Do you often feel stressed? If so, then you are definitely not alone with it! Modern everyday life offers many opportunities to put yourself under pressure, to worry or to be afraid.

Especially in the current situation with energy crises, economic crises, wars, declared pandemics, it is almost difficult not to feel worries or fears.

These usually affect people who are already chronically overworked, sleep-deprived and have low stress resistance, and this can quickly cause the rates of acute depression to skyrocket.

Stress from an evolutionary perspective.

Now stress per se actually nothing badIn the Stone Age, people were under stress when they had to be ready to flee or fight. When stressed or afraid, the body feels threatened.

Stress hormones are released, which activate the body functions that are intended to help people survive a short-term life-threatening situation.

The blood circulation is stimulated, the heartbeat accelerates, the muscles are pumped full of energy.

With the help of these physical mechanisms, humans were able to fight or flee. This means that stress was released through physical activity and was only of short duration.

However, the everyday stress that we humans have today is rarely associated with fighting or fleeing from a saber-toothed tiger. This means that our stress today can rarely be released through physical activity and is often long-term.

Modern stress is emotional stress.

The stress we have today is emotional stress. As emotional stress refers to psychological overload due to external circumstances (stressors).

It doesn't matter what causes the stress, whether it's deadlines at work, too much sport, relationship problems, children, grief, worries, bullying or noise.

Chronic emotional stress places extreme strain on the body and has far-reaching effects on our health.

Stress is therefore a factor that should not be underestimated when it comes to our physical health!

One of the hormones released by the body during stress is cortisolCortisol is produced in the adrenal cortex. The amount of cortisol that the body secretes every day is linked to our daily rhythm.

In the morning, from around 6:00 or 7:00 a.m., cortisol levels are at their highest so that we can get out of bed and start the day. Cortisol levels are correspondingly low in the evening, when we should wind down and prepare for a good night's sleep.

If there is excitement and stress, the cortisol level also rises in between or, in the case of chronic stress, remains chronically elevated. In the worst case, this can lead to exhaustion/under-functioning of the adrenal gland.

Classic stress symptoms and their amplifiers.

Typical stress symptoms that can appear after just a few weeks of constant stress and clearly signal that it is time for a little relaxation are:

• • Chronic headaches, neck and back pain
  • tinnitus
  • dizziness
  • nighttime teeth grinding
  • Trembling (with the hands, lips…)
  • Increased susceptibility to infection
  • heart palpitations
  • Digestive system problems (constipation, heartburn, diarrhea, etc.)
  • shortness of breath
  • panic attacks
  • impotence, reduced libido
  • mood swings
  • depression
  • insomnia and nightmares
  • difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness
  • susceptibility to accidents
  • Drug abuse (drinking too much alcohol, smoking too much and drinking too much coffee)

Did you recognize yourself in one or more of the symptoms? Then you should act urgently!

In addition, external stress factors usually affect an already weakened body. An already weakened body has a lower resistance to stress, which accelerates the emotional overload.

But what is it that our Stress resistance weakens?

There are:

• • Poor gut health
  • Chronic hyperacidity
  • Oxidative stress and antioxidant deficiency
  • Chronic inflammatory processes
  • micronutrient deficiency
  • Lack of sunlight, sleep or exercise
  • Lack of relaxation moments and chronic unhappiness
  • vm

Holistic measures for chronic stress

So what can you do specifically to improve your stress resistance and get your body out of chronic fight-or-flight mode?

Tip 1: Take good care of your physical health.

Make a intestinal cleansing, orient yourself on a anti-inflammatory diet and drink sufficient uncontaminated water. (More on this in a separate newsletter, pure-energized water)

The intestine has its own, very large nervous system in the intestinal walls. It is also called the abdominal brain.

Through the nerve cells of this abdominal brain, the intestine is in constant contact with the emotional center in our brain and transmits information about the situation in the digestive system.

This meansthat everything that ends up in the intestines can influence our emotional center. A healthy intestine supports a healthy psyche!

