How to soothe stress and calm your stomach, skin and mind
We know the damage stress can do, but it’s not just the big, dramatic events that cause the problems; the quiet, constant ‘hum’ of stress that becomes a part of our daily lives is also detrimental. NEWBY HANDS shares some simple tools to dial down your anxiety levels
Stress starts in the stomach
Constant anxiety has been shown to have a disruptive effect on our body clock, which in turn impacts our digestion. “In one study, a group of rats were divided between living in a high-stress environment and a more relaxing one,” explains Nigma Talib, an LA-based naturopathic doctor. “Both groups ate the same food, but when tested the first group had high levels of zonulin, the enzyme that causes a leaky gut.”
In the morning, our energizing sympathetic nervous system kicks into action to get us up and at it. At the end of the day, the parasympathetic nervous system should switch on, calming us down for the vital ‘rest and digest’ phase as the body restores and repairs. But whether it’s the latest series on Netflix or another email pinging in the inbox, there’s always something to keep our mind active late at night, and divert our body from what it should be doing. Over time the result is poorer health, a stressed stomach, reactive skin and chronic tiredness.
Switch off from high alert
You’ve probably never heard of your vagus nerve, but it’s the biggest nerve in the body, communicating directly between the gut and brain. It also acts as ‘mission control’, turning on the calming parasympathetic nervous system, “which switches us from a state of alert to rest,” explains Denise Leicester, founder of luxury wellness brand Ila. “It can be quite simple to trigger this and initiate that relaxed state where the body can digest food properly, rest and repair.” Here are four ways to flick the de-stress switch…
Use your breath: “Rather than just breathing in and out, add a gentle pause between both so that your breath becomes four counts, not two. Do this for five minutes at night to relax,” says Leicester.
Switch between heat and cold: “Heat packs are soothing but the parasympathetic nervous system reacts best to hot and cold, so put a hot water bottle on your stomach for a few minutes, then swap to a cold pack and repeat – do it pre-bed as it really helps you sleep.”
Add magnesium salt to your bath: “It relaxes the nervous system. Even better, add it to your bath and take a magnesium supplement before bed.”
Massage your face: “The vagus nerve connects to the facial nerves so massaging when cleansing, with a face oil, or one of the new easy-to-use face massager devices is fantastic to calm your system,” advises Leicester.