Best Herbs For Stress

Ayurveda , the science of life is not only the ancient science of preventative health and healing but also a philosophy of living. It helps maintain health in a person by using the inherent principles of nature to bring the individual back into equilibrium with their true self.

It believes that all of life are combinations of three energy-elements (doshas) – air (Vata), fire (Pitta), and water (Kapha). Imbalance of these doshas leads of illness and ayurveda treats each individual as a unique makeup of the three doshas and suggest cleansing process (panchakarma) specific lifestyle, nutritional guidelines, yoga, herbal supplement, to assist the individual in restoring the balance of the doshas.

Ayurveda is a “science of life and longevity”, a traditional system of medicine of India which considers the mind to be one of the three pillars (tristhuna) on which life depends. The concept of mind (manas prakriti) is both broad and illuminating. Mind is built from different aspects. Buddhi, the intellect is the digestive system of mind as it discriminates between different aspects of mental ‘nutrition’.

Manas is that which conceptualizes, analyzes and interacts between our inner sub consciousness and our experience of the outer world. Ahamkara is our ‘I’ maker and identity former that personalizes every experience. Tarpaka kapha relates to memory. Chitta that is considered to be consciousness and awareness. Prana connects these different aspects into antahakarana, the inner active.

It describes three primary qualities of mind or gunas as Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. Satwa (equilibrium, evolution, intelligence) characterized by lightness, awareness, delight and lucidity, is pure, free from malady and cannot distorted and disturbed in any way. It activates the senses and is responsible for the perception of knowledge. Rajas (activity, agitation) which is most active of the gunas, characterizes motion and stimulation.

All wants, wishes, aspirations and erratic-mindedness are a result of the effects of rajas guna. Tamas (inertia) which characterizes heaviness and immunity, produces disturbances in the process of perception (way one thinks) and activities of the mind. Hallucinations, laziness, apathy, sleepiness and drowsiness habits are due to it.

According to Ayurveda there are three fundamental mind types or mental doshas, called Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which embody different combinations of the five elements air, ether, fire, water and earth. Psychologically Vata governs feelings and emotions as freshness, nervousness, fear, anxiety, pain.

Pitta arouses anger, hate, and jealousy. Kapha is responsible for the emotions of attachment, greed, and long-standing envyAyurvedic treatment aims to rebalance your doshas according to your constitution (also known as your Prakriti), resulting in a healthy body and sound mind.

Yoga is a Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language) word which means union of the mind, body and soul. It is an exercise in self-discipline which combines postures with breathing techniques and meditation.When regulary practised it strengthens nervous system, takes one to a deep state of relaxation and tranquility thereby helping people to face stressful situations more positively.

The postures stretch limbs and exercises soothe muscles, organs and nervous system while the breathing technique helps to focus and relax at the same time and meditation ensures an overall feeling of well being resulting in a better management of stress.

The principle of yoga is that essential thoughts and messages are delivered more effectively when the body is relaxed and the brain is well-oxygenated, helping the body and mind to work more successfully while feeling less tired and less stressed.

Asanas (Postures) :

Natural unblocking effected by yoga postures are helpful to relieve stress out of the individuals who carry a great deal of physical tension in their bodies.

It is a form of a slow exercise together with a controlled breathing exercise which promotes a relaxed feeling or eases stress. Savasana, Makarasana, Balasana are few asanas to be practiced to relieve stress

Prayanama (A breathing technique) :In this technique an individual do slow and steady breathing – like inhaling through his one nostril and exhaling through other. Besides there are fast breathing movements like intake of air through nostrils and exhaling through mouth at fast pace, this way air is passed properly through blood capillaries and the person feels himself in light mode and he feels that there is no burden over their mind and soul.

Dhyana (Meditation) : A person sits in a posture usually in relaxing mode and concentrate his mind over one point with eyes closed. The mind is concentrated up to an extent when an individual feels that he has no interaction with the surroundings, in fact the mind reaches in a neutral stage thereby relieving mental exhaustion.

Meditation restores the body to a calm state, helping the body to repair itself, and preventing damage due to the physical effects of stress.

Herbs for Stress - General Ayurveda, Management, Meditation, Stress

Workplace stress management can already be quite a task just to maintain employee productivity, efficiency as well as satisfaction. Nothing can be more stressful for managers than to handle stress brought about by workplace change. Change can affect the workplace in many ways, with the negative side of it always bringing along considerable stress to some.

Workplace change is usually inevitable in the business world. Changes in the economy and the competitiveness between businesses can bring about certain changes in the workplace when most may least expect it. Businesses always run the risk of having to stage lay-offs, personnel downsizing and even bankruptcy. And when these changes happen, the employees of the affected businesses go through quite a stressful situation having to deal with unemployment and an uncertain future. The management even has the more stressful task to inform employees about it.

It is important for management to try to break the news of a workplace change in a less abrupt manner as possible. Communication would be very important in this case. Effective and timely communication may help affected employees better understand and accept such upsetting and stressful news.

