The modern era has brought in to our lives numerous modern amenities to help us be in tune with a life that is moving at jet speed. Modernity has bombarded us with multiple options to realize our goals and attain a high profile status in life. Blinded by the glamour and pomp of such a life, we have entered in to a rat race and very ignorantly have allowed stress to creep in to our lives and rob us of peace and tranquility. Thus contrary to the common saying, I would say that modernity has overwhelmed us with stress and has made life difficult and complex rather than making it easy. Stress is a common topic of discussion these days, for people have gradually come to realize its ill-effects and are trying to manage it.
Stress takes a toll on both the physical and mental health of an individual. The stressors or stress-causes comprise of both external and internal factors. The external factors may be related to your home, job, relationships, income and many other challenging situations that arise in life. The internal factors are based on a person’s overall health, fitness, emotional well being, nutritional status, amount of rest etc. When a person faces stressors, his or her brain releases stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisone that allow the body to cope up with the situation. These hormones in blood stream get used up, thereby defending the individual against stressors. When an individual fails to bear challenges, the hormones remain unreleased and symptoms of stress occur.
Some of the physical symptoms of stress are headache, backache, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, asthma, insomnia, overeating, hypertension, fatigue etc. The emotional world may also become topsy-turvy due to stress. Depression, anxiety, mood swings, nervousness, irritability etc may crop up. Some behavioral disorders like nail biting, scratching head, walking up and down etc may also develop.
Home Remedies
1. Mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder or nutmeg powder in to a glass of hot milk and add some honey also. Drink the mixture to de-stress yourself.
2. Chew 10-12 basil leaves twice daily to check stress.
3. Boil 20-25 basil leaves in half liter water until it is reduced to half. Filter and drink the warm concoction to gain peace of mind.
4. Take a combination of yoghurt and blackstrap molasses to reduce stress.
5. Prepare an infusion by boiling 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves in 1 cup water for some minutes. Strain, add honey to sweeten and drink. This will calm you down.
6. Tie a handful of carom seeds in a handkerchief and sniff from time to time. This will ease off the stress.
7. Wash 2-3 betel leaves and place them on forehead to get relief from stress.
8. Consume 5 almonds along with a glass of warm milk every morning. This helps to counter stress.
9. Make a paste with dry ginger and water or milk; apply the paste on forehead. This relieves stress.
10. Put few drops of lavender or rosemary or any other aromatic essential oil in to hot bath water and take bath. This is an effective way to combat stress.