9 Ways to Destress

 

 

Disclaimer: 

I want to start out by saying I am not a doctor, pharmacist, nor am I giving medical advice. I am not an expert. This podcast was created for informational purposes only and is not to be perceived as professional advice in regards to health or any other field. In other words, these are my opinions and strategies I have used to encourage my own wellness over the years. I urge you not to disregard medical advice or health professionals. There is no shaming to seek help when you need it.  I am a certified aromatherapist, but ultimately what I am telling you is how I hit my own personal health in a variety of ways to keep me above the wellness line! Please please please check with your medical professional or pharmacist before starting anything new!!

I originally created this as part 4 of my immunity series, but after several contentious online interactions where my goal was to uplift and empower.  Yet somehow others found a way to turn my comment into something it wasn’t, something toxic or negative. I knew I needed to pivot on what I was creating.

After chatting with my friend about how dishearten I was over how angry people are I rethought my original idea. She has this magical way of seeing straight through the BS to the heart of what is actually happening. She reminded me that it’s anger spill over. That someone who doesn’t actively work or understand energy may not realize they are being manipulated. 

That brief conversation made me ponder over the last year. Where we have been living in a constant state of flight or fight. We are not meant to be stuck in this spot, our body’s cannot withstand that amount of stress. We need to do some additional things to help bring homeostasis back to our body. To be clear this isn’t a judgement about fear, or thinly veiled reflection on politics. The news, social media, commercials etc all play a role in our mental state whether we want to admit it or not. 

When we constantly see the same emotion, especially anger, irritability, frustration, or some other type of negativity, it’s bound to influence us. The problem with negativity is it’s a lower vibration, it infiltrates us, contributes to a lack of clarity, it attracts more negativity to us. Once we allow negative thoughts in, they become more significant and have more impact in our head than positive thoughts! This pattern is called the negative effect or negative bias. It’s a poison to our energetic body, which leads to issues in our physical body. 

I don’t want to assume you know how the aura works and why negative bias is so dangerous for us. Let me do a little bit of a back track here. The aura is an invisible energy field that extends about 7 feet from the body in all directions. Ther aura has 7 main layers, which it interacts with other people’s energy fields and the energy of places you are in as well.  

As we interact with others in person & online their energy and emotions can be picked up and touch our aura field. If we don’t deal with our emotions, others emotions, and the energy we commingle with it can work it’s way down through the 7 layers of the aura. This is why I always talk about frequently using sage, crystal bowls, selenite, cord cutting, energy clearing, and essential oils being important. Using items to help clear your aura is important to your physical, emotional, and spiritual body! If this energy isn’t cleared, it works it’s way down to your auric field closest to your body. That field is your energy force & can be damaged or depleted. If it’s weakened physical issues start taking place in the body. 

Now that you have an understanding of how energy and negativity work in the energetic body let’s talk about the physical body and how it handled stress! 

Stress

As we talked about in the last podcast stress can do real damage to our body. Finding ways to keep our stress levels at bay will help us not only have a better quality of life but a longer life! 70-90% of doctor office visits are stress related issues according to the CDC website! 

Stress can do weird things to your body, but it is also a natural physical and mental reaction to life. Stress can trigger and intensify tension headaches, heartburn, shortness of breath which is triggered when the muscles in the chest tense up, heart pounding when stress hormones kick in, overtime stress can increase blood pressure and heart rate which can give rise to risk of heart attack. Chronic stress wears on you mentally, which can lead to anxiety, anger, irritability, depression, insomnia or a weakened immune system. 

Stress affects every system in your body! I think so many of us in the last year have been living in a perpetual fight or flight, that is most definitely lowering our immune system. Furthermore our stress affects our respiratory and cardiovascular systems, which is the exact opposite of what we want during a pandemic that is respiratory in nature. This frequent and chronic stress makes your heart work too hard for too long. And when your blood pressure rises you run the risk of a heart attack or stroke. 

Enough of me scaring you, let’s move onto where I share a few more things I do to keep my body as stress free as possible such as diet, my top 10 essential oils for stress, exercise, supplements, and a few energetic practices. 

