Eliminate Road Rage, Control Your Temper – Avoid the Amygdala Hijack of Your Brain

What do these three scenarios have in common?

  1. Road rage when someone cuts you off
  2. Running away from a hungry lion
  3. Reacting to criticism about your most deeply held beliefs

Surely road rage can’t have anything to do with being chased by a wild animal that weighs 2-4 times more than you. And how could either of the first two scenarios have anything to do with being criticized? Let’s think about it.

Our Top Priority

Our top priority is survival. In order to ensure survival, we rely on portions of our brain, like the amygdala, to identify threats and respond to them quickly. Our response to a threat is estimated to take only 12 thousandths of a second. The response is so fast that your heart starts racing, your blood pressure rises, and you start reacting emotionally before you even can consciously realize what is happening. You may even do things that leave you asking yourself, “What was I thinking?”

The Amygdala Hijack

In his bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman refers to this response as the “amygdala hijack”. One of the most famous amygdala hijacks was when worldwide soccer role model, Zinedine Zidane, headbutted Italian soccer player, Marco Materazzi, in the 2006 World Cup Finals.

Zidane shows us a perfect example of what happens when our rational mind is hijacked by our amygdala. But how can a man go from calmly jogging away to headbutting another man in the chest just a couple seconds later?

It’s the same thing that makes you want to get revenge on the person who cut you off or run away from imminent danger. It is also the same thing that activates when your deeply held beliefs are criticized and condemned.

The (Not So) Sympathetic Nervous System

You are driving on the highway, listening to your favorite song. You’re dancing, singing, and doing whatever it is that you do when no one is looking. Then someone merges into your lane without warning. In less than a second, you go from a state of bliss to wanting to kill the person who just threatened your life. Your heart beats harder and faster, your blood pressure and breathing rate increase, your adrenal glands secrete the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, and you are ready for battle!

This is what happens every time your sympathetic nervous system is activated. This reaction is commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” response, and it is activated when your brain registers something as a threat.

This response seems overly exaggerated, especially in the context of modern life, but if you consider the environment that we evolved to survive in, it becomes clear why we are wired this way.

Imagine you are foraging for some fresh fruit and suddenly you hear the crumbling of leaves behind you. In less than a second, your amygdala receives the message from your thalamus (the part of the part the brain that relays sensory signals), defines it as a threat, and activates the sympathetic nervous system. As you turn around to see whether if it is a lion or a mouse, your heart is already racing to prepare your body to sprint for your life. If it’s a lion, your body is ready to run away. If it’s a harmless little mouse, you may feel anxious for a couple minutes, but at least you are still alive. You are much better off reacting as if “that’s an animal that will kill me” than “it’s probably just a little mouse.”

Related: The Gut-Brain Connection – How it Affects Your Life

Perceived or Real, It Is Still a Threat.

For most of us who are reading this right now, our safety is almost always guaranteed. So why do we still get stressed?

Let’s go back to the beginning of the article. Each scenario we discussed has one thing in common – a threat. A threat is anything that we think could be threatening to our well-being.  This can include anything from an unexpected noise to a negative criticism about our work. Even a random thought that we have while we are on the verge of falling asleep can be perceived as a threat. As soon as a threat is perceived, our brain fires up our sympathetic nervous system so that we can take action now.

The Origin of Our Perceived Threats

In the first couple years of life, around 1,000 new neural connections are formed every second. This is a fancy way of saying that when we are babies all we do is learn. We learn how to use this sack of meat, bones, and organs that we call a body. We learn about our environment and the people in it and how to get food and safety from them.

From birth through our teenage years, our limbic system (the emotional center of the brain) is constantly undergoing development. This development is shaped by our genes and our past experiences whether they are vicarious or personal. Our future emotional responses are shaped primarily during this phase of development.

Survival First, Happiness Second

As we are developing, our brain is constantly looking for threats to our survival. When there is a risk involved with a certain stimulus, like a thought, sound, taste, or feeling, our amygdala will be triggered so that we can have a fighting chance to survive. Unfortunately, the rational part of our brain is not fully developed until our mid-20s, so the threats that we react to rarely have a rational basis. This is why a seemingly abstract stimulus like the sound of rain may trigger relaxation for one person while the same sound activates the sympathetic nervous system in another.

Anything can be perceived as a threat and trigger a sympathetic response. Many of us live in this state of fight or flight all day long without realizing it, continuing to react to perceived threats as if they are life threatening. On top of that, most of us start our day with a caffeinated beverage like coffee, which activates our sympathetic nervous system even more. Adding caffeine to a body that is already chronically reacting to threats is the perfect recipe for chronic stress, chronic tension, and chronic pain.

Chronic Stress and Chronic Pain

According to the CDC, as of 2012, about half of all adults have one or more chronic diseases. Most, if not all, of these chronic diseases are partially caused by and worsened by chronic stress. Chronic stress is also one of the major causes of chronic pain.

However, stress is necessary for health. For example, exercise is a way of stressing the body that is essential for our well-being. Being exposed to the cold is another stress on the body that leads to positive health benefits. But if you go to the arctic circle and run without stopping, you will quickly perish.

