Recently, my father has been in the ICU, and I’ve been spending a lot of time at the hospital. Let me say that I am a very scheduled person. It makes me sane! I don’t like to deviate from my schedule. When things pop up and throw my schedule off, I get VERY STRESSED! That seems to be in the past, though!! I feel like I have handled this so well! I whole heartedly believe God also gives strength in hard times, but I also know He has given us coping techniques! I’m so thankful for the Health/Life Coach Program I started!  It has taught me so much more than I already knew about lowering stress; and I have been working on it for a couple of years now. Take a moment to look back and read some other tips on lowering stress, here, here and here. Getting these habit changes in now before a truly stressful moment will be immensely beneficial for you as they were for me!

As an herbalist, of course, I’m using extra herbs! I thought I’d briefly share what herbs support me during stressful times and why I choose them. They might help you in the future!

Supporting the nervous system can be beneficial when dealing with even a little extra stress in your life. It helps you have a bigger stress bucket or keeps it from overflowing. Supporting nervous system can help you sleep better at night also. I use Blue Vervain, Skullcap, Wood Betony, and a little bit of Lobelia to support my nervous system. This blend is magical for those who get shoulder and neck tension when stressed. That’s me to a tee!  Skullcap and Wood Betony work great together without the Blue Vervain, but I’m a type A personality who keeps going and can’t ask for help, so it supports my nervous system. Blue Vervain is also great for those with tendencies towards high blood pressure when stressed because it’s an anti-spasmodic/relaxing nervine.

Because I tend to get a rise in my blood pressure when I get highly stressed, I’ve added back in my “Cardio Tension Ease” Blend; it works wonders for lowering my BP immediately if it starts creeping up when I’m stressed. It has Linden, Blue Vervain, Khella, Lobelia and Cayenne. Linden is a moistening, soothing heart tonic and nervine. I tend towards dryness, so this helps this blend, which is particularly drying. Blue Vervain, Khella, and Lobelia are all relaxants for the heart, and Cayenne is an excellent stimulant for moving the blood and supporting the cardiovascular system.

At night, I take a blend to help me sleep well. Sleep is vital when dealing with stressful situations. That blend has passionflower, lemon balm, blue vervain, skullcap, hops, and lobelia. Again, more antispasmodics. I grind my teeth at night from tension, so this helps here! The passionflower is there to help shut my mind off. (it works well combined with Skullcap also, for the mind that keeps going around and around) Lemon Balm is there because I’m a go-go-go person who never stops to rest, and I am a very light sleeper. Hops is there because I started menopause, and combined with Passionflower, it works great for cooling you down and, of course, is a sedative.

If this resonates with you, feel free to reach out for a complimentary session to see if working with me might help you lower your stress.