Stress is common in today’s society. Everyone is busy with work, kids, school and a variety of other commitments. Although it’s great that you have things going in your life it’s imperative that it doesn’t get out of hand and cause you to stay stressed for too long. In this blog, I will review the best plant-based foods and habits that will help you relax, de-stress and nourish your body.
Is All Stress Bad?
Being stressed out on a long-term basis may be a big reason why you are not reaching the full potential of your health and wellness goals.
Although stress can be detrimental to your health little stress can be a good thing. Some stress is good as it 
may keep you safe in a dangerous circumstance. A little stress may also keep you on your your toes so you can stay productive and accomplish a variety of tasks.
The problem comes when stress is chronic, or long-term. Long-term activation of the stress-response system, which releases cortisol and other stress hormones, can disrupt almost all of your body’s processes.
Chronic stress puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Headaches
- Heart disease
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Memory
- Loss of focus
21 Stress Reduction Techniques
To keep stress levels low, and to maintain long-term health, It’s important to implement stress reduction techniques to your daily routine.
Some simple ways to relax the mind and body and reduce stress include:
1. Plan your day. Often rushing around feeling like you don’t have enough time in the day is a big cause of stress. To reduce this set a schedule, and stick to it, to help you be more time efficient and make the most of the time you do have in the day.
2. Set goals. Having a clear vision of what you want and a plan to accomplish these goals can reduce stress significantly. If you choose to just go through the motions of life you may never accomplish, or experience, the things you desire, which will result in feelings of sadness, anger, disappointment and ultimately…stress. 
3. Keep a journal. This may be as simple as wiring down a few thoughts from the day or things you are grateful for. These few moments will help calm your mind and relax your body.
4. Clean up your environment. Living in a messy house is very stressful. Take a look around your home and get rid of everything that is no longer serving you. If you have clothes in your closet you no longer wear or furniture you are sick of donate them. Get the clutter out of your house as it will help reduce your stress.
5. Sit in silence. Even five minutes of silence can be enough to relax the body and help you feel refreshed. Meditation is one of the best ways to connect to the mind and body and reduce stress. Listen to an audio that will lead you through a calming meditation or set an alarm for 5-10 minutes, close your eyes and sit in silence until the timer rings.
6. Visualize. Taking a few moments each day to visualize your ideal life, health and positive events, people and things you have in your life is a great way to calm the body and mind.
7. Breathe. Whenever you feel stressed take a moment to stop and connect to your breath. Take long slow breaths in and out. Allow yourself to feel the breath and it won’t take long before you feel more relaxed.
8. Take time for self-care. This may mean you take some time for yourself by going for a facial or massage, read a good book, cook a delicious meal or spend a night out with loved ones. When you don’t feel cared for you will start to feel stressed.
9. Do what you love to do. You may have hobbies or special interest that you don’t take enough time to focus on. Take time each week to spend time doing the things you love.
10. Listen to music. Listening to a great tune, even one you can sing and dance to, will help you relax and destress and tap in to your creative energy source. 
11. Do nothing. Sometimes giving yourself permission to just do nothing will help you relax. This will also give your mind some time to settle down and spark your creativity. Perhaps allowing you to come up with great ideas.
12. Unplug. Taking time, even a full day per week, to unplug from social media, computers and other electronics, and maybe even people will help you relax and recharge your energy.
13. Book a night out with friends. If you are someone who gets focused on a goal or work too much and let everything else fall by the wayside until these things are accomplished you will begin to feel worn out and stressed. Take a night off and go do something fun with your friends or loved ones. Let your hair down and get silly!
14. Laugh more often. Laughter is very good medicine. Research has shown that laughter is very calming and relaxing to the mind and body. Try a laughter yoga class (yes, there is such thing and it’s a blast), watch a funny movie or play a fun game with your friends that gets you laughing so hard it brings tears to your eyes.
15. Do yoga, tai chi or other mind-body exercise. This type of activity is essential to care for the body and destress as it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the rest and digest response.
16. Daily physical exercise. Research has shown that regular exercise not only keeps the body fit and healthy but it helps enhance your ability to handle stress better. Go for a brisk walk or do a 30 minute high intensity interval training (HIIT) class and you will feel better more relaxed.