Related: Understanding Stress, Chronic Stress, and Adrenal Fatigue

This is because stress is only good when it is followed by relaxation and recovery. Stress is bad when it becomes chronic. Stress becomes chronic when the body has no opportunity to rest and recover because it is too busy responding to threats. If the body is constantly responding to threats, it can never heal, adapt, and grow, which leads to chronic disease and chronic pain.

Related: What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good

Your Body’s Natural Healing System

To balance the effects of stress that are caused by the sympathetic nervous system, we have another branch of the nervous system that triggers our body to rest and digest called the parasympathetic nervous system. When our environment is free from potential threats, our parasympathetic nervous system takes over.

One of the most important aspects of the parasympathetic nervous system is the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve. It wanders through the center of the body, innervating most of the major organs. When your vagus nerve is active, it reduces your heart rate, improves your digestive function from your mouth to your large intestine, and increases your sense of safety and comfort with yourself and others. Combine this with the benefits of not feeling stressed, and a sense of peace washes over you, peace that you would never feel if you listened to that angry voice that said to headbutt that terrible driver in the chest.

Reacting to your triggers will only lead to an even greater stress response now and in the future. The best way to control your stress response is by consciously activating your parasympathetic nervous system.

How to Activate Your Parasympathetic Nervous System:

Mammalian Dive Reflex & a Bowl of Water

All mammals have the mammalian dive reflex. This automatic reflex activates as soon as our face is immersed in water. Its purpose is to prepare us for extended periods of time underwater by activating the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve while restricting blood flow to the major organs. To take advantage of the benefits of this natural reflex, all you have to do is submerge your face in water for as long as you comfortably can.

Smell an Essential Oil

Obviously, carrying a bowl of water around isn’t practical. Fortunately, there are other options. Smell is the only sense that isn’t processed by the thalamus (the gatekeeper of the brain). This is why certain smells can bring up vivid memories and change how you feel in an instant. Some smells that are known to increase relaxation are from the essential oils chamomile, rose, patchouli, and lavender, but there are tons of essential oils to choose from. Find what works for you and carry these with you to help handle stress throughout the day. You can also diffuse essential oils before you sleep and while you meditate.

Start Meditating!

Meditation is a powerful antidote to stress and suffering because it shows you that you do not have to react to your every thought and emotion. By taking the time to meditate, you give yourself permission to stop reacting, which keeps you from firing up your sympathetic nervous system. With enough time, meditation can give you the ability to choose what you react to, sparing your sympathetic nervous system for when you need it most.

Human Connection & Oxytocin

Intimate conversation, hugs, massages, kisses, and sex all trigger the release of a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a variety of essential roles in the body, most of them related to love and connection. When we are connecting with people we trust, oxytocin is released. This makes us feel safe and close with them (much more so when physical touch is involved). Oxytocin also decreases the stress response and inhibits the amygdala’s response to threats.

Sound

Singing, humming, and laughing all stimulate the parts of the vagus nerve that innervate your larynx and pharynx, which will trigger a parasympathetic response. If you don’t want to sing, hum, or laugh, you can receive the benefit of sound through music instead. Listening to music can completely change your subjective experience. Some of the profound effects that music has on us can be attributed to how it activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Obviously, choosing the right music is paramount to this technique.

Breathing

Changing how you breathe is something you can do right now to relieve stress and pain. Slow, controlled diaphragmatic breaths stimulate the vagus nerve and decrease sympathetic activity.

You can learn how to breathe properly and discover the 10 profound effects that breathing has on the body.

Food

What we eat changes how we feel. If we eat food that we are allergic to or food that is overly processed and full of toxic chemicals, our sympathetic nervous system will be triggered to deal with the threat of the food.

On the other hand, when we consume a nutritious meal that is full of vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, protein, fiber, and carbohydrates, we feel satiated and happy due to the increased parasympathetic response.

We can also relieve chronic stress by complementing our diets with the natural supplements and herbs mentioned here.

Nature

Nature is a powerful antidote to stress and a parasympathetic nervous system activator. Although one of the best ways to get a dose of nature is to go hiking, just looking at pictures of nature increases vagus nerve activation.

Self Awareness

What do you do when you are on the verge of headbutting that guy in the chest? You can’t meditate.  You don’t have food on hand. You ran out of your favorite essential oil.  You have no music. Hugging him is not an option, but you can use the power of your prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex provides you with the ability to be conscious of your decisions and their consequences. While your amygdala is mobilizing all weapons for war, you can use your prefrontal cortex to bring awareness to the situation.

To develop self-awareness, direct your focus with specific questions. Dr. Relly Nadler suggests asking yourself five simple questions to keep your body from being hijacked by your amygdala:

  1. What am I thinking?
  2. What am I feeling?
  3. What do I want now?
  4. How am I getting in my way?
  5. What do I need to do differently now?

These questions will help you shift your focus and find a better way to act. If you can’t remember these questions, simply remind yourself of the “future you”. Every one of your actions comes with consequences that the “future you” will be responsible for.

As you change the way you react to perceived threats, the way your brain perceives those threats will change. Eventually, you will only react to circumstances that legitimately threaten your safety and survival.

