Everyone experiences feelings of overwhelm from time to time. Whether it’s from common, everyday stressors like work, finances, relationships, and the unpredictability of life, or from something else, stress and overwhelm are normal parts of being human. However, if you end up getting overwhelmed on a more regular, almost daily basis, you may be dealing with what is often referred to as chronic stress.

Stress and occasional episodes of anxiety are challenging and frustrating conditions to deal with. If you feel like stress is ruling your life, it’s easy to start wanting to give up. 

Luckily, there’s hope for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the weight of everyday life. In this post, we’ll be discussing some of the best natural support options to have on hand for when you feel overwhelmed.

Stress’s Long-Term Effects 

While mild stress is an unavoidable part of being human, chronic stress is much more preventable. In addition, persistent, near-constant stress can have much more serious long-term effects on your mental and physical well-being. If you are struggling to find relief from stress, know that it is worth it to keep fighting the good fight – building strong stress-fighting habits is essential for a healthy body and mind in the long run.

Over time, chronic stress can adversely  impact three major systems within your body that are activated in response to stress and anxiety – the endocrine system, the immune system, and the nervous system. As your stress levels rise and continue to ride high, you may start to deal with health problems related to these three systems. Issues associated with the endocrine system include adrenal fatigue, a type of burnout that can occur when your body produces too much cortisol, the primary hormone associated with your natural stress response.

As for your nervous system, stress  triggers a typical response known as the “fight-or-flight” response. This surge of chemicals like norepinephrine, epinephrine (formerly known as; noradrenaline, adrenaline), and other chemicals within your brain contributes to the anxious, overwhelmed feeling that comes on when you are in a stressful situation. While everyone experiences their fight-or-flight response from time to time, chronic stress can lead to an overactive, hypervigilant nervous system that is always fighting off a perceived threat – even when no such threat is there.

In addition, stress can also have a compromising effect on your immune system. Cortisol, a key hormone for stress management, interacts with your immune system when you are stressed, helping to maintain your body’s overall equilibrium. However, chronic persistent stress can lead to issues and your immune system and its ability to fight off infections.

The Main Causes of Stress 

If you are experiencing chronic stress, the first step towards finding relief is to identify the key stressors in your life. These are the responsibilities, obligations, worries, and other factors that are the primary sources of your stress. 

For many people, the most common sources of stress are concerns related to work, finances, relationships, and other integral aspects of everyday life. If any of these parts of your life gets shifted off balance, you may start to deal with much more frequent bouts of stress and anxiety.

Once you identify the main sources of your stress, you can start to make a game plan for living a more peaceful life. Relief from stress and anxiety often comes from forming healthy stress-fighting habits – implementing practices like meditation, regular exercise, and getting plenty of sleep into your daily routine can work wonders if you are under chronic stress. However, it can also be helpful to complement your anti-stress regimen with natural calming ingredients.

So, without further ado, let’s dive further into the science of stress prevention and discuss some of the best natural remedies for feeling overwhelmed.

GABA 

GABA (Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the management of stress. In addition to acting as a neurotransmitter, GABA is also an amino acid, which means you will need to get it from dietary sources like food and supplements – your body cannot produce amino acids on its own.

Research has been conducted that has indicated that GABA helps to reduce stress by attaching to proteins in your brain called GABA receptors. From here, GABA acts as a calming agent, often referred to as the “brakes of the brain” helping your body and mind to manage the onset of stress.

While GABA can be a helpful supplement to include in your anti-stress regimen, it’s important to note that this amino acid cannot act as a replacement for prescription anxiety medication if you have a more serious condition, often referred to as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. 

While GABA may have an effect on mild to moderate stress and occasional episodes of anxiety, we recommend that you talk to your doctor before trying to include GABA in your supplement regimen if you suffer from a mental health issue like generalized anxiety disorder.

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 maintain your cognitive performance and mental energy throughout the day while supporting your body’s response to fighting off stress and occasional episodes of anxiety*. To order your first supply of CALM, click here.

Chamomile 

Chamomile is a flower that can be dried and steeped to make tea. Many people enjoy drinking chamomile tea as a nighttime ritual thanks to the tea’s calming, soothing effects. While it might seem like this tea’s reputation as a sleep aid would be based on a widespread placebo effect, the relaxation response of chamomile is actually rooted in science.

Chamomile tea is an excellent choice for a warm, comforting drink in the evening before bed. The tea is herbal, meaning it’s entirely caffeine-free. In addition, chamomile’s calming effects can help you wind down and get ready for bed, even if you are feeling overwhelmed by the stress and anxiety of the day*.

In addition to drinking chamomile tea, you can also take chamomile as a supplement. The flower is often consumed in supplement form due to its calming effects. We’ve included chamomile in our signature Unwind formula, a combination of natural ingredients designed to help you calm down, relax, and de-stress as the day is ending*.

Stress-supporting night time supplements like chamomile tend to take around 30 minutes to an hour to produce effects. That means the ideal time to take these supplements is about an hour before bedtime. 

By making R3SET’s Unwind capsules a key part of your nighttime ritual, you can get a unique blend of  stress-fighting ingredients, including chamomile, in one high-quality supplement.

Do Natural Remedies Have Side Effects? 

Even though the natural ingredients discussed in this post are very mild and are considered safe, there is still a small chance that they can produce some minor side effects. 

However, negative reactions from natural stress-fighting supplements are uncommon, and they tend to involve cross-interactions with prescription medication. If you are taking prescribed medication, you should always talk to your doctor before adding a new supplement, natural or not, to your daily regimen.

At worst, the side effects that you might experience due to a negative reaction to a natural ingredient are uncomfortable. These symptoms may include headaches, nausea, or mild dizziness. 

However, such negative reactions typically only occur when very large doses of natural remedies are taken. If you stick to the recommended dose of your stress-fighting ingredients, you’re setting yourself up to reap their benefits with minimal risk of side effects.

Summary

All of the natural ingredients discussed in this post are key components in R3SET’s signature Calm and Unwind formula. We included these ingredients in our once-daily capsules thanks to their natural stress-supporting  benefits, as well as their overall safety and minimal risk of side effects. If you are struggling to get stress under control, trying yoga, therapy, or deep breathing techniques, while including a supplement like R3SET in your daily regimen can help to restore your peace of mind.

To learn more about everything R3SET has to offer, click here to visit our products page. In addition, if you have questions about the science of stress, how it affects your physical health, and how the ingredients in R3SET supplements can help you manage your stress, make sure to visit our blog.

* *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/addisons-disease/expert-answers/adrenal-fatigue/faq-20057906 https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4594160/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/

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