One of the best ways to communicate massive changes in the workplace is to involve key communicators to bring the news to the employees. While it may sound logical to have the CEO speak to the entire group of working personnel in a company-wide meeting, he or she alone may not be able to give the details more effectively on all levels. The CEO of the company alone may not be able to satisfy employee questions and concerns.

Having other people such as supervisors or team leaders to handle the job of communicating any workplace change would surely be more efficient and effective. By having the company’s front-line supervisors and maybe team leaders address employees under them and answer their questions, this helps communicating change more efficiently accessible to more employees and may take less time to make them understand and accept the unfortunate news.

But aside from having several people handling the stressful news of change to company staff. It is also as important for the management to create an effective message. And since companies are comprised of different departments and levels, the message of change should be designed to cater to the information needed of these different levels. In short, the message should cater and fit to a specific audience in order to be more effective and hence avoid possible confusion as well as additional stress.

Effective communication of change in the workplace means that information required by different levels of the company should be satisfied. Others may stop at citing the reasons why change is a good idea for the company. Other companies may only try to communicate only what the changes affect the corporate level.

Neglect on providing information that really matter to employees, such as how the change may affect their future in the company, can really add considerable stress and many sleepless nights to many people.

That is not considered as good workplace stress management for a company that is in the midst of undergoing changes.

Managing Workplace Stress Change, Management, Stress, Workplace

Do you know enough about anxiety and panic attacks? If not then keep reading this article. The cause of depression is imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. Many people think that anxiety is a natural phenomenon. But according to medicine anxiety is a health disorder can be treated easily. It is very important to understand that anxiety is a disease as many patients think that it is just a bad mood. If you are having some symptoms of depression then it is a good idea to visit family doctor. Treatment of disease starts with medication and ends with therapy. Almost every medication which is used to treat anxiety disorder has several side effects. Many patients are looking for a natural way to treat this disease. If you want to get rid of depression then it is very important to follow some tips.

Depression can be easily treated with the help of your family members. It is a good idea to discuss all your problems with your family members. A lot of problems can be easily solved with the help of friends and relative. Never avoid the situations which make you anxious. You should always try to solve difficult problems. Depression affects both body and mind. Anxiety can be the cause of other systemic diseases. For example a person suffering from depression complains gastrointestinal disturbances. Proper diet and support can help you a lot in overcoming psychological problems. There are many websites which provide support for the people suffering from anxiety and depression.

Herbs for Stress - General Herbs, Management, Natural, Stress

If you want to manage stress then you need to watch your diet and the foods you consume and critical.

Many of the foods that we turn to when stressed actually increase stress levels even more creating a vicious circle.

However, make simple diet changes and you will reduce stress, be calmer and be better equipped to fight daily stress. Letâ??s look at foods and supplements that can reduce stress and why there so important.

Our bodies are incredible machines and able to cope with stress but they need to fed correctly to function at optimum efficiency. Stress is part of life so you need to fight back and thatâ??s with the foods below that are proven to reduce stress

1. Green vegetables & Oil fish

If you are felling irritable eat green leafy vegetables and oily fish. Broccoli, cabbage, tofu cod and mackerel are great foods and are full of magnesium which is the number 1 stress busting mineral.

Calcium

If you donâ??t get enough magnesium your body regulates blood sugar levels less efficiently and you become irritable and canâ??t sleep so get 3 â?? 5 portions of the above weekly.

2. Get Essential fats

Oily fish earlier and they are great stress busting food. Essential fatty acid increases the serotonin in the brain which regulates our mood and ability to cope with stress

We have already recommend a fish oil supplement and really there is no better eat to eat than oil fish for stress get it from: Mackerel, sardines and salmon.

Tip: You can add these two supplements as well – magnesium and omega 3 fish oil supplement daily

2. Regulate energy levels

You need some slow realise carbs to keep your blood sugar levels steady. Keeping the levels constant will mean you have more energy.

Pick high fibre and low GL foods such as oats or brown rice and avoid white bread and pasta.

3. Nuts for Energy

You can keep blood sugar steady between your main meal by eating and snacking on nuts. Unsalted peanuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts are great. These are packed with vitamin B complex vitamins which if we donâ??t get enough of are responsible for exhaustion tiredness and adrenal problems

Tip: Snack every three hours and add an all round B complex vitamin supplement

4. Shellfish and zinc

One of the main minerals people are deficient when stressed is zinc. So make sure you get plenty of it its important in regulating serotonin and melatonin which are key stress control hormones.

Prawns and other shellfish are great as to are:

Seaweed, brown rice, mushrooms turkey and asparagus

Tip: Add a daily zinc mineral supplement to your diet

4. Get Essential fats

We have mentioned oily fish earlier and they are great stress busting food. Essential fatty acid increases the serotonin in the brain which regulates our mood and ability to cope with stress

We have already recommend a fish oil supplement and really there is no better eat to eat than oil fish for stress get it from: Mackerel, sardines and salmon.

5. Wind down foods

Get plenty of the essential acid tryptophan.

This will help you get a good nights rest and again regulates the neuro transmitters in the brain to relax you plenty of foods to choose from:

Bananas, milk fish chicken cheese oats and turkey are packed with it, so get three portions a week.

When you are on the go itâ??s sometimes difficult to eat correctly but try and make time to relax and chew your food so it digests properly and you get the proper nutrients. If you are running for the bus and eating on the go this wont happen!

Also consider daily Magnesium, zinc and a B Complex supplement to make sure you get these three important stress busters.

Stress is part of life so make sure you fight it and cope with it and the simple diet tips above will definitely lead to better control of your hectic daily life.

Magnesium Anxiety Diet, Fight, Foods, Management, Stress, These

Managing workplace stress is the same as managing driving stress or parenting stress or marital stress, since stress is a physiology which happens inside me after my Central Nervous System responds to a perception/thought I have about the external world.

Here is an example I use in my domestic violence classes. Imagine buying the winning lottery ticket, and saying to yourself, “The state has cheated me, it is not enough!”

That thought will trigger a stress hormone filled body, when most people would fill their bodies with eustress hormones, maybe even joy.

If I were hunting for my next meal, and suddenly a saber tooth tiger leaps toward me, I need to have a tremendously fast response time (perhaps four times faster than I can blink my eyes) in order to save my life, because a saber tooth tiger has greater physical assets than I do. Faster, stronger, meaner, ect.

In the olden days, if I and my teammates either got away from the saber tooth tiger or killed it, then we would rest and clear the neurotransmitters and hormones of the stress response from our body.

So we see the stress response was not meant to be turned on continually to help me produce more widgets, which is how we use it today, the stress response was meant to supply a burst of survival energy, and then I rested.

John Gottman,Ph.D. in his marital workshop describes how detrimental this burst of stress hormones, which he calls diffuse physiological arousal, (DPA) can be when it gets cued in marital conflict.

The same detriment happens when DPA gets cued at work. I perceive a facial expression, or a tone of voice, from a co-worker, customer, a superior, and how many of us have made ourselves really angry over an e-mail, by interpreting those flashing pixels on the computer screen as about our talents and resources or the lack thereof?

A very important aspect of workplace stress management is to understand that my stress response will happen very fast, and it will be in response to non-verbal communication, facial expressions, a tone of voice, a gesture, and the physiology in my body happens so fast that I may be flooded with adrenalin and cortisol faster than I can create words, so workplace stress management has to happen just as fast, or as close to that fast as I can manage.

(Ever heard of Paul Ekman,Ph.D.? Ekman says that we can respond to a look of contempt, even a very subtle look of contempt, in 1/25th second, which is about 2 and 1/2 times as fast as I can blink my eyes. Those of you who parent have seen this in yourselves when your kids look at you like as if you were really unintelligent).

I use the analogy in my anger management and domestic violence classes that your inner physiology needs to be managed heart beat by heart beat, because if your heart stops, there is no need to worry about workplace stress management anymore is there?

Is it possible to manage your physiology that effectively?

Yes it is, and the cheapest tool is deep breathing. If you have ever watched a newborn breath, they breath all the way into their belly, making it move up and down, which keeps their interior chemistry DHEA based rather than adrenalin based, broadly speaking.

If we train ourselves to remember deep breathing frequently, we will be able to cue up that response as frequently as our computer monitors need us to, and we will actually open our higher perceptual centers for excellent brainstorming.

If we forget our deep breathing, in about 1/25th second, I will be throwing my computer, and if throwing my computer monitor does not burn up my stress hormones, then I may throw my neighbors computer monitor, and so on.

Workplace Stress Management Back-up Tool….

If I forget my deep breathing, and decide to keep my stress physiology going for awhile, is there a back-up tool that I and the folks around me can use to relax?

Try heart rate variability biofeedback, which is an easily learned biofeedback process that feels good.

In fact, everyone at your workplace could learn heart rate variability biofeedback and everyone could conceivably get on the same heart beat and stay there, which would sure change the nature of the work place, could it not?

Heartmath is based on recent discoveries about the heart’s own affiliative and cooperative nervous system.

Not too long ago, no one knew the heart had its own nervous system, nor did anyone know that the heart and a coherent heart beat could impact the brain in my head so powerfully.

But a coherent heart beat which I can learn to cue on any give heart beat does keep every cell in my body, and any body doing heart rate variability biofeedback on the same ‘beat”, and a dazzling kind of team work emerges.

In fact, the team or workplace heart beat begins to take on a life of its own, and folks start to smile a lot more, absenteeism lowers, resignations slow, customer service ratings go up, and staff Doctor visits slow.

Anyone ready for a coherent New Year?

Managing Workplace Stress Management, Stress, Workplace