Other Brain Hijackers to Watch Out For

There are some important things to mention that hijack your brain that are not addressed by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Three of the most prevalent (and stealthy) brain hijackers are heavy metals, B-vitamin deficiency, and chronic pain.

Heavy Metals

Mercury, arsenic, manganese, cadmium, lead, and aluminum are among many metals that are toxic to the body. Each metal disrupts the body in different ways by creating oxidative stress and deactivating our antioxidant defense processes.

Metals like mercury and lead easily cross the blood brain barrier and create chaos by impairing the function of genes and enzymes related to the health and communication of brain cells. This means that heavy metals can impair almost every function of the brain from memory to decision making and impulse control.

Fortunately, we can counteract the negative effects of heavy metals with natural foods and supplements. Allicin from garlic, anthocyanin/flavonoids from cherries, grapes, and berries, catechins from tea, cocoa, peach, and berries, and circumin from turmeric all act as antioxidants and can either chelate or deactivate heavy metals. Vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and E, as well as spirulina and chlorella also have potent antioxidant effects that can deactivate these heavy metals.

Related: Top 5 Foods that Detox Heavy Metals and Toxins – With Protocol

B-vitamin Deficiency

The brain accounts for 20% of the body’s energy expenditure and B-vitamins allow the brain to use this energy efficiently and effectively. When we are low in B-vitamins it dramatically changes how we live our lives. For example, just a mild deficiency in vitamin B1 can cause irritability, emotional disturbance, and memory loss, a deficiency in vitamin B3, B6, or B7 can cause depression, and a lack of vitamin B9 and B12 accelerates cognitive decline.

If you consume meat, fish, eggs, leafy greens, and green vegetables as part of your diet then you are probably getting enough B-vitamins. However, it may be best to have a vitamin B complex on hand if you are feeling depressed, fatigued, or not as sharp as usual.

Related: Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium

Chronic Pain

Pain changes the brain. When we experience pain our decision-making abilities plummet and dealing with the pain becomes top priority. As pain becomes chronic, it creates subtle changes in our medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. This causes a minor change in personality that may be characterized by reduced adaptability and resilience and poor decision making.

To learn more about chronic pain and how to relieve it, read our article on chronic pain.

Save Your Brain from Being Hijacked

Your brain is designed to keep you alive. It will jolt you out of a relaxed state to save your life from a perceived threat, even if it’s just a snake that you saw on a YouTube video. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system, you will be able to control your sympathetic nervous system and prevent amygdala hijack. With practice, you will only use your sympathetic nervous system when it is legitimately warranted.

Heavy metals, a deficiency of B-vitamins, and chronic pain can also stealthily hijack your brain. Foods like garlic, turmeric, berries, and chocolate and vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and E can keep heavy metals from damaging your body and brain. It is also important to ensure adequate B-vitamin intake by eating meat, fish, eggs, leafy greens, and green vegetables and supplementing with a B-vitamin complex if you feel depressed or fatigued. And for those who have chronic pain, even if it has been around for decades, it can be relieved and function can be improved with the guidance of the right health practitioner.

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Understanding Stress, Chronic Stress, and Adrenal Fatigue

Stress is nothing new; it has been with us since time began. In its most basic incarnation, we are stressed when we are threatened and faced with fight or flight. In modern times, we need stress to focus our mind and to sharpen our wits. Stress helped to give us the edge we needed to survive. Large amounts of stress hormones (like cortisol and adrenaline) can enable us to do amazing things, feats beyond what we could do under any other circumstances.

Contents

Under the rush of life or death circumstances, our perception of time slows down. We become hyper-focused upon our goals, blocking out all other distractions. Relevant sounds become more prominent, irrelevant noise less so. Reflexes sharpen, and our reaction time improves. Pain is diminished, and we gain strength beyond measure. In those times, the world snaps into focus, and in the rush of the moment, we can reach beyond human limitations.

When it’s life or death, we can do amazing things.

There is a lot to be learned about how this process takes place in our bodies, and science has not yet teased apart all the steps of this complex phenomena. Ethical restraints prevent scientists from recreating life or death circumstances for study. But throughout the years, many people have been witness to extraordinary acts by those in the heat of the moment.

Rising to the Occasion

It was the primal response to danger that enabled Tom Boyle Jr. to do what would otherwise have been impossible. Sitting in traffic, Tom and his wife witnessed a gruesome spectacle. Sparks sprayed from beneath a car ahead of them as it drug 18-year-old Kyle Holtrust and his bicycle, his flesh being torn open along the road. After 20 to 30 feet, the driver finally came to a stop, and Tom Boyle leapt into action.

The bicyclist was pinned beneath the frame of his bike and a 3,000 lb. Camaro. Kyle screamed in agony, pounding the side of the car with his free hand. In that moment, Boyle reached under the frame of the 3,000 lb. car and lifted it off of Kyle. The driver of the car then pulled Kyle to safety. After an amazing 45 seconds of holding the car, Boyle set it back down. Boyle doesn’t deny that it was the extreme stress of the moment that made the difference “There’s no way I could lift that car right now.”

When it’s life or death, we can do amazing things. Other stories similar to this one are easy to find. A Canadian mother, Maureen Lee, used only her bare hands to throw a cougar off of her 3 yr. old daughter. Understandably, the cougar was terrified of her hysterical strength and ran away.

