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Natural stress relief: simple, effective methods

By : Veronique - Categories : Health and wellness

Stress is one of the most widespread scourges of our time. Whether it's due to working conditions, family relationships, financial difficulties... or any other cause, stress frequently invades our lives and never leaves. In the end, it spoils the existence of those who let it settle in their home.

A real nuisance, stress never comes alone. It brings with it its own set of friends, with more or less profound consequences such as sleep disorders, immune weakness, emotional and nervous instability leading to depression, difficulties at work, family tensions...

Our body's responses to stress are manifold, and it's essential to strengthen our resistance with natural solutions.

Ancestral relaxation techniques, such as meditation and cardiac coherence, offer a welcome respite from our hectic daily lives. Similarly, a healthy diet rich in magnesium and B vitamins, combined with green tea and dark chocolate, can help maintain emotional stability and prevent stress symptoms. Herbs such as ashwagandha, hawthorn and valerian play a key role in stress management, while lavender and sweet orange bring a welcome sweetness to our hectic lives.

Whether it's for the little aches and pains of everyday life or to prevent burn-out, natural solutions are there to support us over the long term towards better balance and mental health.

How to reduce stress quickly?

Do you sometimes feel like your chest is tight? Do you also sometimes have nagging thoughts, or even hot flashes?

Sometimes we may feel nervous or anxious for no apparent reason. It's not always easy to face it. Sometimes we don't know what to do to make it stop. Impossible to find our inner calm. Rest assured, it’s not inevitable. Understanding and accepting that stress can be part of our lives is an important step.

Here are some simple and effective techniques that you can implement:

1. Deep breathing: The first thing to do when stress manifests itself is to breathe. A super effective method that I use from time to time is cardiac coherence. What is it? This is a deep breathing technique, ideally from the stomach. You inhale through your nose for 3 to 4 seconds, you hold your breath. Then exhale slowly through your mouth, you relax your stomach, also for 3 to 4 seconds. There are many apps available. For example, on my phone I have the RespiRelax+ application.

2. Mindfulness meditation and visualization: You have understood, the idea is to calm down, to find a state of serenity. Meditation comes naturally after breathing. Mindfulness meditation can help reduce stress by bringing your attention back to the present. You stop dwelling on the past and you stop worrying about the future. Take a few minutes a day, close your eyes and focus on the present moment. Then dare to respect your thoughts, your bodily sensations and your environment without judgment.

3. Take a break: When stress is felt, if you can, take a short break. Walk a little, stretch, or go outside for some fresh air. Changing your environment can help change your perspective and reduce built-up stress. If you work from home, it can be difficult to change your habits (I know what I'm talking about!) so planning a specific time can help you get out and get some fresh air!

4. Physical activity, sport: Do some walking, sport, even a little bit every week. Exercise releases endorphins, neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers and improve mood. Just a quick walk or a few stretching movements can be enough to reduce stress.

5. Listen to calming music (or not!): Music has the power to change our emotional state. Listen to your favorite songs: soft music or more rhythmic music according to your desires. Sometimes singing at the top of your lungs is a good way to relieve stress!!! Personally I also recommend that you go, if you can, to a water source or a river.

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How to relieve stress with sacred geometry?

When we look at a mandala, we will see it in three dimensions. Depending on how we look at it, either the center will appear to us in depth or in front. Likewise, depending on how we look at it, our eyes will be attracted to a particular color (that of a door). The work undertaken will be different depending on which door we look at first.

In Sanskrit (Indian tradition), the term mandala means circle, center.

Today the mandala has become democratized. We use them as a means of relaxation by coloring them, but working with the mandala is part of a process of inner growth and maturation. It was Carl Gustav Jung, Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist, who, in his exploration of the depths of the unconscious, discovered geometric shapes close to those of mandalas. Also, for him, the mandala is the symbol of individualization; it is both a path towards the center at the same time as it expresses it, it allows us to walk towards the center and find the way towards the Self in chaotic moments.

It is for this reason that by contemplating or meditating on the symbols of sacred geometry, one can feel a sense of calm and connection with the universe. They help us calm agitated thoughts and release accumulated tension in the body and mind.

