We live in stressful times. If you’re human, you’re bound to experience stress and anxiety from time to time. Stress can be triggered by current events, circumstances in your personal life, struggles with work and finances, and more. In fact, just about anything can be a stressor – even good things can sometimes make you feel anxious and overwhelmed. Thus, finding ways to deal with stress when it rears its ugly ways is an essential aspect of living a healthy, well-balanced life. 

If you don’t take charge of your stress, your stress can take charge of you. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to combat stress – and you have the power to implement them into your life! From forming healthy habits to using natural herbal remedies to calm your mind, you can make a big difference in your overall well-being by making a conscious, intentional effort to fight stress. Plus, your stress-fighting routine doesn’t need to be complicated – all it takes is the right supplements, some helpful lifestyle changes, and a set of healthy habits to help you manage everyday stress and occasional episodes of anxiety.

In this post, we’ll be discussing the most useful herbs for stress support. Each of the natural active ingredients we’ll be covering in this article are included in one or both of R3SET’s signature stress-support formulas.  The natural active and botanical ingredients are backed by scientific research. 

If you’re looking for science-backed alternative medicine paired with simple ways to combat stress and occasional episodes of anxiety, you’ve come to the right place. Both of these botanical remedies are easy to include in your daily routine, and they can support you in your effort to live a calmer, happier life*.

How Stress Affects Your Body 

When you’re stressed out, your body is affected in numerous ways. Being stressed is a physical and emotional experience – you can feel its impact in your body and your mind. 

Stress provokes the release of the chemicals cortisol and adrenaline (often called the stress hormones), which are part of your nervous system’s “fight-or-flight” response. In a life-threatening situation, extra production of these chemicals can help your body and mind react quickly, which can save your life in a crisis. 

However, run-of-the-mill stress is far from life-threatening – but it still often results in the triggering of your fight-or-flight response. 

A little bit of stress is a normal, unavoidable part of everyday life. However, chronic stress can cause major problems for your health in the long-term. Over time, chronic stress can leave you more vulnerable to getting sick – it can compromise your immune system, exhausted – excess production of cortisol and adrenaline can lead to burnout –and feeling hopeless – chronic stress is closely interlinked with circumstantial depression. 

If you find yourself feeling this way, by all means seek out the help of a healthcare professional.

When chronic stress wreaks havoc on your body and mind, it’s easy to start feeling powerless. However, you’ve got plenty of power to stop stress from ruling your life and sabotaging your well-being. At R3SET, we’re committed to helping you fight stress by providing you with the information and resources that you need to live a calmer life. So, let’s dive into the science behind why some herbal ingredients can help you combat stress and occasional episodes of anxiety.

Natural GABA-Boosters For Stress Relief

In the same way that there are some chemicals within your body that can increase how stressed you feel, there are others that can help you calm down. One of the key players in your defenses against stress and anxiety is gamma-aminobutyric acid, also known as GABA. GABA is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in your brain. It is often referred to as the “brakes of the brain”, due to its effects of calming the brain. You can get it from numerous foods or take it as a supplement, but there are also some herbal remedies that have been found to promote increased GABA production in your brain.

GABA binds to proteins in your brain called GABA receptors. Once the neurotransmitter and the protein attach, the result is a calming effect. Thus, keeping GABA production up is great for stress relief. There are multiple natural ingredients that are linked to an increase in GABA production, including a number of the herbal remedies we’re about to discuss!

Chamomile: A Calming, Soothing Herb for Nighttime Stress Support

Chamomile is a flower that has multiple uses. However, it’s most commonly known for how tasty it is when dried and steeped to make tea. If you tend to have trouble falling asleep at night, someone has probably recommended that you sip on chamomile tea before bed to ease your mind and wind down. While this advice may have sounded like an old wives’ tale, there’s some truth to it – chamomile has been found to positively impact GABA activity in your brain! 

