4 easy ways to dial down stress and mild anxiety
There’s no doubt life is hectic for many of us, but these tips may help relieve symptoms of stress and mild anxiety.
Unless you’re living off the grid, by a trickling stream, with a trust fund to back you up (yes, we wish), life is full – and busy.
Never before have we been so contactable around the clock for work, home, kids, family, friends, even pets – and it’s having an impact.
Australia has one of the world’s highest levels of stress, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report[1] – with 47 per cent of people agreeing they felt stressed for a lot of the day on the previous day.
We’ve rounded up some of the easiest, quickest and best ways to dial down stress and mild anxiety.
1. Try mindfulness
Mindfulness means being fully present in the moment and aware of your thoughts, feelings, body and surroundings and not overwhelmed or distracted by what’s going around you.
You can practise it through techniques such as deep breathing, meditation or body “scans”.
Do not knock this until you’ve given it a go – mindfulness has been found to work.
The large body of research on mindfulness includes a meta-analysis[2] of more than 200 studies, which found it to be effective for stress.
2. Get physical
Can physical activity support mental health? The answer is yes.
A recent large meta-analysis[3] of studies found that physical activity is highly beneficial across a wide range of adult populations, including the general population.
Exercise causes your brain to release “feel good” chemicals[4] such as endorphins and serotonin that help improve your mood.
Plus, getting physical can distract you from your stress and help improve your fitness – win-win!
3. Get into nature
Immersing yourself in nature might sound like “just a nice thing to do” but a growing number of studies have shown visiting green spaces and being exposed to natural environments can reduce stress.
In a study, researchers from the University of Michigan in the US found that a “nature pill” of just 20 minutes[5] can lower stress hormone levels.
It doesn’t have to be a forest – find a local park and soak in the sights and sounds.
4. Embrace ashwagandha
The medicinal herb ashwagandha has traditionally been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years in India.
It can help to relieve symptoms of stress and mild anxiety, relieve sleeplessness, help reduce the occurrence of symptoms of mild anxiety and help the body to cope with environmental stress.
A 2019 study[6] by Indian and Australian researchers have investigated how the herb’s stress-relieving effects may occur.
Another 2019 study[7] out of India found an eight-week supplementation of ashwagandha root extract was associated with relieving symptoms of stress.
Caruso’s Ashwagandha 7500 contains the unique organic herbal extract KSM-66® Ashwagandha.
KSM-66® Ashwagandha has been the subject of a clinical trial[8], which has shown the benefit of promoting the body’s adaptation to stress.
Simply take one easy-to-swallow tablet a day to help support a healthy stress response in the body.
And there you have it – four ways you may be able to find calm among the storm of life in 2024!
* This post is brought to you by Caruso’s Ashwagandha 7500. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional. Money Back Guarantee: Terms and conditions apply. See Caruso’s website for details.
[1] Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report, retrieved March 2024 from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
[2] Khoury et al, 2013, Mindfulness-based therapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis, Clinical Psychology Review, 33(6) 763-71, retrieved March 2024 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23796855/
[3] Singh et al, 2023, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 57, Issue 18, 1203-1209, retrieved March 2024 from https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/18/1203
[4] Health Direct, Exercise and mental health, retrieved March 2024 from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/exercise-and-mental-health
[5] Hunter et al, 2019, Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers, Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 10, retrieved April 2024 from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722/full?utm_source=fweb&utm_medium=nblog&utm_campaign=ba-sci-fpsyg-nature-pill, funded by grants from the University of Michigan’s MCubed program and the TKF Foundation
[6] Lopresti et al, 2019, An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract, Medicine, 98(37), retrieved April 2024 from https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2019/09130/an_investigation_into_the_stress_relieving_and.67.aspx, funded by Arjuna Natural Ltd
[7] Salve et al, 2019, Adaptogenic and Anxiolytic Effects of Ashwagandha Root Extract in Healthy Adults: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Study, 11(12), e6466, retrieved March 2024 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6979308/
[8] Chandrasekhar et al, 2012, Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, Volume 34, Issue 3, retrieved March 2024 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23439798/
