Life is full of stressful situations, whether it’s worrying about your work or personal relationships, or struggling to cope with the restrictions imposed by the current global pandemic.
No matter how small or severe the stressor, your body responds the same way.
This response doesn’t directly kill you overnight, but it has serious health consequences over a length of time.
Not so many people understand that stress and constant anxiety can stand on your way to emotional healing AND spiritual growth. Our mind protects us from danger by being in a stress mode of a "fight-or-flight" response. "Fight or flight" is a state of activated sympathetic nervous system and it is called so for a reason. Your body and mind are ready to MOVE you out of danger. What we need for healing and spiritual practices is the opposite - an activation of your parasympathetic system with its state of "rest, digest, rejuvenate and regenerate".
When the stress response is turned off, your body is relaxed and mind is still, that we can open the dialog with our unconscious mind, access trauma stored in the amygdala gland of our brain, switch off the DNA codes of ancestral trauma, connect with our guides and our True Self. That is why I recommend to all my students and clients: calm down and deal with your stress response first, BEFORE any attempts to go deep into emotional healing or attempting serious high frequency energy work.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to help you stay on top of events in your life. Below are my ten favorite techniques of and remedies from a perspective of psychological aromatherapist and flower essence practitioner for managing stress, anxiety and uncertainty:
1. Observe your boundaries or the absence of them. Many people think that their skin defines the personal space they occupy in the world. But in reality, your subtle body extends for about an arm's length all around you. Every time we interact with other people, you let them into your personal space, and they share theirs. With shelter in place, we are either have all the space to ourselves, which may trigger loneliness. Or we end up sharing the limited space for 24/7 with our family or significant other, which may trigger a lot of boundary issues and show how successfully we can resolve the rising conflicts (or avoid them).
2. Cancel as many deadlines as possible and make peace with time. Permit yourself to take as long as necessary to figure things out and to enjoy the process of every task or project. Give yourself a gift of time. This modification will take tremendous pressure off your shoulders and anxiety out of the solar plexus. Slow is the new Fast!
3. Connect with your emotions. Many emotions are appropriate for the current global situation. Understand what exactly you are feeling and WHY is crucial. There are free resources that are available to support you. Karla McLaren just posted four new videos about many of the emotions you might be feeling. Visit KarlaMcLaren.com for in-depth articles about the gifts and messages of your feelings, as well as skills to support you during this uncertain time.
4. Support with vibrational remedies. Flower essence are plant and water infusions designed to treat specific emotional states, resulting in improved physical and psychological health. You can ingest flower essences orally via a dropper, but can also rub them onto your body over the areas of tension in the form of a cream or use a room spray.Flower essences have been known to reduce stress, anxiety, low mood and mild to moderate depression with symptoms decreased by 50% after 1-3 months of flower essence use while increased creativity, sexuality, humor, and self-acceptance. Maitri Verde put together our own stress managing formula De-Stress. It covers not just your response to stress but gently teaches you to accept your human limitations and admit a need for rest, stops the worrying repetitive thoughts, assists in setting proper boundaries and say NO demands and requests that don't serve your needs and energy levels.
5. Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a great tool for stress relief because it has few (if any) known side effects, can be used passively (you can fill the room with scent while you attend to other activities, relieving stress in the process), and can be easily combined with other stress relievers (like massage or meditation, for example), for increased stress relief. Maitri Verde's Tranquility aroma blend helps manage stress and reduce symptoms of anxiety, irritability, frustration and impatience with others, muscle tension and sleeplessness – all contributing to depression, anger, feelings of insecurity, and relationship conflicts. It reduces the negative effects of daily stress, promotes deep, restful sleep, and supports feelings of contentment and well-being. Natural antidepressant essential oils bring positivity and sense of contentment through its scent as they release a small amount of dopamine into your brain. Tranquility is a natural tonic for the nervous system, boosting the immunity and repairing the nervous system while improving body functions.
6. Purify and re-set your goals and intentions. Use this opportunity of a complete uncertainty to revisit your "personal statement." Revisit your goals and plans. Reflect on what you TRULY want to do with your life and where do you want to go. As Timothy Gallwey writes in The Inner Game of Work: "If you have a clear vision of where you want to go, you are not as easily distracted by the many possibilities and agendas that otherwise divert you." Journaling is a great free resource that is always available to you.
7. Keep your aura pure and vibrations high! If you are highly sensitive and empathic, avoid watching too much news and talking to people who plant panic and fear in you. If you feel that you "picked up" negativity or anxiety, clear your aura immediately! Smudge, anoint with energy clearing essential oils or spray with the Energy Shield, that will take all out all the crap out of your energy field with its synergy of white sage, crystals, and flower essences.
8. Permit yourself to attend to YOUR needs first. Adapt to newly discovered modifications offered above and give yourself time to settle into a new reality. Feel secure and confident in your core, before rushing to provide support to your family, friends or community. Remember, you can only serve others if your own well is full! And nothing speaks more about knowing and accepting yourself than the concept and practice of Maitri.
9. Support your adrenals and get high quality vitamins, supplements, and adaptogenic herbs to grow your resilience. When we can adapt to stress, we perform better and feel better despite what’s stressing us out. And with that, we can also improve our health and well-being. When we are stressed, our adrenals take the tall and work on the overload mode unti you reach so called "adrenal fatigue" - a condition that Western Medicine stubbornly refuse to accepr and address. If you feel exhausted, have severe anxiety, fatigue, brain fog and experience 11 am and 5 pm energy crashes - check your adrenals and seek help of the Naturopathic Doctor. Support yourself with adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms and if you have visit nutritionist or Naturopathic Doctor, ask their advice on dosages :
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) boosts working memory, reaction time, calmness, and immune system.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) reduces stress and anxiety.
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) combats fatigue.
Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) boosts stamina.
Goji berry(Lycium barbarum) boosts energy, physical and mental performance, calmness, and sense of well-being, and can also improve sleep.
Eluethero root (Eleutherococcus senticosus) improves focus and staves off mental fatigue.
Jiaogulan (Gynostemma Pentaphyllum) reduces stress and boosts endurance.
Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) reduces stress responce.
Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea) staves off physical and mental fatigue.
Schisandra berry/Magnolia berry (Schisandra chinensis) boosts endurance, mental performance, and working capacity.
Tulsi/Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) reduces physical and mental stress, stress-related anxiety, and depression.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) boosts brain function and reduces depression.
10. Understand the time we live in from a non-Western perspective. Open your heart and mind to the alternative worldview and interpretations regarding the times we live in. Research the Mayan calendar, Native American legends and prophecies and concept of a yuga, in Hinduism.
For your convenience, I grouped all my current essential products for mastering stress response in our Stress Management, Focus and Mental Clarity collection, including supportive aromatherapy and flower essences to get more comfortable during the transition, manage stress, be in control of your emotions and clear the aura.