Angela Cavallo lifted a 1964 Chevrolet Impala off of her son after it fell off of the jacks and onto him. Angela held the car long enough for others to arrive and to put the car back onto the jacks. Lydia Angyiou attacked a polar bear that was threatening her son and another boy. While the boys ran for help, Lydia managed to engage the bear in physical combat long enough for help to arrive. Help came in the form of a neighbor armed with a gun. He shot the bear four times, ending the fight. Surprisingly, Lydia’s wounds were minor. This is the kind of stress that we are biochemically equipped to handle.

Unfortunately chronic stress can lead to all kinds of poor health outcomes

Life is expected to be stressful, and we are designed to rise to the occasion. But we are designed for extreme stress. In today’s modern world, extreme stress rarely happens. The kind of stressors that we encounter today are usually more of the low-level, ongoing variety like relationship troubles, financial difficulties, and abrasive bosses. Our bodies are not well equipped to handle long term, chronic stress. Ongoing stress can bring on a multitude of diseases and send us to an early grave.

It’s true; stress can kill you. The Japanese call this Karoshi, which means death from overwork. But it is the stress from work that kills us, not the work itself. That is, the stress and lack of sleep from overwork, which further adds to our stress.

Stomach ulcers were the first disease linked to chronic stress. It took many more years of research to learn that many diseases are linked to chronic stress.

The old saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger,” may not hold true when it comes to chronic stress.

Health Problems With Excessive Stress Hormones

  • Acne
  • Addictions
  • Anxiety
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Bone Loss
  • Cancer (due to reduced immune system)
  • Depression
  • Diabetes
  • Digestive problems
  • Heart disease (stress actually creates plaque in the arteries)
  • Infertility
  • Inflammation
  • Impaired immunity
  • Insulin resistance
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Memory and concentration impairment
  • Osteoporosis
  • Reduced libido
  • Senile dementia
  • Sexual Dysfunction
  • Stomach Ulcers
  • Strokes
  • Weight gain (stress encourages fat to be retained in the body, especially around the abdomen)

Unfortunately chronic stress can lead to all kinds of poor health outcomes, not just the problems listed above.

More Side-Effects of Chronic Stress

Mice subjected to chronic stress had smaller brains, fewer connections formed in their brains, and fewer brain cells. The areas of the brain associated with learning and memory were particularly affected.

Chronic stress kills human brain cells as well, and it has also been shown to lower I.Q. When we are stressed, our ability to use our higher-level thinking (our frontal lobes) is disrupted, as well as our ability to access memories.

Chronic stress may shorten telomeres. Telomeres are at the ends of our DNA strands. Every time a cell divides, telomeres are slightly shortened by the cell’s division. So by further shortening our telomeres, chronic stress can shorten your lifespan and make you age faster. Centenarians tend to possess two common traits: long telomeres and a low-stress approach to life.

Scientific understanding of the stress response has improved a great deal in recent years, but there is still a lot science does not yet fully understand. Physiological changes brought on by stress are very complex. What we do know is that when we are stressed our body releases adrenaline, endorphins, fibrinogen, norepinephrine, corticotrophin, cortisol, and vasopressin, and we have a working knowledge of the changes in the body that are brought on by these substances.

Stress Hormones Defined

Adrenaline is also known as the fight or flight hormone. Adrenaline gives you an instant surge of energy, and it focuses your attention to immediate threats. Adrenaline directs blood flow to our arms and legs. Heart rate and respiration quicken, and we may start sweating. Adrenaline is released from the adrenal glands after the brain sends a warning of imminent danger.

Corticotrophin’s primary function is to drive the release of other stress hormones. Corticotrophin also suppresses appetite, improves memory (even as other stress hormones dampen memory), increases overall anxiety, and it focuses attention. Corticotrophin also plays an important role in inflammation. Corticotrophin is produced in small quantities by white blood cells and in larger quantities by the hypothalamus.

Endorphins are released in times of stress to act as a natural painkiller. Many people report not feeling any pain from injuries until after the threat to life or limb has passed. By numbing our sense of pain, we are able to push ourselves further than we otherwise could, straining muscles and pushing past injuries to do what is needed.

Fibrinogen is a protein that aids in blood clotting, providing some protection against excessive bleeding. Fibrinogen is also why high levels of stress forms plaque on the arteries.

When your boss tells you that his or her job is more stressful than yours they’re probably lying…

Norepinephrine is a hormone that is very similar to adrenaline. It makes you very alert, more responsive and invigorated. It also diverts blood from the skin, the digestive tract, and other non-essential areas, shifting more blood to your muscles. This can further aid in any fighting or fleeing that you may need to do. The adrenal glands and the brain produce norepinephrine.

Although norepinephrine might seem redundant considering that adrenaline (which is also called epinephrine) mirrors its affects; it actually works as a back up and as a compliment to adrenaline. If your adrenal glands are not working well, you can still get a solid dose of norepinephrine from your brain.

Vasopressin is also known as the antidiuretic hormone or arginine vasopressin. This hormone causes reabsorption of water by the kidneys, which concentrates our urine. This is why we are less likely to think about trips to the bathroom in highly stressful situations. It also induces something called vasoconstriction, which is the constriction of blood vessels. This raises our blood pressure. Vasopressin is produced by the hypothalamus, then stored and later secreted by the pituitary gland.

