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Energy, Stress and Mood
Natural Stress Support Allies
Swanson staff • March 25, 2022

Natural Stress Support Allies

These days it’s easy to feel stressed out. Whether it’s stress from work or just a busy schedule, there’s plenty out there to affect your mood.

Fortunately, you’re not alone in feeling this way, as the American Psychological Association reports that about a third of us feel under stress often, while about half report that stress has a negative effect on our personal lives.1

Thankfully, there are natural stress support allies available to help when you need it. No need to stress over your stress, after all! Knowledge is empowering, so let’s look at exactly what stress is.

What is Stress?

Understanding what you’re feeling is often the best place to start when asking how to boost your mood. That’s why having a working definition is important. So, what is stress?

Think of it in this way: stress is that feeling that comes when it seems like you can’t cope with certain pressures or even just when situations or events seem overwhelming. Stress is your body’s way of responding to those pressures.2

We all know how stress can make us feel, and now we also have a better definition of what it is. The next question we should ask is how to relieve stress?

How to Relieve Stress?

Learning how to relieve stress can be one of the most important steps you take toward overall wellness, as stress can negatively affect nearly every system in your body.

Perhaps some of the most well-known ways to relieve stress in everyday life include breathing exercises and learning how to meditate. It’s important to consider how we’re feeling inside and remember to practice relaxation techniques like mindfulness and body awareness.

Sometimes even just making small changes to our environment can help with relieving stress and boosting our mood. Using an essential oil diffuser to release soothing scents is a popular form of aromatherapy that is often used to promote a calm mood.3 Some popular essential oils used in this way include lavender and sweet orange.

Of course, learning how to relieve stress is only the first part of fostering a healthy stress support system. Sometimes we need a little extra boost, and when that happens, it may be a good idea to consider some of the natural stress support allies available in supplement form.

What is the Best Supplement for Stress?

There are actually several vitamins and minerals that play an important role in promoting a healthy stress response.

For instance, studies of the various members of the vitamin B family have shown that supplements with these nutrients can have a positive effect on stress.4

To give an example, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) aids in the regulation of the adrenal gland (where stress hormones are created), while vitamin B6 is known to help calm the nervous system.5

One essential mineral for stress support is magnesium. Magnesium helps stabilize your mood by regulating neurotransmitters in the brain, binding to calming ones and blocking more stimulated ones.6 This helps your entire body feel more relaxed during stressful times.

Herbs for Stress Support

Herbal supplements are also available for stress support, particularly a category known as adaptogens. Studies on this category of herbs have shown positive effects on increasing energy in response to stress-related fatigue and generally benefiting the body’s ability to respond healthily to stress.7

Adaptogenic herbs include the traditional Indian shrub known as ashwagandha. This amazing herbal supplement has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic traditions, while more recent scientific studies have shown its ability to promote calm while also reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol.8

Another adaptogenic herb that can off natural stress support is astragalus root. This Korean herb has been clinically studied for its positive effects on improving general wellness as part of a healthy stress response and has traditionally been used in Asia to promote calm.9

Either herb can be taken in supplement form, but for convenience and added benefit, consider a combination formula that offers these and other stress relieving herbs together.

Aside from the vitamins, minerals and herbs we’ve already looked at, there are some other helpful supplements available which can promote a healthy stress response.

An example would be the amino acid L-tyrosine. A neurotransmitter, L-tyrosine works in the brain to help form mood-boosting serotonin and dopamine,10 both crucial to relieving stress.

Don't Stress Over Stress!

To lift your spirits and deal with stress in a healthy way, remember to get enough sleep, exercise often and spend time with those who build you up and make you feel good about yourself. And don’t forget to consider adding a few of the supplements we looked at to your daily health routine!

Always serving our customers,

Your friends at Swanson

 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Sources

1. Stress in America. American Psychological Association. Read source

2. Stress. Mental Health Foundation. Read source

3. Aromatherapy: Uses and Benefits. Healthline. Read source

4. A Systematic Review. National Library of Medicine. Read source

5. The Best Adrenal Support. Women's Health Network. Read source

6. Magnesium for Anxiety. Healthline. Read source

7. Effects of Adaptogens. National Library of Medicine. Read source

8. Ashwagandha studies, PubMed. Read source

9. Effects of Astralagus. PubMed. Read source

10. Health Benefits of L-tyrosine. WebMD. Read source