Top 10 Oils that Support Your Body During Stress

The number one tool in my toolbox is essential oils, as they are easy to use. If I’m honest here, it needs to be easy or I probably won’t use it. What’s great about essential oils is that they are fast acting, and can directly impact the brain when inhaled. Essential oils are uniquely suited for helping the body restore balance through the sense of smell! 

Inhaling essential oils affects the limbic system within seconds vs hours, days, weeks or months when using synthetic medications. The limbic system is directly connected to the parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance. The amygdala (part of the limbic system) is where our memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions occur. Whether you add oils topically, self-diffuse, or put them in your diffuser you are activating the limbic system!

I’m going to walk you through my top 10 stress busting oils and give you just a fraction of what each of them do. This is not a complete list of every action these oils can do! I’d be here all day if that were the case!!

My all time favorite oil that I wear everyday is Bergamot. It supports increased circulation, which helps to oxygenate you which can lead to a happier you! It also is known to ease irritability and emotional distress, it’s an overall mood boosters, supports sleep, assists muscle and joint discomfort, headaches, tension, boosts energy, helps to overcome feelings of helplessness and disinterest, increases feelings of joy, calmness and relaxation, hormonal imbalances, and is a digestive aid. Do not apply this oil and then go out into the sun, as you will burn easier. 

As a side note essential oils are smart that have a unique action to know what they need to do in each body. So bergamot can increase or decrease the appetite. Different sources state different things, but from my research it is a regulator of appetite. Need to eat more it stimulates that, need to eat less it tames that. Give it a try and see what it does for you.

Clary Sage is a huge emotional supporter. It helps tame unreasonable expectations of self, it sparks creativity, boosts self-esteem, balances mood, supports you during PMS or other hormonal imbalances, it helps in those breathless moments that are related to fear, it’s calming and balancing, aids the body during tension, headaches, or occasional nervous anxiety, good for sleep, increases circulation, and helps with hormonal skin health. If we maintain a calm and balanced demeanor then less stress creeps in.

Grapefruit can decrease feelings of irritability and negativity, uplifts, balances and revives mood, boosts energy, supports a healthy weight by curbing sugar cravings, eases daily stress and tension, can provide a mild euphoric feeling, balances a tired and overstimulated nervous system, tames inflammation, immunity booster,  hangover helper, supports the liver and lymphatic system, and is a detoxifier.

Lemon, Lime, Orange, and Tangerine are all mood and energy boosters, as well as assisting normal immunity function and the lymphatic system. They all have a similar nature to grapefruit. They ease daily stress and tension, balance a tired and overstimulated nervous system, offset negative moods and are uplifting.

Peppermint boosts energy to overcome lethargic symptoms; it’s uplifting and rejuvenating to the heart, helps you to rise above stress, discomfort, blue moods, and fear. Peppermint contains pain blockers because sometimes blue moods can cause discomfort. As a side note it opens up your airways which can lead to better oxygenation, which supports a happier mood.

Roman Chamomile used since ancient times, often used in the form of tea for good reason! A study in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found it could reduce the anxiety of patients in the ICU better than conventional methods. Emotionally it’s a relaxing and calming powerhouse as it soothes overactive minds and restlessness, it’s, dispels anger, stabilizes emotions, helps with the release of past emotions, and works its magic when you feel irritable or nervous. It’s more commonly used for a more restful night’s sleep, it also dispels bad dreams for kids. What you may not know is that it is an ally of the digestive system and the liver, it soothes toothaches, a beneficial aid to inflammation, and provides excellent skin support.

Stress Away is a blend from Young Living. It promotes restful sleep because of the cedarwood which triggers the release of serotonin that your brain converts to melatonin. Stress Away helps with occasional day to day stress and anxiety, tantrums, reduces nervous tension, promotes wellbeing, it works to ease anger and argumentative behaviors, helps you to unwind and creates a peaceful feeling.

Ylang Ylang balances, calms, and is known for its mild sedative effect. It supports gray or blue moods, relaxes the body, sleep, supports occasional stress, anxiety, nervous tension, it increases feelings of joy, happiness, and hope. It can also help you to connect to those around you, think social support. Supports the hormonal issues, digestive support (nervous stomach,) boosts immunity, increases circulation, eases inflammation, can energize you, and supports cardiovascular, reproductive and digestive systems. It’s also an aphrodisiac if you need support there from blue moods.

