LILL's LIST

It’s unfortunate that the words “holiday” and “stress” seem to go together nowadays, but they do. The financial meltdown that has us downsizing our holiday shopping lists and cringing every time the boss pokes his head out of the office to beckon someone into the unemployment line hasn’t done our nerves any favors.

This time of year is supposed to be about families and getting together with friends and relaxing, but that’s hard to do when you’re worrying that you’ll have to fit the Christmas tree in your car this year, because your home is in foreclosure. I can’t help you with the mortgage payments, but I can point you to some proven stress-reducers that have helped me through more than one rough patch.

My first line of defense is Ashwaganda. I discovered this Indian herb many years ago while doing research on Ayurvedic herbs. Back then, it was little-known outside of India, but now many natural health practitioners and even The National Institutes of Health have given it the thumbs up for stress relief.

I like it because it energizes me, rather than sedates me like some stress-relieving herbs do. If you’re prone to irritability and anxiety, this is a good herb to try. Even my nearest and dearest will testify to my crankiness when I’m stressed out, but they’ll also tell you that I’m a whole different person when I take Ashwaganda. Why, a child could play with me after I’ve swallowed 200 mg of the stuff with a glass of water.

Ashwaganda is also good for insomnia, because it boosts serotonin. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather do it with an herb than with an SSRI. I don’t know if it’s the extra sleep that helps with depression and anxiety, but I do know that unlike SSRI’s, Ashwaganda doesn’t have the love-life squelching side effect of libido loss and that’s definitely a mood lifter for you and your significant other both.

In addition to Ashwaganda, I can personally recommend the following for stress and winter depression:

• Light! If you can get outside, couple a walk in the sunshine with some fresh air for even more depression-beating power. If the wind is blowing a forty-knot gale, better sit in front of the lightbox for a half hour in the morning.
• Vitamin D. If you live in Maine or someplace like it, like I do, no way are you going to get your quota of the sunshine vitamin between October and April, so supplement. You might want to read the latest information about Vitamin D too. Many researchers think that we’re not taking enough to ward off everything from colds to cancer.
• Exercise. Yeah, I know, who the heck wants to go outside in nasty winter weather and walk 3 miles? Not me, that’s for sure. That’s why I have my trusty Gazelle Exerciser which stands beside my computer desk. True, over the eight years I’ve had it, it’s gotten about 4 years worth of workouts, but that’s better than none. Find something you can stand to do and do it, even if you only do it for a fraction of the time you’re supposed to. When it comes to exercise, any is definitely better than none. If nothing else, you’ll get your brain in gear.
• Socialize. We’re all working longer hours to try to stay solvent, but we know that life is about more than money. If you don’t have time to socialize with friends and family, you need to rearrange your priorities and your life. I know from personal experience that life is short and as we get older, we can’t depend on all of our friends and family being there from year to year. Make time for loved ones while you have them. It’s good for reducing stress and also keeps you from being a dull boy or girl.
• Sleep. I hear you. Who has time to sleep? Well, if you don’t sleep, you may be shortening your life and your quality of life. Sleep isn’t a waste of time, although many of us seem to think it is. It’s like taking our cars into the shop for repairs. Don’t do it with your car and it wears out. Don’t do it with your body… Well, you get the picture.
• Laugh. Life is a funny old thing and much easier to handle if we don’t take ourselves and the rest of the world too seriously. We get all wound up and scrunch down on our emotions so tightly until we’re frowning all the time and looking on the dark side. Find a funny movie and watch it with your kids. Go outside and throw a ball for the dog. Read a kid’s book. There are a lot of funny books written for children, so share them with your kids and recapture the joy that we lose as we get too old to be silly.

If all else fails, take a long, hot bath in a tub filled with lavender scented bubbles, while sipping a glass of wine. Close your eyes and pretend that you’re just starting a long vacation with an unlimited amount of money at your disposal. If you want to, add the latest Hollywood hunk to the scenario and daydream away an hour or two. If that doesn’t lower your stress level, I can’t help you.

No related posts.