Stress

There are times when life gets challenging. We all experience difficult events that can be beyond our coping skills. Verbal or physical abuse, viral pandemics, car accidents or being involved in a violent crime are a few examples.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.

Watch the videos below to find out more about how EMDR Therapy can help people improve their health and wellbeing.

Stress is a big problem for many people. Click below to find out more.

Unfortunately for many, it’s all too easy to feel the pressure as work, family and general life commitments start to build.

So when should you start paying attention to feeling stressed?

  • If you often feel like you are in a rush and feel a sense of urgency to get things done
  • If you are juggling several things at once and struggling to do any properly.
  • If you often feel tense and frustrated

Whilst a bit of stress can be a good thing (it can help you meet those deadlines, give you that extra bit of clarity and boost overall efficiency), it needs to be managed. If stress becomes overwhelming it can have serious harmful effects on your health. High blood pressure, depression and addiction are just three ways that stress can manifest.

So how can you manage stress?

1)   Identify the key stressors and take a step back to examine them

The first thing to do is work out what is causing you to feel stressed. Do you have more tasks than you can handle? Is it a combination of at work and home life or is one causing more stress than the other?

Once you know what is stressing you, you can work out whether the stressor is something you can sit with or if it is serious enough that you need to change it. When you’re in the middle of a task or drama filled situation, it can be easy to feel like it is the most important thing in the world and that you alone have to fix it. However, if you take a step back, it gives you an opportunity to see whether the event/task really has much impact on your overall life and wellbeing. If it quickly becomes obvious that the thing you were stressed about is something that probably has little or no impact on where you’ll be in a week, month or year, it’s probably not worth stressing over in the first place.

2)   Talk to someone

Sometimes the thing that feels most overwhelming is feeling like it’s you against the world and there’s nobody to talk to or who could understand. Whether you feel most comfortable talking to a friend or family member or you feel the need for an independent opinion from somebody like a psychologist, there are always people who are happy to sit and listen.

3)   Establish boundaries and take control

More often than not, we feel most overwhelmed when we feel like we have no control over a situation and no way to influence an outcome. As such, the first thing to do is ask yourself the following question:

Is there anything I can do to change the way this is going?

By choosing to act rather than simply react to a scenario, something as simple as writing a to do list, organising a meeting or sitting down for a chat can help you feel as though you are taking control and better able to manage the challenges ahead. Alternately, ask yourself if any of the stressors can be eliminated (ie delegating work to others).

Quality rest is an important part of getting through the daily grind, yet nearly 50% of Australian adults experience two or more sleep-related problems, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and daytime sleepiness. Find out how a sleep hygiene overhaul may help you secure a blissful date with your pillow…

Do you yearn for a good night’s sleep, only to find that sleep does not yearn for you? Quality rest is an important part of getting through the daily grind, yet nearly 50% of Australian adults experience two or more sleep-related problems, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and daytime sleepiness.

While the occasional night of poor sleep is annoying, ongoing sleep disturbances can lead to bigger issues including emotional difficulties, brain fog, poor job performance, and even accidents or injury. Even more alarming, long-standing insomnia is associated with many chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and mood disorders.

The good news is, catching more z’s may be as simple as changing your habits. For many people, bad habits in the lead-up to bedtime, also known as poor sleep hygiene, are a major contributor to a restless night. Read on to find out if a sleep hygiene overhaul may help you secure a blissful date with your pillow, and a solid night’s sleep.

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Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Unfortunately, modern life predisposes us to poor sleep hygiene. A busy social calendar may keep you out late, high-stake stress at work can cause sleepless worry, and a burning desire to stay up late watching your favourite reality TV show (Keeping Up With the Kardashians, anyone?) may keep you on the couch into the wee hours. The occasional blowout is okay, but when these pastimes become regular patterns, it becomes harder to cement a consistent sleep schedule, making it difficult to sleep well.