Chamomile’s positive interaction with GABA makes it a great herbal supplement to take before bed. You can also reap the calming benefits from chamomile by drinking it as a cup of tea! Chamomile tea is completely herbal and caffeine-free. Sticking with herbal teas like chamomile in the afternoon and evening is an excellent way to promote better sleep and stop caffeine consumption from disrupting your body’s natural circadian rhythm.

If you’re struggling to fall asleep, you can greatly benefit from combining chamomile with other natural sleep aids, such as valerian root. R3SET’s UNWIND capsules, which are formulated with chamomile, valerian root, and other calming ingredients, are specially designed to help you wind down and relax before getting a good night’s sleep*. If this is typically tough for you to achieve, try UNWIND! Click here to order your first supply.

 L-Theanine 

Another focus-boosting ingredient that people commonly get from tea, L-Theanine is a member of a group of compounds known as non-essential amino acids. This amino acid is one of the primary compounds found in green and black tea, as well as in certain mushrooms. It’s known for its calming effect on the mind, as well as for providing a boost of focus and mental energy. 

Many people enjoy drinking green and black tea as alternatives to coffee, which is higher in caffeine and can sometimes cause energy crashes. While green and black tea still contain some caffeine, they’re much less caffeinated than the average cup of coffee, and they also contain a solid dose of L-Theanine per cup, which coffee does not. 

If you want to get a boost of mental energy during your workday, consider swapping coffee for green tea – it’s loaded with antioxidants, lower in caffeine than coffee or black tea, and contains at least 20 mg of L-Theanine per cup. That’s a big win for your productivity, your taste buds, and your body.

In addition to getting L-Theanine from tea, you can also take the compound as a supplement. L-Theanine is one of the primary ingredients in R3SET’s CALM capsules, which are the daytime counterpart to our UNWIND supplements. CALM is designed to help you support  your cognitive performance and mental energy throughout the day while supporting your body’s response to  stress and occasional episodes of anxiety*. 

To order your first supply of CALM, click here!

Ahiflower Oil: A Plant-Based Source of Stress-Busting Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are some of the most important nutrients you can get to set yourself up with a strong defense against stress. However, most omega-3 supplements and omega-3 rich foods are either animal-derived or made with trace amounts of animal products. In fact, the most common type of omega-3 supplement is made from fish oil. 

The prevalence of animal-derived omega-3s, as well as the relative rarity of these important nutrients in the average vegan diet, makes it tough for plant-based eaters to find omega-3 supplements that meet their specific needs. However, ahiflower oil is an excellent plant-based alternative to fish oil, and it’s a great ingredient to include in your daily routine to fight stress. By taking an ahiflower supplement each day, you’ll be getting a significant portion of your daily omega-3 needs.

Ahi flower oil contains more total and biologically advanced plant omegas (like stearidonic acid, SDA) than any other natural plant source including flax, chia, and hemp seed oils. Ahi flower may help with metabolism regulation, heart health, and improving brain function.

These nutrients are essential in anyone’s diet but getting them from supplements can be helpful as well. We’ve included a proprietary blend of omega-3s, including ahiflower oil, in our signature supplements to help your body’s natural response to stress*.

Other Herbs to Help Combat Stress 

• Ashwagandha
• Passionflower
• Lavender
• Holy basil
• Mint family

Summary 

Now that you know how to address stress using active natural and botanical ingredients, it’s time to get started with building your own stress-fighting routine and restore your quality of life. 

Your daily regimen can include R3SET’s calming supplements, as well as healthy habits to keep your body and mind resistant to the negative impacts of stress. Strong stress-fighting defenses can include healthy eating, getting enough sleep, practicing meditation and mindfulness, and moving your body each day. By implementing these habits into your life, you’ll be providing a strong foundation for your body and mind’s defenses against stress, which can then be complemented by high-quality supplements.

To learn more about the effects of stress on the body, how natural ingredients can help you live a calmer, happier life, and more, make sure to visit the R3SET blog. There, you’ll find helpful information to get you started on your stress-fighting journey. You can visit the blog by clicking here.

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/expert-answers/stress/faq-20058233

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5650245/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC538287/