Your body is designed to handle, and even thrive on, brief periods of stress from time to time. But too much isn't good for body or soul. Fortunately, even when you can't change a stressful situation, you have some control over the way you deal with it. So, if you're pulling out your hair, biting your nails to the quick or worrying yourself into a tizzy, try these techniques to restore a sense of sanity.

Anti-anxiety herbs and supplements

• Ever since ancient Greeks began enjoying camomile tea, it has been praised for its healing properties. Today, when an estimated one million cups are drunk each day throughout the world, herbalists and naturopathic doctors recommend camomile as a wonderful remedy for stress. Drink 1 cup three times a day.

 

• You can also add camomile, along with other calming herbs such as lavender and valerian, to bathwater for a nerve-soothing soak. Wrap the dried herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and hold it under the tap while you fill the bath.

 

• Get more vitamin C. In one study, people under pressure who took 1000mg of vitamin C a day had milder increases in blood pressure and brought their stress hormone levels back to normal more quickly than people who didn't take it.

 

• Look to Panax ginseng, a herb valued for its ability to protect the body from stress. It has been shown to balance the release of stress hormones and support the organs that produce them (the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, and the adrenal glands).

   

  Take 100 to 250mg twice a day during times of stress, starting at the lower end of the dosage range and increasing your intake gradually. Experts recommend that you stop taking it for a week every two or three weeks.

Focus your mind

• Relaxing through meditation has been clinically proven to short-circuit stress. Sit in a comfortable position somewhere where you won't be disturbed. Close your eyes. Now choose a word or phrase to focus on - 'it's okay', for example.

   

  As you concentrate on breathing in and out, repeat the phrase each time you exhale. If you get distracted by other thoughts, gently put them out of your mind and return to your word or phrase. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes. Practise at least once a day.

 

• Research has found that certain types of music can reduce heart rate, blood pressure and even levels of stress hormones in the blood. Take a break and listen to music you find soothing.

 

• Do a time-travel exercise. When you're feeling knotted up with some current anxiety, remember something that you felt just as tense about a year ago. How important does it seem today?

   

  Now try to project a year into the future and look back on your present dilemma. The chances are, that your 'leap forward' in time will give you a better perspective on what you're going through now.

What's Wrong
Your body is on the alert, telling you something's wrong and you need to fix it. Stress can cause your endocrine system to pump out high levels of certain hormones that weaken immunity, damage the heart and blood vessels, and increase susceptibility to colds and other illnesses.

Your mind can be assaulted as well. Stress makes people irritable or easily angered; they may feel extreme anxiety and lose their ability to concentrate. They may also experience insomnia, have a chronically upset stomach, and suffer from headaches and fatigue.

Practise progressive relaxation

• When you feel especially tense, try a technique that is called progressive relaxation. Sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable place. Close your eyes. Now curl your toes as hard as you can for 10 seconds. Then relax them.

   

  After your toes, tense and relax your feet, legs, tummy, fingers, arms, neck and face. In other words, progressively 'work' the tension all the way from the tips of your toes to the top of your head and then, metaphorically, 'let it go'.

The power of prevention

• Go out for a walk or do some other form of exercise for at least 20 minutes, three times a week. Exercise boosts feel-good brain chemicals called endorphins, which lift your mood and make you feel less anxious.

 

• Limit your consumption of alcohol, caffeine and sugar; and if you smoke, quit. All of these substances can fire up your body's fight-or-flight response, contributing to physical symptoms of stress such as a racing heart, trembling, clammy hands, anxiety and irritability.

 

• Take up a calming hobby. Gardening, knitting, doing jigsaw puzzles, reading or some other favourite pastime can help you to take a breather from the stresses of life.

Should i call the doctor? Seek the help of your doctor if stress-related symptoms are affecting your quality of life. Symptoms to look for include overwhelming anxiety, inability to fall, or stay, asleep, chronic or severe headaches, back or neck pain, binge eating, and the occurrence of physical signs such as eczema, irritable bowel syndrome or migraines. Long-term stress can lead to increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and other diseases.

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