Valor another Young Living blend is known for its calming and balancing effects, but it also helps provide courage and strength. It is an uplifting oil that boosts moods, creates peace, calming, relaxation, feelings of joy, happiness, and helps to refresh and revive the body, while supporting the nervous system. Valor helps to empower you by supporting confidence and self-esteem. It’s also known as “a chiropractor in a bottle” because it aligns our physical, mental and emotional bodies.

Bonus oils: Rose, Lemongrass, Sandalwood, Geranium, Fennel, Marjoram, Jasmine, Neroli, Basil, Melissa

Food

The second tool I want to cover is watching what you eat. This is honestly not my strong suit, food and I have had a tenuous relationship for decades. However I have learned through elimination diets like Whole30 I have issues with dairy, gluten and my arch nemesis sugar. I used to be a carboholic, and I have drastically cut down on the amount of gluten I consume. The same goes with dairy although that is a little harder as I still crave it in times of high stress. Sugar is my achilles heel and I know it. I am seriously considering doing hypnotherapy to help me get sugar under control. 

Preliminary research out of Australia suggests that a meditranean diet low in processed foods is beneficial to your mental health. Which makes me think of the old adage you are what you eat. I’ve witnessed first hand with each of my children the spiral food can create both negatively and positively. I’m not really sure many of us truly consider the emotional impact food has on our mental health. When you stick to whole unprocessed foods you are less likely to have mental peaks and valleys or physical or mental crashes. Studies have also found that healthy diets help with symptoms of depression and anxiety. A diet  with high levels of saturated fat, refined carbs, and processed foods is linked to poor mental health in children and teens. But you don’t have to stretch too far; to see the correlation in adults too. 

A plant based diet, or a diet low in sugar and dairy but high in fruits, vegetables and whole unprocessed food is where your aim should be. We can boost our immune system by eating foods that are rich in vitamin c like broccoli, green and red peppers as well as those rich in antioxidants like grapes, eggplant, and onions.  Here are a few other foods that provide immune support: garlic, turmeric, jicama root, ginger, lemon, oranges, limes, grapefruit, clementines, green bananas, asparagus, kiwi, cantaloupe, carrots, spinach, celery, almonds, pumpkin, leaks, carrots, watermelon, mangoes, cabbage, winter squash, cherries, chili peppers, sunflower seeds, green tea, papaya, strawberries, chickpeas, and blueberries. I mean the list could go on, but you get the idea the possibilities of healthy food are endless here. So, find what you like and eat it.  

Also shellfish like oysters, lobster, muscles, scallops, and crab are good for immunity as they are high in zinc. Nuts not only have immune-boosting power from zinc, iron and the B vitamins, but also have the added value of being sources of other vitamins and minerals that support your body. All raw nuts are good and they have different benefits: Brazil nuts are rich in selenium; almond and peanuts are good sources of vitamin E. To get the best from nuts, choose a variety of raw nuts preferably with no salt.

Supplements can help your body reduce stress

Using high quality supplements is just one more tool to help your body reduce stress! Stress is a contributing factor in six leading causes of death in America. Unchecked stress really can take years off your life. So, remember that much like our immunity we want to hit our stress from a variety of angles. 

There have been a number of studies showing a direct link between vitamin D levels and mental health. Not to mention it supports our immune health. Dr. Sandra Darling, DO. says, “A lot of people are deficient (or low) in vitamin D, and a deficiency may increase your susceptibility to infection. Get outside for fresh air and sunshine, but I also recommend taking a daily supplement of 1,000 to 2,000 IUs of vitamin D.” Come to find out studies say that 1 billion people all over the world are extremely deficient in Vitamin D, and over 50% have insufficient amounts!!  

Did you know that 50-90% of vitamin D is synthesised in our skin from sun exposure and the rest of it is from what we eat? According to one study we need 20 minutes out in the sun daily on 40% of our body in order to synthesize an adequate amount of vitamin D? The skin must be exposed to direct sunlight, without any barriers like sunblock, clothing or a window. Windows prevent UV rays from being absorbed into the skin. One more set of shocking facts about Vitamin D. 

