4 Keys to Increasing Stress Resilience in 2023

Did you know that as much as 90-95% of disease is related to stress? Think about that for a minute. Stress has a MASSIVE impact on our physical and mental health, and that shouldn't be taken lightly. In a year where daily life seems uncertain, it's more important now that ever to get stress under control and make a conscious effort to make your health a priority!

Start With Your Mindset

If stress begins in the mind, shouldn't we be emphasizing developing a healthy mindset? Life will always bring stress, but our VIEW of stress is the crucial determining factor of HOW that stress affects us.

If you don't already have a practice that helps strengthen and focus your mind, daily meditation is a great start. Studies have shown that regular meditation helps lower stress-associated inflammation, cortisol, blood pressure, anxiety and depression. Additional benefits include improved focus, attention, memory and sleep. Some teach meditation as emptying the mind, but choosing something to focus on, such as a positive saying, scripture or affirmation can be a fantastic tool. If meditation isn't your thing, pick up a positive book or find another alternative, but do something!

Give Your Adrenals a Reboot

Your adrenal glands, otherwise known as your stress glands, are guaranteed to qualify for a tune up after the year you've had! Long-term stress, which regular life alone brings, can have serious consequences if not brought under control. Decreased energy, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, pain, frequent infections, colds, brain fog, poor sleep and high blood pressure are just a few of the symptoms related to stress.

In addition to a regular stress-reducing routine, adding a quality adrenal support can make a BIG difference with how your body is able to adapt to stress and ward off illness. Furthermore, addressing underlying physical causes of stress and exhaustion such as gut imbalances, liver toxicity, constipation, bowel issues and chronic inflammation will all increase your ability to handle daily stressors.

Make What You're Eating Work For You

Food can either cause stress or relieve it. If your diet is high in sugar, vegetable oils, processed carbohydrates and foods with mile-long ingredient lists, this are stressors! Eating a whole-food, nutrient-rich diet is a great way to combat stress and set yourself up for success in 2021. In addition to what you're eating, here are a few other factors to consider to make your diet work for you, not against you:

Improve your gut function to fully benefit from your healthy diet
Reduce stress to improve digestion
Pay attention to how foods make you feel and find out if you have allergies or intolerances by following a detoxification diet. Intolerances create physical stress on the immune system and can even manifest as high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, skin reactions, headaches and body pain and more.
Inquire about our Functional Digestive Analysis testing to discover if your gut is functioning at its best.

Don’t Underestimate Sleep

Most people deal with trouble sleeping to some degree. Sleep is foundational to reducing stress and boosting resilience. In fact, not sleeping 7-9 quality hours puts SIGNIFICANT stress on our bodies. If this an area you struggle with, now is the time to address it!

Some our favourite tools to combat insomnia include:

Calming supplements, such as magnesium, l-theanine and phosphatidylserine,
Daily adrenal support to help balance cortisol levels
An anti-inflammatory, blood sugar-balancing diet
A daily stress-reducing practice
Deep breathing or gargling before bed to activate the vagus nerve and support sleep

If you’ve ever considered working with a Nutritionist, we’re taking bookings! Find the right practitioner for you here.

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