If you spend every night struggling to sleep, you probably already know that your sleep habits need attention. However, if your issue is more subtle, or less frequent, you may be wondering whether it’s worth taking action. Using the checklist below may help you decide.

Regularly experiencing one or more of the following may be a sign of a disrupted sleeping pattern:

✔ It takes over 30 minutes to fall asleep after getting into bed.

✔ You wake up more than once per night.

✔ You awaken for over 20 minutes during the night.

✔ You spend less than 85% of your time spent in bed asleep.

✔ You wake most mornings feeling unrefreshed.

✔ You rely on caffeinated beverages to get you through the day.

Adapted from the National Sleep Foundation

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When Counting Sheep Doesn’t Work, Try This
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If you are fed up with moving through life like a character from ‘The Walking Dead’, these simple tweaks to your sleep hygiene may help you shake off sleepless misery. Incorporate the following habits to help you fall asleep faster, sleep soundly through the night, and wake feeling refreshed and rested:

  • Go to bed when you feel sleepy. While this may seem like a no-brainer, climbing into bed when you feel alert can create a negative association between being in bed and struggling to sleep, making it harder for you to relax.
  • Establish a sleep routine, which will help condition your body to feel sleepy at a regular time. This may be difficult initially, particularly if you don’t feel tired at the same time each night. However, you can help your body synchronise to a consistent schedule by going to bed at roughly the same time each night and waking at the same time each morning.
  • Steer clear of electronic devices for at least 30 minutes before sleep and avoid using these in bed. Night-time exposure to blue light from digital screens is stimulating and can interfere with your brain’s production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for making you feel sleepy.
  • Do not use your bed as an activity centre. Your bed is for sleeping and sexual activity only. Avoid other pursuits, such as watching TV or working from bed, to train your brain to associate bed with sleep.
  • Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and cigarettes, which can keep you awake or disrupt your sleep during the night.
  • Create a pre-sleep ritual. Relaxing activities can help you unwind before hitting the sack and gradually transition your body from a wakeful state into a state of sleep. Your ritual may include stretches, breathing exercises, a hot bath, or sipping on a cup of caffeine-free tea.
  • Ditch the alcohol. Many people use alcohol to help them fall asleep faster. However, drinking alcohol inhibits restorative sleep and increases the likelihood that you will feel groggy the next morning.
  • Get up. If you do not fall asleep within 20 minutes of lying down, get out of bed and perform a mundane activity until you feel sleepy enough to return to bed. Getting out of bed for a walk to the kitchen and a glass of water allows your mind to ‘switch off” and your body to cool down. There is nothing like a spot of ironing to bore you to sleep. Boredom is key; avoid activities that may stimulate you, such as watching TV, and avoid the use of bright lights, which suppress melatonin production.

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A Quick Fix for the Meantime

Changing your habits can take time, particularly if they have been months or years in the making. While you make changes, sleep-supporting herbs can fast track your journey to snoozeville. Remedies such as California poppy, passionflower, zizyphus, Jamaica dogwood, and lavender can enable you to fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.

These herbs achieve their sleep-inducing effects by stimulating your body’s production of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). This neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) is made by your brain and sends signals to your brain cells that reduce their activity. It also carries signals to other cells in your body, such as your muscles, helping them to relax. GABA is involved in your body’s sleep cycles, with increased levels during the evening reducing stress, promoting calmness and relaxation, and helping ease you into sleep.

As an added bonus, unlike many pharmaceutical sleeping agents, herbal sleep remedies are unlikely to make you feel jet-lagged the next day.

 

Make Like a Log and Sleep

Straightening out your sleep hygiene can help you say “goodbye” to clock-watching and “hello” to a great night’s sleep.

While you work on changing your habits, herbal remedies can help you quickly get the rest you need. For more advice on how to achieve sound sleep, or for guidance around which herbs are best suited to your needs, make a time to see me.

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Dr Peter Holsman

Integrative Medical Doctor

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This blog post discusses how the weather can affect your mood. Click below to read more.

Have you ever noticed how people often seem to be happier when the sun is shining?