Cortisol has been nicknamed the “stress hormone.” It is, in fact, not the stress hormone, but one of many. Cortisol does a lot of good things for us. It aids in metabolism and many other bodily functions. Under stressful situations, cortisol takes a little longer than the other stress hormones to kick in. It is meant to provide us with sustained energy over a longer period of time.

Stress hormones are some of the heavy lifters that helped Tom Boyle leverage the Camaro off of Kyle. This ability to respond to extreme circumstances with extreme measures is undoubtedly one of the upsides of having stress hormones. There are other benefits to stress hormones as well.

Positive Aspects of Stress

“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” – Edmund Burke

Stress can make you feel alive. It is this rush of stress hormones that give us that thrill when we are watching action movies or horror movies. Our bodies release stress hormones when we are watching sports and when we are playing games like paintball, laser tag, and video games. Some amount of stress is good, healthy, and invigorating. It can make us feel more “in the moment”.

Another upside to stress is its ability to act as an effective motivator. Ever heard that old adage, “I work best under pressure”? The right amount of stress sharpens our focus. The right amount of stress coupled with an optimistic outlook hones athletic performance. Under the right circumstances, stress can be our ally.

The difference between good stress and bad stress is mostly how we perceive the circumstances. The majority of people think of stress as something that happens to them, from external factors, like one too many straws that broke the camel’s back. This idea of one too many is often extended to those in mental institutions and prisons, as we ask, “What was the last thing that made those people snap?”

The idea of too much, too many, is a good model for physical stress. Bridges, houses, and buildings are all built to withstand a certain amount of physical stress. When subjected to too much stress at once or too much stress over an extended period of time, the structures collapse.

It’s All In Our Heads

Emotional stress doesn’t need to affect the body in the same way. All of our stress passes through our minds before it goes on to affect our bodies. Our thinking about stress either magnifies our stress or dampens it. Many of us think of our jobs as stressful, our boss as stressful, or traffic as stressful. Although some occupations are more stressful than others, we can mitigate the intensity of our stress by changing the way we think about it. Being stuck in traffic isn’t fun either, but we can all take a deep breath and listen to enjoyable music instead of obsessing about how much time we’re wasting looking at the sea of brake lights ahead. It is the way we react to these situations, the way we think about them, that makes them so stressful.

Many people thrive under stress, while others do not. Usually the difference is in perception, but it also helps when events are seen as being somewhat under their control. For many, powerlessness amplifies stress exponentially.

It’s Good to be King

Where you are in your corporate hierarchy also matters a great deal. When your boss tells you that his or her job is more stressful than yours they’re probably lying – if not to you, then at least to themselves. Numerous studies have shown that stress is lower at the top of corporate structures, not the other way around. The higher rank someone is, the less stress they endure and the longer they live. Rank does indeed have its privileges.

The Fine Line Between Stimulating and Stressful

Those who do well under stress also do not wallow in negative events. As an example, lawyers and doctors have stressful occupations. The difference between a lawyer or a physician coping well with their stressful careers lies in part with their ability to leave their job at work and not take the stress home with them. To those who thrive in stressful jobs, their jobs are rarely all that stressful-because they don’t perceive them to be that way. To them their job is challenging.

The right kind of stress is stimulation. The good kind is that thrill we get from a rollercoaster ride, the rush we get from a good horror movie, or the exhilaration we get from watching a sports game. Even in these examples, the way we perceive the stress is key.

Take sports for instance. It’s possible to become too emotionally involved in sports, even as a spectator. Sports fans have a way of feeling both the triumphs and failures of their favorite teams. Taken too far, this can be unhealthy.

In one study, researchers tracked the health outcomes of soccer fans. The Dutch fans of the European Cup Soccer game were devastated by their teams’ loss. The Dutch fans risk of heart attack increased by 50% shortly following the game.

So stress can take a lot out of us. Evolved out of dire necessity stress hormones divert energy away from reproduction, tissue repair, digestion, anything non-critical. Our bodies’ design is to worry about these things later, if there is a later. This can allow us to do incredible things, when life or death is at stake.

Ease The Pain

When stress is ongoing, it hurts our health and it takes away from our quality of life. Looking for a way to cope, many people try to self medicate when they are chronically stressed. Drug use and alcohol abuse are commonly used to cope with stress. We recommend turning to vitamins or supplements instead. A good B complex vitamin, tryptophan, and supplements for the adrenal glands are very effective without such harmful side effects. See Natural Remedies for Adrenal Fatigue below.

There are other adaptive ways to foster resilience. Caring and compassion create resistance to stress. Connecting with others and sharing a laugh are powerful ways to mitigate the harmful affects of stress.

Oxytocin is the body’s natural antidote to stress. Known as the cuddle hormone, it has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes healing, especially for cardiovascular damage.

Positive emotions also spur on the enzyme telomerase, an enzyme that can actually repair telomeres.

Apathy

Some amount of stress is actually good for us, and without some stress, boredom sets in. The key to coping with stress is to see hardships as challenges. If you can view some stress as helpful, it mimics the biological changes induced by joy and courage. The trick is to change your perception of stress from a negative thing to a positive motivator.

