We all go through stress everyday. In fact, chronic stress is the reason for many illnesses that strike people nowadays. Then these illnesses in turn cause us to be more stressed. We just can’t seem to break free from this cycle.

Sometimes, our stress starts even the day before. We lay there at night thinking about all the things we’re about to do the next morning and how exhausting everything will be. We lie in there waiting to wake up to another miserable day at the office having to deal with the environment. We also dread the incoming pile of work that will greet us the moment we sit down in our office.

You wake up totally exhausted, overwhelmed by the day ahead, and need tons of coffee to make it through.

You do high intensity exercise to give you more energy, though it leaves you more exhausted than before. 

It’s constant!!!

This is how we live through the weeks and this turns into months and even years. We keep telling ourselves we want to change things but are still unable to do so after so many attempts or wishes to do so.

Though this is primarily a mindset issue (which we resolve in my 1-2-1 programme), if we don’t address aspects such as nutrition and sleep, we’re missing out on a massive part of the equation. 

Our nutrition and sleep can have a huge impact on how well we handle the daily stress in our lives.👇

Frequency of meals

One of the keys to a healthier lifestyle is having regular meals. These meals should be at consistent times during the day. This allows your body to adjust and have a consistent pattern especially when it comes to releasing specific hormones such as ghrelin also known as the hunger hormone.

I recommend you to eat four meals a day. (No snacking)! Regular meals will balance your energy and your blood sugar, and help keep you in that right state of mind. When you skip meals or fast for too long, your stress hormones go through the roof which leaves you anxious, nervous, rushed with no clarity. 

Eat protein and fat at each meal 

Eating protein and fat will fill you up and stabilize your mood. You’ll be able to think clearly, see your day with calm, and feel capable, confident and balanced for hours. 

Eat carbs 

Yes, you heard that right. You must eat your share of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates like most things aren’t inherently evil nor is it the devil when it comes to managing our weight. Choose slow digesting carbs such as sweet potato or wild rice. Simply having the right amount especially at night through foods can help us be more calm, lower your stress hormone and help you sleep. 

Magnesium intake

There have been studies that show magnesium can help us relax and minimize stress in our bodies. It does this by binding to receptors in our brain that make us more calm and relaxed. It also blocks neurotransmitters that stimulate us and allows us to feel more at ease.

Reduce caffeine

Caffeine can increase our heart rate, make us more nervous, and also affect our hormones. It also leads to a poorer amount of sleep for others or a total lack of sleep. Some also feel more shaky when drinking lots of caffeine.

Caffeine can only help us gain more energy temporarily but our tiredness still builds up throughout the day. So don’t simply rely on caffeine to make yourself feel more energized throughout the day. Eat well and get a good night’s rest whenever you can.  

Exercise

You don’t always need to do high-intensity cardio exercises to lose fat or feel more relaxed. We’re already exhausted every day so why should we exhaust ourselves even more, right?

Instead, we can go walking more. It helps increase our metabolism by keeping us moving for a longer time and we can also do strength and resistance training to strengthen our muscles.

Bottom line: 

Stress is pretty much unavoidable in our lives. Each person’s tolerance can vary towards stress, but one thing for sure is that we all have our limits. Furthermore, no one deserves their health to deteriorate due to chronic stress from work, relationships, or other things in life.

So when we have ways to mitigate its effects, we should always consider taking it. This is why I hope that these tips can be useful to you as you also apply it in your daily life. 👇

Bare in mind, none of this is a solution without the work needed on Mindset, and Behavioural, but having these fundamentals in place only sets us up for success! 

Louise xx