Many commercially made D3 supplements are made from lanolin (aka wool yolk or wool wax) which is a waxy substance secreted and then extracted from sheep’s wool. This form of D3 may not be a good fit if you are vegan. Lanolin is used as a raw material to produce D3 which is irradiated with ultraviolet light. You can get D3 from salmon if you aren’t allergic to fish. My biggest piece of advice here is to ditch capsules and tablets and grab a liquid or softgel as liquid is absorbed better. 

Glutathione has a growing body of research demonstrating it is a key player in the immune system! It acts as an important antioxidant in our body, meaning it helps to combat free radicals.It also helps to detoxify your body from both naturally occurring things and items we put into our body. 

According to glutathionereporter.com “The major reason as to why maintaining a healthy cellular glutathione GSH level is so critical for the immune system is related to the fact that lymphocytes perform their bacterial, viral, and cancer cell killing functions by generating large amounts of ROS (reactive oxygen species) including superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. These free radicals are highly toxic and an exquisite fine control of how much and where in the cell they are generated is needed. Any overproduction of these ROS can be neutralised by glutathione(GSH). However, the pace of oxidant generation can often outstrip the cellular production of glutathione (GSH) which leads to a cascade of oxidative stress, inflammation and tissue damage.” 

As we get older our levels decrease, which seems to correspond with poor health. There are several health conditions which also decrease glutathione levels. It is available as a supplement but you can also boost your body’s production by supplementing  with curcumin, selenium, vitamin c and vitamin E, or eating garlic, broccoli, asparagus, avocados and spinach.

You have probably heard of Ashwagandha as it’s been an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries! It is an adaptogen which means it counteracts stress and can bring the body back into homeostasis. It is known as a stress reducing herb, that supports lower anxiety and depression levels, and helps with better quality sleep. 

Lemon balm aka Melissa has a mild sedative and calming action, and is currently being studied as a possible anti-anxiety reliever. One study showed that those who took lemon balm internally 3 times a day reported improvement in their anxiety by 49% and their sleep quality improved by 54%. It’s also linked to improved moods. 

Exercise

We all know that exercise does the body good, but we don’t do it for a variety of reasons. In college my roommate would invite me to go to the gym with her, and I’d laugh no I’m good thanks. After one particular time she said, “Man you really missed out. That bootcamp class was so good. I feel so much better!” I was stunned. “What do you mean you feel better?” I asked. Her response, “You don’t feel good after you work out?” No, I don’t. I actually feel worse!” Come to find out … There are studies around this concept; how genes can play a role, how the human body has a variety of responses to exercise and the release of endorphins. But I don’t want you to use your genes as an excuse why you don’t work out. 

I hate going to the gym. It just isn’t for me. However, I really enjoy walking on the beach, and in the forest, but it gets cold here in New England, So, I lose motivation to continue walking outside rather easily. Instead of being cold, something I also despise, I got a treadmill. I use it in small increments of time throughout the day, because let’s be honest it’s boring and again I lose interest and motivation. I find walking 10 minutes at a time helps me to get more done in my day, both exercise wise and focus wise. I know that ideally to maintain my weight and overall wellness I should walk 30-45 minutes a day or 10,000 steps.

Exercise doesn’t just have to be lifting weights, walking, running, or a bootcamp style class. It can be yoga, barre, riding a bike, swimming, dancing or dance parties, basketball, tennis, Tai Chi, using a resistance band, frisbee, kicking a soccer ball around, rockwall climbing, paddle boarding, or using a jump rope. Here are four I bet you didn’t think about using a hula hoop, shopping, axe throwing, or jumping on a trampoline. Let’s be honest, doing yard work or walking up stairs, after a certain age is exercise too! Just get creative! 

If you have never been regular with exercise check with  your doctor first. Then start small, do it in a shorter time frame and build up to larger blocks of time. Do not compare your exercise to other people’s as we each have our own journey, honor where you are. Don’t be over critical of how much or what you are doing. Something is better than nothing. If you miss a day no big deal, pick up and start again the next day. Don’t stop just because you missed a day and now the entire week or month is ruined. That is your ego talking and you need to tell it to shut the heck up!