My favorite analogy about stress being helpful comes from Dr. Mike Evans. He describes optimal stress as keeping stress high but not too high. Perceive current events as relevant, but not overwhelming and manage it like a bicycle tire. Give it enough pressure to keep rolling, but not so much it explodes if you hit a bump in the road.

Release the Pressure and Handle Stress Better

When you feel close to that breaking point, there are a number of techniques you can use to bring the pressure back down to optimal levels. These include some of the old standbys like deep breathing, exercise, humor, meditation, spending time in natural surroundings, and sharing your troubles with your friends.

Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

Chronic stress, stress managed poorly, poor sleep quality, and addictions lead to adrenal fatigue. When dealing with chronic stress, the adrenals are being severely taxed.

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. Most commonly associated with intense or prolonged stress, it can also arise during or after acute or chronic infections, especially respiratory infections such as influenza, bronchitis or pneumonia. As the name suggests, its paramount symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep, but it is not a readily identifiable entity like measles or a growth on the end of your finger. You may look and act relatively normal with adrenal fatigue and may not have any obvious signs of physical illness, yet you live with a general sense of unwellness, tiredness or “gray” feelings. People experiencing adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, colas and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to prop themselves up during the day.” – What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Life is much harder when someone suffers from adrenal fatigue. When the adrenals aren’t working, the whole body isn’t working. The body does its best to make up for under-functioning adrenal glands, but it does so at a price.

Symptoms include:

  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Balding lower legs
  • Body fat accumulation
  • Brainfog
  • Breast cancer
  • Chemical sensitivities to paint, fingernail polish, plastics
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Coffee, tea, or energy drinks addiction
  • Cold hands and feet
  • Constipation
  • Cravings for salty or sugary foods, alcohol, caffeine, high protein
  • Dark circles under eyes that does not go away with rest
  • Dependence on sunglasses
  • Depression
  • Dry skin
  • Dysmenorrhea advancing to amenorrhea
  • Electrolyte imbalance
  • EMF sensitivity, including cell phone and computer monitors
  • Endometriosis
  • Exercise helps first, but then feels worse
  • Feeling “wired” and unable to relax
  • Feeling of adrenaline rushes in the body
  • Feeling tired in the afternoon between 3:00 and 5:00 pm
  • Fibrocystic breast disease
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Grave’s disease
  • Hair falling, randomly or alopecia
  • Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Heart palpitations
  • High or low blood pressure
  • Hollow cheeks
  • Hormonal moodiness, bad PMS
  • Hyper activity
  • Hypoglycemia symptoms, though lab results normal
  • Inability to handle stress
  • Inability to take in simple carbohydrate
  • Insomnia
  • Irritable bowel syndrome, with more constipation then diarrhea
  • Irritable under stress
  • Joint pain
  • Kidney health issues
  • Legs that feel heavy
  • Lines in fingernails
  • Lines in fingertips
  • Loss of healthy facial skin tone color
  • Low back pain
  • Low energy
  • Low libido
  • Low thyroid function, hypothyroidism
  • Muscle mass loss
  • Muscle pain
  • Numbness and tingling in extremities bilaterally
  • Ovarian cysts
  • Pale lips
  • Panic attacks
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • Poor emotional and coping ability
  • Post partum fatigue and depression
  • Premature aging skin
  • Premature menopause
  • Psoriasis
  • Recurrent miscarriages during first trimester
  • Short of breath
  • Systemic Candida
  • Temperature intolerance
  • Tinnitus (chorionic ringing in the ear)
  • Unable to get pregnant
  • Unexplained back or knee pain
  • Uterine fibroids
  • Vertigo
  • Wake up in the middle of the night
  • Weak immune response

Natural Remedies for Adrenal Fatigue and Chronic Stress

Adrenal fatigue can be treated naturally with herbs and supplements, but diet and good habits have to be in place. Bad habits need to be removed (caffeine, alcohol, smoking anything). The gut and thyroid need to be healed as well. 

The following herbs are used to treat adrenal fatigue:

  • Licorice
  • Rhodiola
  • Shisandra
  • Holy Basil
  • Ashwagandha root
  • Astragalus
  • Ginseng Root

The following vitamins and supplements are helpful in treating adrenal fatigue:

Candida and Adrenal Fatigue

Candida is the number one cause of poor health in our country. An overabundance of Candida will eventually cause adrenal fatigue (along with many other problems). If you’re experiencing adrenal fatigue, cut out stimulants completely. No more coffee. Clean the intestines.

Grounding for Adrenal Fatigue

Get outside and get grounded. Learn how to breathe! And take up yoga or meditation, preferably outside and barefoot.

Fitness for Adrenal Fatigue

Don’t push yourself too hard, but do exercise. Exercise is good for the thyroid and the adrenals. Any exercise from yoga to high intensity interval training (HIIT) will help you normalize your energy levels. But be careful with intensive training. If you have severe thyroid or adrenal problems, intense exercise could be dangerous. Once your body and your adrenals are responding to detoxification and proper nutrition, HIIT can radically accelerate the thyroid and adrenals’ improvement.