There is a particularly interesting study that has been done regarding the Sri Yantra. A study published in the International Journal of Yoga in 2014 found that meditation on the Sri Yantra induced significant changes in brain activity.

Study participants showed increased activity in brain regions associated with concentration, awareness, and spatial perception. Additionally, meditation on the Sri Yantra has been associated with decreased activity in regions of the brain linked to stress and anxiety. These results suggest that contemplation of this sacred symbol can induce a state of mental calm and promote a deep connection with the universe.

Finding serenity through meditation: a powerful anti-stress method

This meditation can be performed sitting in a chair, with your back straight and relaxed, or sitting on the floor in a meditation posture. It's best to practice it in a quiet, undisturbed place.

Stand in righteousness, nobility and freedom.
Around and within you, feel purity, harmony and loving understanding.
The air that gently flows in and out of you purifies and heals you.
The silence that surrounds and envelops you awakens your deepest awareness.

Gently feel the earth beneath your feet.
Feel the ground and stability.
In the belly: calm. All is calm and quiet...
Feel the depth, the calm, the serenity.
In the chest, feel your harmony, your peaceful being.
In the head, feel the clarity of the atmosphere, the air filled with light, your head open to the blue sky.

Perceive the top of your head from the inside and at the same time feel the vault of heaven, the blue sky. Expand into the atmosphere. The blue sky fills your head like a gentle energy, like a vibration.

Again, feel the earth beneath your feet.
Feel the whole earth. Become aware of its being, its intelligence, its soul, the bearer of all the world's creatures, offering itself as nourishment for their healthy, harmonious development.

Let the image of the earth rise up within you and into your chest.
Form in your heart the image of the round earth with the ocean and the continents.
Place the earth in your heart.
From the blue of the sky through your head, surround the earth with a blue color.
The immensity of the sky surrounds the earth, blesses the earth, cleanses the earth in your own heart, totally aware, awake, silent, present.

Benefits: Powerful inner centering, subtle cleansing and awakening of the inner self.


To help you in your work, you can copy this meditation, accompanied by original music conducive to calm and rejuvenation. Use a sacred geometry canvas to guide you in this experience of calm and regeneration. A sacred geometry canvas can act as a powerful catalyst to transform the atmosphere of a home and change the energies flowing through it

How to combat stress naturally?

Anti-stress essential oils

Anti-stress essential oils include True Lavender and Petit Grain Bigarade, as well as citrus oils such as Sweet Orange, Bergamot and Neroli.

These different essential oils balance, relax, calm and soothe the mind and nervous system. They calm the entire organism, which is overstretched and exhausted by adrenalin, noradrenalin and cortisol, the stress hormones.

Essential oils with stress-relieving properties can be applied to the skin by massage, in the bath or shower, or by olfaction.

Find out more before using them.

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Anti-stress homeopathy

Homeopathic granules can be a valuable aid against the effects of stress, anxiety, anguish and nervousness.

What to take to reduce stress and anxiety? Gelsemium 15 CH: As a general rule, in cases of chronic anxiety, Gelsemium 15CH is prescribed as a background treatment. Rhus Toxicodendron 15 CH: 2 granules 3 times a day when nervousness is accompanied by agitation and the need to be constantly on the move.

Consult your doctor for dosage instructions.

Plants and natural anti-stress products

If you are a plant lover, you may know the ones I am going to tell you about.

First of all there are adaptogenic plants, such as ashwagandha and rhodiola. They are powerful allies in stress management, and they help our body adapt to the different pressures of modern life. There is also valerian and passionflower which are known for their calming properties. They are taken in particular in the evening before going to bed because they help you sleep better and calm down.

Sometimes we tend to forget to modify our land. Let me explain. It is a term used in naturopathy. The terrain is the component of several factors. It helps to ensure the balance of the body and in this case to maintain the body in perfect harmony. It thus allows him to maintain or regain his state of health. For example if you are lacking in magnesium or iron base, start with that otherwise the plants will be much less effective.

And I talked about it just before, essential oils like lavender, sweet orange and chamomile are precious oils for well-being. Each has relaxing properties that act directly on the nervous system.

And finally, a nice little piece of dark chocolate feels good!