An anti-inflammatory diet ensures a balanced fatty acid ratio (omega-3 to omega-6) in the body, which is very important for mental performance.

It also does not contain any foods high in sugar, white flour products or caffeinated drinks, which negatively affect blood sugar and cortisol levels.

Have you ever had a chocolate croissant with coffee for breakfast? You probably quickly hypoglycemic, weak and aggressive felt.

This type of food therefore has an effect not positive effect on your stress level!

Drink enough water (at least 30 milliliters per kilogram of body weight).If you are dehydrated, it increases the cortisol level and thus the stress level in your body.

Tip 2: Get enough exercise!

As you have seen from the Stone Age mechanism described above, movement is ideal for reduce stressWhether you do this with the help of endurance sports, strength training or yoga is up to you.

Daily exercise supplies our brain and cells with oxygen, stimulates metabolism and detoxification in the body and, at the same time, ensures that we feel happy and fit.

So what are you waiting for?

Think about what you would enjoy and when you could integrate 20-30 minutes into your daily routine.

Small tip: Place your new activity between 2 daily habits.

Tip 3: Pay attention to proper breathing

Our breathing ensures gas exchange in the body and, in addition to movement, supports our body's own deacidification and detoxification system. At the same time, correct breathing lowers blood pressure, supports digestive activity and increases the energy available to us.

Unfortunately, in our stressful everyday lives, we breathe far too hectically or too shallowly into our chest.

Daily breathing exercises combined with meditation can reduce the stress level in the body massively reduceThere are also hundreds of free videos and audios on YouTube, iTunes and Spotify. It's worth taking a listen!

Our recommendation: Wim Hof, guided breathing for beginners

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BckqffhrF1M&t=2s

Tip 4: Make sure you relax

Relaxation creates a balance to tension. Both are important; one without the other creates imbalance. Relaxation is the phase of refueling, regeneration and building strength.

It should help us to gain distance and give our minds moments of emptiness, so that we can then tackle the problems of everyday life with freshness, new courage and good humor and overcome them with the help of solutions.

There are many methods to practice real relaxation.

For example:

• • meditations
  • yoga
  • autogenic training
  • progressive muscle relaxation
  • Tai Chi
  • breathing techniques
  • Avoid LED light as it does not contain red tones

Tip 5: Use targeted nutritional supplements to support your stress resistance

As already described in point 1, it is very important to pay attention to your physical health in order to increase your resistance to stress.

So it is definitely important to replenish micronutrients in the body, because stress increases the body's need for micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Our “Sleep Well” product can also be particularly helpful during stressful periods.

The "sleep well" contains many valuable ingredients that help you sleep and combat anxiety and depression.

It also supports the nightly regeneration of the body.Wouldn't it be easier to cope with the day and its challenges if you had a good night's sleep and had recovered the night before?

Click here for our “Sleep well”: https://hs-activa.com/products/melatonin

Another insider tip for stress is our "Red Panax – Ginseng"This medicinal plant from Asia strengthens your stress tolerance and can therefore reduce the effects of chronic stress on your health.

Click here for “Red Panax – Ginseng”: https://hs-activa.com/products/ginseng

The ideal day against stress

This is what an ideal day could look like that relaxes you and strengthens your stress tolerance:

• • 1 large glass of water with 1 tablespoon of linseed oil (omega-3 fatty acids strengthen the psyche)
  • 10 minutes of stretching for mobilization
  • 10 min. meditation
  • Alkaline breakfast in the form of smoothies or alkaline muesli
  • Dietary supplements with minerals & vitamins: Omega 3, antioxidants and ginseng
  • Balanced lunch with e.g. organic egg or organic meat, salad, vegetables, olive oil
  • Vegan protein shake or MAP Amino as an afternoon snack (proteins are the building blocks of all life)
  • 30 min. evening walk or run
  • Drinking tea, relaxation exercises, reading
  • 30 minutes before going to sleep our sleep well take
  • Good night