Or how you naturally feel more tired and sluggish when it’s grey or raining? Much as we’d like to believe we control our own mood, the weather can have quite a substantial role in it.

In fact, spending time outside in the sunshine is associated with feeling happier, improved memory and better thought process. It’s warmer so your circulation is working better, you’re detoxing anything harmful that your body may have been storing so your energy level is better and your serotonin levels (the body’s natural happy drug) are much higher thanks to increased amounts of vitamin D being absorbed through your skin.

Science has long since established that people who don’t get enough sunlight and Vitamin D can suffer from a form of weather induced depression. ‘SAD disease’ or seasonal affective disorder is commonly known as winter depression and occurs because the lack of vitamin D means that your body doesn’t produce nearly as much serotonin.

So what can we do to keep our mood up when the weather turns cold and grey?

Well, the first thing to note is that the weather inside is just as important as the weather outside. Even if it’s a beautiful 25 degree day with the sun shining and the birds singing, if you’re stuck in a dimly lit, air-conditioned office, your mood is likely to be far less pleasant than if you were outside.

Ideally, you should spend as much time as possible outside when the weather is warm, exposing as much of your skin to sunlight as you can. Make the most of your lunch hour break and get outside for a walk. This will also have added benefits of boosting your circulation and oxygenating your brain.

Even when the weather isn’t nearly as nice, nature can still be an excellent mood booster. A 50 minute walk outside in nature is known to improve mood, memory and even sleep as well as reducing anxiety and fatigue. If however, you are stuck in a dark office, simple things like a brighter light (feel free to ask me about the benefits of infra-red light) and even photos of green luscious landscapes and photos of nature can help to boost mood or at least cheer you up with the idea of possible holiday plans!

How you can break the stress cycle

Is stress getting in the way of you achieving your health goals? This article explains how stress can cause problems with your hormones, weight, bloating and digestion and how you can live a life less stressful. Breaking the stress cycle could be the key to a healthier life.

Modern living and stress seem to go hand in hand and it may be no surprise to you that the effects of stress can have a significant impact on mental health.

Nevertheless, you may not know that the effects of stress can impact other body systems, potentially hindering the achievement of health goals such as losing weight, balancing hormones or improving digestive function.

Fight or Flight – the Ancient Coping Mechanism

The stress response is an evolutionary strategy to cope with immediate dangers, such as an approaching lion! In response to an external threat, the chemical messengers, adrenaline and cortisol are released from your adrenal glands, which enables you to either stand and fight or flee as fast as you can.

In modern times, the feeling of being under constant stress, whether from work, family or financial pressures is interpreted by your body in the same way and can therefore lead you to be in a permanent state of emergency.

‍What is Stress Doing to Your Body?

A chronic state of stress can have widespread negative effects, such as:

  • Poor digestion – reduced digestive enzymes and stomach acid secretions can lead to bloating, abdominal pain and reflux.
  • Irregular blood sugar control – cortisol signals the release of sugars into the bloodstream in anticipation that muscles will need fuel to help you run away. These    sugar spikes can lead to weight gain if the sugars are not utilised as muscle fuel and instead converted to fat.
  • Hormonal imbalances – adrenal and thyroid problems, lack of libido, menstrual irregularity and fertility issues can all arise when your body switches to making stress hormones in preference to sex and other hormones.

Breaking the Cycle of Stress

It doesn’t have to be this way.  There are several nutrients and herbs that can help calm an overactive stress response, breaking the stress cycle which may be hindering you from achieving your health goals.

For example, magnesium is essential for the nervous system by supporting the appropriate functioning of your brains chemical messengers, the ‘neurotransmitters’. Magnesium also produces energy, helping you resolve the fatigue that may come with being stressed.

In addition, the B vitamins (often taken as a complex) work as a team with magnesium to support your nervous system as well as play a role in energy production themselves.

A class of herbs known as ‘adaptogens’ may be helpful to increase your body’s physical and mental capacity to cope with stress. Traditional adaptogenic herbs include withania, rehmannia and rhodiola.

