Posts Tagged ‘stress and anxiety’

Dealing with Anxiety

August 23rd, 2011

Anxiety itself is the body’s natural defence mechanism intended to react to a physical threat or emergency situation. In the event of a physical threat, the brain triggers the “fight-or-flight” response which is often accompanied by some unpleasant physical symptoms such as an increasing heartbeat, rapid and shallow breathing as well as an increase in muscle tension. While this reaction is perfectly normal in the event of an accident or physical threat and very helpful for survival, when it becomes excessive and/or is originating more

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Dealing with Stress

August 25th, 2011

The term “stress” refers to any reaction to a physical, mental, social, or emotional stimulus that requires a response or alteration to the way we perform, think, or feel.
Stress is very common in modern society and is affecting nearly all age groups. It is an unavoidable part of life and can cause fatigue, chronic headaches, irritability, changes in appetite, memory loss, low self-esteem, withdrawal, teeth grinding, cold hands, high blood pressure, shallow breathing, nervous twitches, insomnia, gastrointestinal disorders, etc.
Researchers estimate that stress contributes to as

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Top 10 Stress Busters

September 4th, 2011
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Avoid artificial stress reducers (i.e. alcohol or drugs) – they seem to provide immediate help but will cause more problems later on as they tend to mask the symptoms of stress which makes it more difficult to deal with the causes.
 
Avoid consuming excessive amounts of caffeine which can be found in coffee, black tea, chocolate, energy drinks and some soft drinks.
 
Exercise regularly – Yoga, Pilates as well as cardio exercises (i.e. running, swimming and cycling) have been proven to reduce stress. They produce feel-good endorphins

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Anxiety recipes: Calming Almond Milk

September 4th, 2011
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Serves 2
 
1 cup almonds, blanched
500ml (or 17 oz.) warm organic un-homogenised milk
4 fresh dates, pitted
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
Small pinch of ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon (extra), to serve
 
Put almonds, milk, dates, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla in a blender. Blend for 3 minutes or until thick and creamy. Serve sprinkled with a little ground cinnamon (extra).
 

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Anxiety recipes: Creamy Banana Hazelnut Porridge

September 4th, 2011
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Great breakfast recipe!
 
Serves 4
 
2 cups whole rolled oats
Pinch of salt
1 litre (or 34 oz.) rice milk
100g (or 3.5 oz.) hazelnut meal (or roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped)
1 vanilla bean, halved
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Brown sugar (or maple syrup), to serve
½ cup rice milk (extra), to serve
Banana (extra), to serve
 
Put oats, salt, milk and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Cook by stirring over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until oats are soft and creamy. Add hazelnut meal, vanilla bean and banana and cook for a

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