remove. For example, chronic stress could be a result of a lifetime of  illness or unrealistic expectations placed on you or ongoing struggles in the workplace as a result of poor resourcing. Other examples of chronic stress that are beyond your control include concern over the state of the economy or the threat of war or a pandemic!

Understanding Our Response to Stress

Stressors trigger brain signals to the autonomic nervous system which causes the heart to speed up, the digestive tract to slow down and the pituitary gland to be stimulated. The pituitary gland releases hormones that cause a constriction of the arteries and a subsequent increase in blood pressure. A series of reactions then result in an increase in blood sugar and increased metabolism. The autonomic nervous system can also directly trigger adrenalin production which causes the body to be ‘ready’ for emergency, also increasing metabolism.

These hormonal, circulatory and metabolic responses prepare the body for flight or fight. The body aims to balance the stress response and the return to stability is important to maintain health and well-being. Over time, continual stress and constant stress responses cause wear and tear on the body. We respond to stress in different ways depending on our backgrounds, previous experiences, our genes, and our personalities. But stress is cumulative and so if we are exposed to constant stress we can have extreme reactions including physical responses that manifest as chronic pain. We can also suffer emotional distress, change in behaviour and burnout. The symptoms can include lowered resistance to disease, a tendency to become depressed, irritability and nervousness, apathy, sleep difficulties and a change in lifestyle including eating and exercise habits.

The trick is to find your optimum stress levels, what your triggers are and then find ways to de-stress so you can maintain your stress at the best level for you. Here are 4 steps for you to try:

Identify the events or stressors that are causing stress.

Recognize your own physical, emotional and behavioral responses to stress.

Take steps to reduce or eliminate stressful situations or deal with them in a different way.

Try to reduce the stressors negative effect (if you can’t eliminate it completely)

Identifying Your Reactions to Stress

Perception is the key to managing stress. Technically situations themselves are not stressful. It is our perception of the situation that evokes a stress response that we feel. Some situations we find ourselves in may actually be dangerous but in many instances we overreact to situations and put ourselves under more pressure than others would. Harsh judgments of our own behavior and negative thinking patterns cause intense stress and loss of self confidence. To overcome these tendencies we need to examine our thoughts, challenge the negative thoughts and apply techniques to change thinking patterns.

To become aware of your thoughts observe your stream of consciousness in relation to a stressful situation, don’t stop the negative thoughts, let them run their course and write them down. Keeping a record of your thoughts over a period of time helps to recognize patterns, what is stressing you and how you react. Challenge the negative thoughts and ask yourself (honestly) whether or not they are valid or an exaggeration.

Balancing it Out – Managing Stress

Stress management is necessary to find a balance of stress in our lives to help promote healthy living. As I said at the beginning of this post it is good to stop and think about your stressors. This can be achieved by becoming reflective about your responses to situations and asking yourself questions about your responses. I know that over the years I have become better at doing this and can also recognise the stress symptoms and responses in my family. But there can be quite a leap from recognising and dealing with stressful situations. Dealing with stress is a very individual thing. Here are some ideas for you to try:

Physical relaxation and breathing techniques

Yoga – its a great way to exercise and relax with breathing techniques that will help you physically and emotionally.

Swim!!!

Positive thinking strategies

Better Nutrition – take a look at your diet and see if it is lacking

Check your work life balance. Are you out of balance? Apply some time management strategies to your life or delegate more!

Create support networks e.g. friends, family etc. to help deal with your main stressors 

Plan for the future and set some career goals that will make you happy!

Use Essential Oils to help you maintain balance.

Essential Oils and Stress Management

Since I started to use Essential Oils I have found that the Oils can provide a quick and effective solution to some of the stress that I face. I must admit though, when I first started using the Oils I was sceptical about their use for emotional health. For some reason I was ready to hear that the Oils were useful for cleaning my house and healing my physical wounds but not for healing my emotional ones. But then I bought two Oils that I now use every day to help maintain balance and they are incredible.They are Peaceful and Grounding Essential Oil blends.

 

I can actually feel my body relaxing as I apply the Oils and inhale their beautiful scents. I apply them every morning before I even get out of bed!! Together these Oils help me feel relaxed throughout the day and better able to deal with stress that arises. I also swim daily, practice yoga and walk and take time out to relax with Andrew on the weekends. But the Oils have become an important part of my lifestyle and I am very happy to have them!

What Next?

If you are ready to enter the world of essential oils and you decide to go the doTERRA way, I would love to help you get started and support you if you want some help. Here is how you can do this: go to my doTERRA website to find out about the range of oil and oil based products available for purchase. You can also sign up to become a member on this site. Once signed up you can purchase oils for wholesale prices! But if you would like some more information click on the Contact Me on my doTERRA website and I will respond to your questions.

We hope you will join us at Helpful By Nature by subscribing to our email list. We would love to hear from you, take your questions and provide answers if we are able.

Until next time,

 

 

Gillian (and Andrew)