Whether there is a deadline, a crucial presentation, an exam/interview, or simply just too many things on your plate — stress is inescapable. It has become an unavoidable part of our hectic lifestyle today. The effects of stress, however, are not just limited to bad mood or irritability.
When left unchecked for a prolonged period of time, it can spell serious trouble for overall health, which means it can screw your sleep, skin (think acne & pimples), hormones, blood pressure, and immune system.
When it comes to affecting your mental health, it can push you into depression and anxiety. It can also be a contributing factor in health issues such as heart diseases and even obesity.
While deleting stress from our lives is not an option, how we deal with it is totally in our hands. You may not be able to totally steer clear of it but there are certain ways with which you can curtail its effects on your body, mind, and overall health.
It would be wrong to look at stress as a stand-alone disease. Feeling a little stressed at some point in our daily routine is not a bad thing. Scientists call it “eustress” or “good stress”. This short-term stress helps us grow and can even boost the immune system.
Sadly in today’s hectic lifestyle, there are just too many of these “eustress” moments. Collectively, these turn into “distress” aka “bad stress” and wreak havoc on our health. Suppressing the immune system, the “bad stress” ultimately pops up in the form of illnesses.
So what actually happens when your body is under stress? During periods of high stress, certain chemicals within the brain called neurotransmitters such as dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine begin to shoot up. This causes large amounts of these and other such “fight or flight” hormones such as adrenaline to be released by the adrenal glands.
These chemicals contribute to certain physiological effects, including rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. When left unchecked over a period, chronic stress can lead to the development of other serious health problems such as acne, stroke, indigestion, stomach ulcers, stroke, and heart disease.
Let’s look at the foods you should eat and the ones you should strictly avoid to beat stress.
STRESS RELIEVING FOODS
Foods that boost Serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, which stabilizes your mood and happiness and helps get quality sleep. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is important for the production of serotonin. Here are some serotonin promoting and highly effective stress-relieving foods:
Banana
Almonds
A2 milk
Egg
Whole grains
Foods that boost Endorphins
Known as natural painkillers, endorphins help one deal with stress and reduce the feeling of pain. These also trigger a positive feeling in the body. For example — the feeling that follows a workout or runs is often called euphoric. Stress relieving foods and activities that help you with endorphins are:
Chilly Foods (Capsaicin, chemical compound present)
Ashwagandha
Dark Chocolate
Pleasure time with a partner
Laugh with friends
Foods that boost Dopamine
Popularly known as the ‘happy hormone’, Dopamine acts as both hormone and neurotransmitter. Enzymes in the body convert tyrosine into dopamine. You can include the following stress-relieving foods and activities in your routine:
Protein-rich foods such as legumes, dairy, and eggs
Probiotics for good Gut, which is sometimes also called the second brain and produces this neurotransmitter
Exercise regularly
Enough sleep
Meditation/ Chanting