Spiritual Practices

I know that the word spiritual can trigger some folks, and that’s never my intent. However I do like to share some unusual, unique, or cool things I’ve tried over the years to provide my followers with some new tricks for their metaphorical toolbox as I said earlier. Please feel free to use what you like and leave what doesn’t fit. Also autofill your belief system. 

I was never one who was really into angels, but while studying something else angels kept coming up. So I took that synchronicity or nudge from the universe as a sign of something I needed to pay attention to and stop turning my nose up at it. Remember if you aren’t into angels, choose what works for you perhaps God, universe, the divine, or Goddess. The first thing I learned was that ArchAngel Michael is a protector and helps you to cut energetic cords to people, situations, and energy that no longer serve you. As a psychic, empath and medium I knew how important it is to clear my energy and again I figured this was just one more tool for me to have. Little did I know that I would use this almost daily, but certainly weekly including after each tarot reading, sound healing, and reiki session I did.

Let me teach you this simple but powerful technique to help you to release negativity, repeating unwanted patterns, accumulated energy that isn’t your own, unhealthy ties to people you no longer want to be connected to, or to cut ties that drain you. For me it helps to release feelings I pick up from others merely from being out in the world. Things like anxiety, depression, anger, sadness, loneliness, and whatever else I encountered during the day.

Take a deep breath in to clear your head. Set your intention to cut any energetic cords that no longer serve you. In your head or out loud call in ArchAngel Michael. I usually say something like, “ I call in Archangel Michael with his sword of light. I ask that you use your sword to cut what no longer serves me. Cut all the way down on the left side, the right, the front, back, above and below.” I imagine his sword passing each of those spots. I take another deep breath in and exhale to release any lingering tension. 

And that’s it!! You may not find a big difference the first time you do it or perhaps you feel the release of energy. Think of it this way. The longer you have held this cord or the bigger the trigger the longer it may take to sever that connection. Don’t be discouraged. Keep trying it. Practical application of this since not everyone reads tarot cards, would be when you get triggered by something you saw online. Repetitive or obsessive thoughts about an ex or painful situation you lived through. I’ve even used it during a panic attack. When a wave of anger or past resentment pops up. Now with all of that said, I want to remind you that this should NOT be a replacement for therapy or medical treatment. This can work well alongside other mental health treatments.

Of course meditation is hugely beneficial as I discussed in the last episode so we won’t cover that again! One of my favorite modalities for empowering, de-stressing, and clearing energy for myself and my clients is to initiate healing in the body via sound healing. I absolutely adore crystal singing bowls. Sound healing is something that I feel like doesn’t get talked about that much as a healing modality let alone as a technique to de-stress the body. It has a ton of benefits!!

Special shout out and a big thank you to my lovely & magical friend Clare O’brien who introduced me to the bowls. It helped my body to come back into balance after a hysterectomy. It also helped my daughter to manage her pain levels which daily were at a 10 now down to a 2-3 with weekly sound healing.

I also use a sonic slider tuning fork in my practice that works in the same way as a crystal singing bowl does. There are a variety of sound therapy tools out there!! Next on my list are tingsha bells and a wave drum!

Sound healing like music allows a shift to occur in our brainwaves through entrainment. Entrainment is when your brain synchronizes the waves to an external stimuli’s frequency. Different parts of the body vibrate at different frequencies. Higher frequencies help the body to respond positively, and make changes that support the body in healthy ways. Just as speaking with love based words vibrates much higher than words based in negativity.

Deepak Chopra says, “The body is held together by sound. The presence of disease indicates that some sounds have gone out of tune.” I get that statement may be a little too woo woo for you. The point is that each of our organs vibrates at a specific frequency, and if they dip below their normal frequency you may become unwell. 

Mental benefits of sound healing include potentially increasing happiness, a better quality of sleep, focus, creativity, productivity, cognitive skills, retention of information, memory recall, clarity, relaxation, and it balances both hemispheres of the brain! I truly believe there is not a single person on earth who wouldn’t  benefit from sound healing!

Well there you have it a minimum of 9 different ways to calm and de-stress your body! Hopefully I gave you at least one or two new ways to keep stress in check!! If you are interested in booking a sound healing session you can reach out to me on my website axiom-wellness.com.

Apr 15 2021