For long-term health, mix it up and add variety to your exercise routine.

Conclusion

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another” – Dr. William James

If you feel that your life is stressful, and there’s no avoiding stress, you’re right. Stress is unavoidable. Life has a way of giving us ups and downs, and worse still, life has a way of kicking us when we’re down. We’ve all been there – when things couldn’t possibly get worse and then they do.

We all have choices to make. How are you going to take care of your body? Will you eat the healthiest diet possible? Will you exercise? Will you get enough sleep? How are you going to react to life’s inevitable setbacks?

These choices are actually life and death choices. This may sound melodramatic, but it is true. Poor nutrition, lack of sleep, little to no exercise and giving in to negative emotions will send us to an early grave. We have a choice in the way we live life, and our choices become our reality.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:


Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs for Handling Stress

Times of high stress can affect your health, your sleep, and your entire sense of well-being. While chronic long-term stress is a cry for a change of lifestyle and a more serious intervention, sometimes we go through stressful periods knowing there is an end in sight. If this is your situation, know that a good diet, 8 hours of sleep a night, exercise and the following supplements can help see you through.

Note: This article is the short version of Natural Remedies for Chronic Stress.

The following supplements will help you feel more relaxed, help you avoid illness, and help you sleep:

  • Vitamin B complex
  • Tryptophan
  • Calcium Magnesium
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Multi-vitamin or Total Nutrition Formula
  • Omega 3s
  • Melatonin (if insomnia is a problem)
  • Valerian Root (if insomnia is a problem)

Vitamin B Complex

While a few of the B vitamins are regularly recommended for stress, it is always best to take B vitamins in a B complex form, as B vitamins work together. Research has also shown that taking one B vitamin alone over time can actually cause deficiencies in other B vitamins. B vitamins are nature’s valium. They soothe the nervous system and aid in many functions in the body and brain. They may also help you sleep.

L-Tryptophan

L- tryptophan is an amino acid our body needs in order to make serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is the basic “feel good” neurotransmitter, whereas melatonin is needed for sleep.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium and magnesium work together. Magnesium is calming to the body. You can take it as a supplement or soak for 40 minutes in epsom salts.

Vitamin C and Vitamin D

In times of great stress, the immune system is often suppressed. An extra boost of vitamin C and vitamin D aid the immune system and may keep you from catching a virus or a bacterial infection at an already difficult time.

Multi-vitamin or Total Nutrition Formula

Times of high stress are a good time to ensure all of your nutritional needs are met. A daily multi-vitamin and/or Total Nutrition Formula will aid you in getting all the nutrients your body requires. (You can buy it at Green lifestyle Market or make your own Total Nutrition Formula at home.)

Omega 3s

Krill oil, flax seed oil, fish oil, or a good oil blend will help with stress and aid in concentration and mood stabilization.

Melatonin and Valerian Root

If L-tryptophan and B vitamins have not reversed your insomnia, add melatonin and valerian root to your nightly routine. Also see Natural Insomnia Cures. (see link below)

Conclusion:

Coping with stress in a healthy way includes a healthy diet, adequate exercise, good sleep, and avoiding those shortcut stress reducers that do more harm than good. Don’t rely on drugs, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, or junk food to help you through stressful times. They don’t help at all, even though it may seem like they do at the moment. This is a time to take excellent care of yourself to minimize the stress on your body even though there is more than enough stress in your life. For more information on how to deal with stress, especially if your stress is chronic or long term, see Natural Remedies for Chronic Stress, and Natural Remedies for Adrenal Fatigue.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:

Dr. Oz

Life Extension–tryptophan



Natural Remedies for Chronic Stress

Chronic stress doesn’t always have a simple solution. It doesn’t usually have a single cause. There is no doubt, however, that a sense of powerlessness lies at the center of that emotional cyclone. Whether the stress is due to financial concerns, a job you hate, a relationship doomed to fail, an imminent or recent loss, or any number of issues, if you could have changed it, you would have changed it. You either can’t, or at least you can’t see how to change it right now, so you worry and fret and cry and shake your fist at the universe or you suffer quietly while stress eats you alive.

There are a number of things you should never do to deal with stress and there are a number of things you can do that will help get you through to the other side.

What Should You Avoid When You Are Dealing With Stress

Too often our “go to” coping mechanisms are short term solutions that may make us feel better for the moment but are guaranteed to make us feel worse in the long run. You know what they are:

  • Alcohol
  • Junk food
  • Caffeine
  • Nicotine
  • Drugs

Have any of these ever actually helped? Aren’t all of these coping methods a form of self abuse?

When stress is overwhelming, it is time to take exceptional care of our bodies and our psyches, not add to physical and mental stress.

What You Should Do To Deal With Stress

When it comes to dealing with stress, mindset is everything. We can always count on life to throw challenges at us. How we deal with them is the key. My favorite analogy is a wave. You can stand at the shore and get bowled over by the force of it, or you can learn to ride the wave. The choice is yours.

Life will never be fair or just. Your job is to be the best version of you, that you can be, regardless of the circumstances. Part of that process is knowing that most of the things in your life are in your control. Most of the things that happen to us, are due to our choices. Those that aren’t –well, those are the times when all we can do is control our reaction.