17. Spend time in nature. Even just a few minutes outside each day will allow you to breath the fresh air and connect to Mother Earth helping you to relax and reflect on the things that are important to you.
18. Drink tea. Tea, like green tea or chamomile, often contains stress reducing substances.
19. Cuddle. Spending time cuddling with a loved one or pet will stimulate and turn on the parasympathetic nervous system helping you to relax and destress.
20. Learn how to say no. Doing your best to turn down activities or work that does not serve your highest interest will help you relax. Make a habit of only saying yes to things that bring your energy up and make you happy will help reduce your stress.
21. Eat healthy, whole foods. If you choose to embark on the Living Meatless lifestyle it is a little easier to eat a wide variety of healthy whole foods. When you eat whole plant-food nutrition your flush your body with useable nutrients it can use to heal and repair any damage that has been caused by stress allowing you to recover faster from stressful events.
21 Whole Foods That Will Reduce Stress
As mentioned above eating healthy, whole plant-based foods on a regular basis will support the healing and repair process from damage caused by stress. Some foods tend to be better for stress and recovery than others.
The following 21 foods are just a few of the top foods best known for helping the body relax and de-stress:
1. Almonds, and fresh almond milk, have a natural calming properties.
2. Asparagus is high in folate, which is has been shown to keep you calm.
3. Avocados are rich in healthy fats that keep you satisfied longer and are shown to help regulate blood sugar. This combination of satiety and blood-sugar regulation can help keep your mood steady, even in times of stress.
4. Berries, especially those that are dark and rich in colour like blueberries, are high in antioxidants that aid your brain in the production of dopamine, a chemical that is critical to coordination, memory function, and your mood.
- Black tea, despite its caffeine content has been shown to have relative properties.
- Chamomile tea helps relax the body and is often used to promote sleep.
- Chocolate, especially raw, dark cacao, has even been referred to as “the new anti-anxiety drug.” One study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology revealed that drinking an antioxidant-rich chocolate drink equal to about 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily felt calmer than those who did not. (Dr. Mercola, 2015)
- Fermented foods such as kombucha, kimchi and sauerkraut nourish your gut flora and is extremely important to support a positive mood.
- Flax Seed, are rich in omega 3’s, which have been shown to help ward of stress in the body.
- Garlic is jam-packed with powerful antioxidants, which help keep the immune system strong and reduce the negative effects of stress.
- Green tea has been shown to have stress relieving properties despite the caffeine content.
- Leafy greens, especially dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, are rich in folate, which helps your
body produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine.
- Nuts contain vitamin B, which is shown to relax your state of mind and keep the neurotransmitters (stress hormones) in check.
- Oatmeal as been shown to stimulate the feel-good hormone serotonin. Eating oatmeal will give you a sense of satisfaction and relaxation.
- Oranges, are rich in vitamin C that helps keep stress hormones under control.
- Pistachios, are rich in potassium, which has stress-reliving properties.
- Pasta, like oatmeal, is a complex carbohydrate that stimulates serotonin production help your feel calm and relaxed.
- Peppers, like oranges, contain an abundance of vitamin C that helps to lower cortisol and control blood pressure.
- Seaweed is rich is magnesium, which acts as a precursor for neurotransmitters like serotonin and is well-known for its role in helping to regulate your emotions and enhance well-being.
- Seeds are also rich in magnesium, which helps to calm the body and mind.
- Walnuts, like flax seed, are high in omega 3’s which protect the body against damage from stress.
In Conclusion…
Yes, it is true that some amount of stress on the body is inevitable but you can take steps that will either help reduce or eliminate stress completely such as implementation the stress reduction techniques mentioned above. By doing this you are taking care of your mind and body and drastically reducing your risk of stress and chronic illness.
One of my favourite ways to reduce stress is to meditate. There’s just something so calming about sitting in silence, or listening to a guided meditation and taking the time to look inside myself and listen to what my body, mind and soul have to tell me. These messages are very powerful and healing when you take the time to listen.
If you would like FREE access to one of my meditations please click this link: https://mailchi.mp/1faeadfa7545/freemeditation
Until next time…
Namaste my friends,
Rachel Joy Olsen, BSc., MBA
Vegan, Author, Health & Wellness Coach
Read my “From Frog Killer To Compassionate Vegan” story.