If stress makes you uptight you may also need anxiolytic herbs. These help reduce feelings of anxiety and promote more restful sleep so you can handle the challenges your day has for you more easily. Passionflower, zizyphus, and magnolia are all anxiolytic herbs that have been extensively studied for their calming effects. I can recommend formulas that contain combinations of these herbs and nutrients depending upon your needs, so you can break the cycle of chronic stress and get back on the path to wellbeing.

A Life Less Stressful

There are a number of lifestyle changes you can employ to help manage your stress and optimise your wellbeing:

  • Eat healthy. Choose lean proteins, antioxidant-rich fresh fruits and vegetables and essential fatty acids from oily fish, nuts and seeds. They will nourish your neurotransmitters.
  • Exercise regularly. Exercise is a fabulous stress buster. It helps burn up excess adrenaline whilst releasing ‘feel good’ endorphins.
  • Get seven to eight hours of quality sleep. Practise good ‘sleep hygiene’ techniques such as no TV or computer time for at least half an hour before bedtime. Avoid caffeine in the afternoons.
  • Meditation is particularly helpful if you cannot “switch off” your brain at night. Lots of programs and techniques are available.  The aim is to find one or more techniques that work for you.

What This Means To You

Stress is an inevitable part of modern lifestyles, but it needn’t get the better of you nor keep you from reaching your health goals. Breaking the stress cycle may require implementation of strategies and supplements to help regain control over the stress in your life.

Related: How yoga can reduce stress

Life will be different after lockdown….

Governments around Australia are now making cautious moves towards lifting COVID-19 restrictions. It is time to start thinking about life beyond lockdown.

But even though many of us have spent weeks dreaming about the day that things go back to normal, re-entry into the real world might not be all smooth sailing.

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Adjusting to the new normal

We can expect to see lots of changes when we emerge into the world, from a favourite café or restaurant that didn’t survive the shutdown to greetings between friends that now consist of a nod or a wave, rather than an affectionate hug.

But for others, the changes might be deeper. The unexpected nature of the pandemic and its sudden and intrusive arrival in our lives will leave some of questioning whether the world is still a safe place.

“The world might actually be a different place when we get out of this,” says Professor Manicavasagar, a senior clinical psychologist at the Black Dog Institute and author of an article that inspired this blog post.

Financial and economic challenges

For those who have lost income or jobs, there are also practical concerns to grapple with – finding work, meeting financial commitments, applying for Centrelink benefits or negotiating with landlords and banks to manage rent, mortgages and credit card payments.

With predictions of up to 1.4 million job losses by the end of 2020, these financial pressures will be front and centre of many people’s lives for the foreseeable future and could have a significant impact on their mental health.

Easing back into life after lockdown

Rebuild your relationships – It’s been a while since you’ve physically seen your friends and family members – and remember, they’ve changed as much as you have. Spend some time together processing the experience, rebuilding bonds and supporting one another as you move into the next phase of your relationship.

Look for opportunities:  The Federal Government is offering heavily subsidised undergraduate and postgraduate certificate courses for people who have been financially displaced by COVID-19. If you’re looking to enhance your current skillset or to retrain in a new field, a new qualification could help you move forward.

Seek Help

Everyone reacts differently to change. Feelings of anxiety, difficult sleeping, changes to your appetite, irritability and bouts of crying are all signs you may need some extra support. See me or visit the Black Dog Institute website for mental health advice and resources.

Reflect on your experience

Rather than focusing on going ‘back’ to your old life, take some time to think about whether the lockdown experience could help you make positive changes going forward. Have you realised you want to work less, exercise more, make more effort to spend time with friends and family? Make a list of new habits you’d like to embrace and start implementing them one by one.

Remember the advice

Wash your hands regularly, keep a safe distance from others and keep up with the rules as they change so you know what you can and cannot do. Remember these rules have been very effective at keeping the infection rate low in Australia.