When your mind is swirling with the problems at hand, write them down. Start a journal. Use pros and cons lists to problem solve, when you can. If nothing else, getting it down on paper helps you to stop reliving and rehearsing–churning the events around and around.

Create a “to do” list. Divide it into short, fast tasks and long tasks. Now prioritize. Start with the short list and accomplish something.

Sleep. Schedule a solid eight hours a night for sleep. If you are suffering from insomnia, see the link below. (And keep your journal beside your bed to write down anything that is occupying your mind when you try to sleep).

Breathe properly, and deeply. Meditate. Take up yoga or Tai Chi.

Exercise. At the very least, walk, dance, use a rebounder, or jump rope–just move each day.

Do something for yourself each and every day. Many of us, especially if we are parents, have forgotten that we have needs, too. Find a small thing (or a big one!) to do for yourself each day. A bubble bath, a massage, a nature trail–whatever feeds your soul.

A Healthy Diet

Stress takes its toll on the body. Your adrenals are overworked and likely exhausted. You are at high risk for illness because your immune system is probably not working at its best. This is the time to eat the best possible diet. Avoid all processed foods. Do not eat anything with artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, or trans fats. Make fresh, raw, organic produce the mainstay of your diet–more vegetables than fruit. All meat should be organic. Remember to add healthy fats to your diet. Avoid conventional dairy and gluten. And don’t eat sugar!

Supplements and Herbs to Help You Deal With Stress

The following supplements will help you feel more relaxed, help you avoid illness, and help you sleep:

  • Vitamin B complex
  • Tryptophan
  • Calcium Magnesium
  • Vitamin C and D
  • Multi-vitamin
  • Omega 3s
  • Melatonin and Valerian Root (if insomnia is a problem)
  • Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula and Brain Tonic

Vitamin B Complex

While a few of the B vitamins are regularly recommended for stress, it is always best to take B vitamins in a B complex form, as B vitamins work together. Research has also shown that taking one B vitamin alone over time can actually cause deficiencies in other B vitamins. B vitamins are nature’s valium. They soothe the nervous system and aid in many functions in the body and brain. They may also help you sleep. On the other hand, when dealing with stress, a little extra B-5 can be a big help. There are some complex B supplements that add extra of one or two B vitamins depending on what the formula is designed to do.

L-Tryptophan

L- tryptophan is an amino acid our body needs in order to make serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is the basic “feel good” neurotransmitter, whereas melatonin is needed for sleep.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium and magnesium work together. Magnesium is calming to the body. You can take it as a supplement, or soak for 40 minutes in epsom salts.

Vitamin C and Vitamin D

In times of great stress, the immune system is often suppressed. Vitamin C and D aid the immune system and may keep you from catching a virus at an already difficult time.

Multi-vitamin or Total Nutrition Formula

Times of high stress are a good time to ensure all of your nutritional needs are met. A daily multi-vitamin and/or Total Nutrition Formula will aid you get all the nutrients your body requires. See how to make your own Total Nutrition Formula in the “Further Reading” section below.

Omega 3s

Krill oil, flax seed oil, fish oil, or a good oil blend will help with stress and aid in concentration and mood stabilization.

Melatonin and Valerian Root

If L-tryptophan and B vitamins have not reversed your insomnia, add melatonin and valerian root to your nightly routine.

Shillington’s Nerve Sedative

This is a tincture that contains the following: valerian rhizome, hops flowers, passion flowers, lobelia, black cohosh root, blue cohosh root, wild yam root, and skullcap.

Shillington’s Brain Tonic

This is a tincture that contains the following: organic and wildcrafted gingko biloba, gota kola, kola nut, calamus, and rosemary.

A healthy diet and exercise is enough for most of what life throws at us. For those with compromised health and for those dealing with very difficult situations, we highly recommend a combination of B vitamins and a fat supplement (they work hand in hand), L- tryptophan, Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula, and his Brain Tonic. No pharmaceutical chemical cocktail can even come close.

Here are Shillington’s recipes:

Doc Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula Recipe (or click to purchase)

  • 2 – parts Valerian Root
  • 2 – parts Lobelia Seed Pods
  • 2 – parts Passion Flower
  • 1 – part Hops Flowers
  • 1 – part Black Cohosh
  • 1 – part Blue Cohosh
  • 1 – part Skullcap
  • 1 – part Wild Yam

Doc Shillington’s Brain Tonic Recipe (or click to purchase)

  • 15 – parts Gingko Leaf
  • 1 – part Gotu Kola Herb
  • 1 – part Calamus Root
  • 1 – part Rosemary Flowers
  • 1 – part Cayenne Pepper
  • Optional:- 1 part Kola Nut

Parts are by volume. Blend all ingredients together and make into a tincture using a 50 – 50 Blend of Alcohol (100 proof vodka) and distilled water. For more, see How to Make a Tincture.

Conclusion

While not much focus was put on it, breathing properly is actually the most significant thing most people can do to alleviate stress. Life is all about focus and perception, and opening up your lungs to take in deep soothing breaths and getting your body well oxygenated changes one’s perspective. If you take nothing away from this article, get a B vitamin complex, the Nerve Sedative formula, exercise, and learn How to Breathe.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources: