insideKENT Magazine Issue 43 - October 2015 | Page 87

HEALTH+WELLNESS

BEATING

STRESS
BY CLAIRE ROTHER

Hands up who’s not stressed? Mmm, yes I thought
so. Stress is something we all suffer from, and
unfortunately, a certain amount of stress is just part
of life. So whilst we can’t get away from stress
completely, there are things we can do help our
bodies and minds not be affected so negatively by
it. There are also things we can do to stop us from
generating so much stress internally; but first, let's
take a closer look at what ‘stress’ actually is…
Claire Rother

Biologically, stress is defined as anything that
‘threatens the internal homeostasis of an
organism’. You might remember the word
‘homeostasis’ from school biology classes,
but for those of you who don’t, homeostasis
is the process by which the body regulates
its internal environment – such as blood
pressure, body temperature and blood sugar.
You see, the body needs to keep its internal
environment stable and constant because all
of our metabolic processes – and life – depend
on it. So essentially, stress is anything that
threatens the balance of the body. When our
body is in a stressed state, it will be working
overtime to orchestrate a host of responses
to help recalibrate its internal environment.
This is called 'the stress response'.
In the short term, the stress response is
adaptive; it is designed to help us survive.
But in the long term, it can wreak havoc on
our health, with negative effects on our energy,
immune system, mood, concentration, joints,
circulation and digestion. Many of these
negative effects are caused by the action of
stress hormones such as adrenaline and
cortisol. Excess output of these is no friend
of a healthy life.
Unfortunately, fo r most people in today’s
society, stress is not just a short-term
phenomena; it’s chronic and insidious. It can
be emotional (being in an unhappy relationship,
disliking your job), biochemical (nutritional
deficiencies, poor diet, excess sugar), and/or
physical (working night shifts, over-exercising,
not sleeping enough). And often it can be all
of these things all at once. So what can you
do to beat stress? The answer is a lot, but
you’re going to have to make a few changes.
They won’t all be easy, but they will all be
worthwhile and could just save your life.
1) Eat more protein and healthy fats. The
body needs these at increased times of stress

to help provide energy, stabilise the blood
sugar and make key neurotransmitters.
2) Cut down on the carbs and sugar. When
you are under stress, your stress hormones
act to increase your blood sugar level, which
then puts extra stress on your body to balance
it. By cutting down on your carbohydrate and
sugar intake, you will help your body to keep
a stable energy level and avoid those afternoon
energy crashes.
3) Watch the caffeine intake. Caffeine leads
to the release of adrenaline and puts stress
on our adrenal glands and liver, which are
already struggling when we are in a stressed
state. By cutting back on caffeine, you will
take some pressure off your body and help
it manage stress more effectively.
4) Supplement your diet. Consider taking a
vitamin and mineral supplement to replace
many of the essential nutrients depleted by
stress. Focus on B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc
and magnesium. Not only will a deficiency of
these actually cause biochemical stress, but
taking them will also help to relax the nervous
system, improve energy, help the adrenal
glands and boost the immune system no
matter what kind of stress you are suffering.

WIN a free consultation with
Claire of The Life Delight
Claire is offering one lucky insideKENT reader to win a
free consultation (1.5 hours in length), which includes:
• An in-depth health appraisal and assessment of
current symptoms
• A detailed evaluation of the health of all your
body systems
• An analysis of your current diet and an individualised
diet and nutrition plan
• Targeted prescription of herbal medicines
• Guidance on mindfulness-based stress reduction
techniques

To be in with a chance of winning, enter at
www.insidekentmagazine.co.uk/win by 5pm on Friday
30th October. T&C: The consultation must be taken by
30th November, and the session does not include the
cost of any herbal remedies or nutritional supplements.

5) Use herbal remedies. A class of herbal
medicines known as ‘adaptogens’ have
wonderful stress-healing abilities. They work
both directly on the nervous system to
promote relaxation, as well as having beneficial
effects on the immune system, thyroid gland,
mood, digestion and blood sugar balance.

The Life Delight
Claire Rother is an integrative health expert with a passion
for helping people reclaim their health. She holds a First
Class BSc degree in Health Sciences, specialising in
Herbal Medicine, and a Master of Science degree in
Psychology with distinction. She has also studied yoga,
reiki and mindfulness and has post-graduate training in
Clinical Psycho-Neuro-Immunology – a cutting-edge
field of medicine that looks at the connection between
the mind and the body and the role of lifestyle, nutrition
and botanical medicine in health. She practices from
clinics in London and Kent, and also runs a health and
wellness blog called The Life Delight.

6) Practice mindfulness meditation or
stress reduction techniques. These not only
help us to cope with stressful situations, but
they also help us to stop over-thinking and
worrying, which are responsible for a huge
amount of self-generated stress.

www.thelifedelight.com

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