Which plant is the most effective against stress?

I talked about it just above. There is one anti-stress plant that stands out: it is ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera, is a shrub native to India. It is an adaptogenic plant because of its multiple virtues. It contributes to emotional balance and general well-being. It also helps support our physical and intellectual abilities in the event of exhaustion. Due to its concentration of active ingredients, it is the root of the plant which is most used.

This plant has a broad spectrum of action. It will adapt to the needs of the body and generally increase the body's resistance to various manifestations of stress. Indeed, it helps maintain physical and intellectual capacities in cases of weakness, exhaustion, fatigue and loss of concentration and contributes to emotional balance and general well-being.

It is traditionally used as a general tonic, but also as an aid to regain restful sleep (hence its name Withania somnifera).

Bach Flower Remedies for stress

Bach Flowers are another important dimension in the range of natural remedies for stress. They offer a subtle yet effective approach to rebalancing our emotional states. Each Bach Flower is associated with specific emotions, enabling us to precisely target stress-induced emotional imbalances.

For example, Bach Rescue Remedy is often used for anxiety attacks or acute stress, while others such as Gentian or Olive can help restore confidence and revitalize energy, respectively. Bach Flower Remedies work in harmony with our emotional system, encouraging resilience and emotional stability in the face of everyday challenges.

For children, there are also emotional erasers for emergency situations (available from Deva). They're handy to take with you wherever you go, and easy to get recalcitrant children to take!

What food supplements can relieve stress?

Food supplements are practical and effective in supporting the body in times of stress. Among these we find in particular magnesium, a crucial mineral for the regulation of the nervous system and the reduction of anxiety. B vitamins, particularly vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, also play an important role in the production of neurotransmitters involved in stress management. Some laboratories offer complexes integrating magnesium with a whole set of vitamins.

Then we can mention L-theanine, which is an amino acid synthesized by the body (D-theanine). It is found in abundance in green tea. L-theanine increases resistance to stress and allows you to better manage difficult periods nervously. Theanine facilitates the appearance of alpha rhythms (relaxation waves) in the brain. L-theanine extracted from green tea helps calm the mind and facilitates concentration. Green tea, thanks to theanine, is undoubtedly a “zen” drink, conducive to relaxation and mental activity.

And finally, we can also mention other ingredients such as chamomile, hops and St. John's wort, known for their calming properties.

What's the best natural stress reliever?

Without a doubt: NATURE!

Nature is the best natural stress reliever there is. It surrounds us with its soothing beauty, envelops us in its calm and reconnects us to the essential. It shows us that we must know how to isolate ourselves from the harmful, from what weighs down, weakens, troubles, poisons our conscience, our thoughts, our heart, our will, our body, our capacity to act in harmony with our soul and for the common good.

To be stress-free and to be protected from the constant aggressions of the outside world, we must be firmly rooted in our own inner earth.

Concretely, you cannot feed your body or your mind with garbage. This will weaken your immune system. You must pay attention to what enters you, your body, your thoughts, your heart, your will.

When you are deeply rooted in your inner earth, you choose the physical and subtle nourishment that you allow into you, you can master the art of nutrition (nutrition in all worlds I mean). Nothing can touch or reach you anymore, weaken you, destabilize you. Exit the stress. You are steadfast and rooted within, like the weeping willow whose flexible branches dance in the wind, but whose trunk is strong and solid.

When you connect with nature, you connect with your own nature. This strengthens your well-being and you can face difficult situations with serenity.

So, whenever you get the chance, put on your sneakers, take a walk in a green forest, go near a waterfall, breathe in the fresh oxygen-laden air, listen to the birdsong and smell the captivating scent of flowers !

The final word

There are many ways we can help relieve tension and promote mental well-being. Whether it's meditation, the use of plants or essential oils, the main thing is to select the ones that suit you best. Everyone being unique, needs differ from one person to another.

Being quite prone to stress myself (no one is perfect!), I tested the methods set out above.

So, now it's your turn to tell me what method(s) you use against stress!

And finally, if you experience persistent symptoms of stress, do not hesitate to talk about it, seek help and consult a qualified health professional.

We've come to the end of this article. I hope you've enjoyed it.

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