I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Stress trumps everything.”

In our increasingly busy lives, many people find they are dealing with greater levels of stress. Frequently, avoiding stressful situations is out of our control. Short term stress is not a problem. We do need cortisol for our overall health and wellbeing. It is the long-term stress combined with a lack of strategies to deal with stress that can wreak havoc on your health.

Having rituals and daily practices that can help calm, energise and restore balance in our lives is an invaluable tool. We are wanting to decrease stress hormone output and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, repair, digest). Try:

• Restorative practices like yoga, meditation, breathwork, mindfulness, gentle exercise and movement, relaxing baths
• Sitting quietly and listening to music or podcasts
• Increasing your intake of magnesium rich foods or using magnesium supplementation. Magnesium spray applied transdermally before bedtime can support sleep
• Taking time out to enjoy a herbal tea, tonic or elixir
• Consume adaptogen plants eg medicinal mushrooms, ashwagandha, astragalus, maca. While some people find instant effects after supplementing with adaptogens, more often it can take a while before you experience any changes. Often it depends on your base level when you start. Try using one adaptogen consistently for a few weeks before stopping it and starting another. Adaptogens work slowly and gently, so you need to be patient. The benefits are science-based and long lasting
• CBD (cannabidiol) oil, aka hemp oil, has been shown to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Hemp oil is a nutritional supplement. CBD oil has a well-established safety and tolerability profile. Research is suggesting that the most therapeutically effective CBD products are those that contain aromatic compounds called terpenes (for what’s known as the entourage effect.) Look for products that are from non-GMO hemp plants. Bio-individuality must be considered when establishing an effective dose of CBD, as every human’s endocannabinoid system in unique.

At Sage wellbeing we have a range of products to help reduce your stress levels:

Highbration Organics products contain medicinal mushrooms. Their protein powder contains both medicinal mushrooms and activated maca – SHOP HERE

Qenda has a range of products containing numerous adaptogenic herbs – SHOP NOW

No Nonsense has a range of magnesium products for relaxation – SHOP NOW

Or if  you just want some relaxing music to help you chill – Sage Wellbeing Chill Spotify Playlist – CLICK HERE