Chronic Stress Resolves with Integrative Therapies
Are you suffering from the effects of chronic stress? If so, you are not alone. Over 80% of people report high levels of ongoing stress related to various societal stressors. This high prevalence of anxiety and stress causes significant health effects. Importantly, you may not always be able to reduce external sources of stress. However, you can learn effective coping strategies and improve your self-care. Here, I present some integrative therapies for chronic stress that are beneficial, highly effective, and life-changing. They also will enhance your stress resilience.
Numerous Research-Based Integrative Therapies Reduce Chronic Stress
Research supports the use of numerous integrative therapies that help increase stress resilience. These include yoga (see Resources, Yoga and Healing), meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and exercise. Additionally, substantial evidence supports mind-body therapies such as yoga, breathwork, massage and other bodywork, and hypnotherapy. I have worked with all of these modalities in my career.
Other therapies with strong efficacy include acupuncture, music, and sound therapy. Ecotherapy or nature healing is also essential for recovering from chronic stress. Please see my Blog, Nature Healing, for more information on this burgeoning therapy field. I will personalize any recommendations according to your specific needs and preferences.
Holistic Nutrition and Plant Medicine Harmonize the Whole Being
As a certified integrative mental health professional, I focus on supporting and harmonizing the body, mind, and soul. My integrative and functional medicine training also informs my work with holistic nutrition and plant medicine.
Plant medicine (botanical, herbal, or phytomedicine) has been practiced since prehistoric times. Furthermore, due to its popularity, relative safety, and effectiveness, many current research studies support its use. Here is an interesting botanical research study.
Please see my Bio for more information about my professional experience and qualifications. Also, check out Services, Integrative Medicine for Mental Health, and Botanical Medicine for more information about my work. Thanks.
When we work together, we will focus on your primary concerns. Most people are stressed in several areas of their lives. As part of my holistic therapy model, we may also focus on your nutritional status, blood sugar, gut health, and function. Or you may need support for your brain health and quality of sleep. Some may choose to prioritize relationship healing. Whatever your chief concern, I work intuitively and comprehensively to meet your needs.
And if you are using food or other behavioral addictions to suppress your emotions, I specialize in resolving these issues. Amazingly, flower essences and essential oils have proven invaluable. For information on my work with emotional eating patterns, please see my blogs, Holistic Nutrition Eases Stress Eating, and Flower Essences Heal the Soul. Thanks.
Balancing the Adrenal Glands Helps Resolve Chronic Stress.
The integrative stress management approach also involves balancing the adrenal glands and stress hormones. Stress is defined as any disturbance that triggers the stress response. For example, stressors may include extreme cold or heat, psychological factors, sleep deprivation, work overload, physical trauma, relationship issues, and toxic exposures. The body’s stress response system comprises the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Prolonged stress triggers the HPA axis. Hans Selye discovered the General Adaptation Syndrome, which consists of three stages of the stress response: stage 1: alarm, stage 2: resistance, and stage 3: exhaustion.
Stage 1 adrenal fatigue is the alarm phase and is short-lived. The body’s normal fight-or-flight response to danger is characterized by elevated cortisol levels. Stage 2 is the resistance phase, which allows the body to continue buffering extended stress exposure long after dissipating the initial fight-or-flight response. Hormones released by the adrenals, such as cortisol and DHEA, help support the “resistance” reaction. However, Stage 3 follows an extended period of stress that not only burdens the system, creating an imbalance in cortisol and DHEA production, but can result in mental and physical fatigue, nervous tension, irritability, and poor memory.
Integrative health consultations include evaluating your level of adrenal fatigue to guide and support you effectively. For example, I would personalize any recommendations according to whether you are likely in adrenal stage 1, 2, or 3. Fortunately, several integrative health options may be beneficial, such as adrenal support nutrients and formulas, stress management, and plant medicines. For more information, reach out to me below. Thanks.
Recovering from Fatigue and Depression with Integrative Mental Health Care
In addition to adrenal fatigue, there are many other physical causes of fatigue to consider. Genetic predispositions are important to evaluate, but epigenetics is the key to regaining control of your health through lifestyle choices and inner work. For more information, see this excellent book, Dirty Genes.
Also, depression and mood disorders often accompany adrenal fatigue. In addition to psycho-spiritual factors, these conditions may be correlated with an inflamed gut and brain, infections, sleep disorders, metabolic disorders, toxicity, or thyroid imbalances. Indeed, an integrative health model includes obtaining a comprehensive medical evaluation by your providers. This is especially important if you are suffering from fatigue or depression.
Optimizing sleep is another critical issue that helps resolve chronic stress and fatigue. The brain detoxifies during the late stages of sleep via the glyphatic system. To optimize your brain’s nightly cleansing, avoid food, nicotine, and alcohol for two to three hours before bedtime so the liver and glymphatic system can begin detoxifying and healing your brain. Also, keep a regular sleep schedule, avoid naps, turn your cell phone off in another room, and practice sleep hygiene.
Flower Remedies are a Secret Key to Recovering from Chronic Stress and Illness.
For healing to occur, it is also essential to include the psycho-spiritual dimension. Wounds to the psyche (soul) are often at the root of health issues. Because of this, it is necessary to honor your soul’s needs, no matter your chief concern. For a more detailed explanation, please see Services, Dream Exploration and my Blog, Healing and Soul Care.
Additionally, flower essences are very helpful in resolving these wounds because of their direct effect on the psyche. These organic plant medicines are also very helpful in resolving chronic stress and its impact on your health. Importantly, flower essences combine well with any other form of therapy and are matched according to your specific issues.
For example, you may suffer from fatigue and exhaustion from grief and loss, soul-weariness and burnout, or compassion fatigue. Here are some examples of flower remedies that may be helpful: Olive is powerful in resolving mental and physical exhaustion, while Wild Rose aids psycho-spiritual burnout and apathy. Flora-Sleep optimizes sleep by combining flower essences with essential oils, enhancing the benefits of both.
Advanced Therapies for Depression and Anxiety
Because anxiety and depression often accompany chronic stress and fatigue, utilizing an integrative mental health approach is vital. So, in addition to your thorough medical evaluation, I offer my expertise in exploring what you may not have considered thus far.
In addition to Flower Essence Therapy, Aromatherapy, or the therapeutic use of essential oils, is a wonderful adjunct to other therapies. See 15 Best Essential Oils to Relieve Anxiety and Stress HERE.
Furthermore, it is important to understand the connection between leaky gut syndrome and mental and physical illness. A ‘leaky drug’ directly causes a ‘leaky brain.’ For instance, toxins that pass the blood-brain barrier contribute to many neurological and psychiatric conditions. A leaky, inflamed gut and brain cannot produce neurotransmitters properly.
You may also have heard that the gut has an enteric nervous system that is strongly affected by acute and chronic stress. Fortunately, an integrative health model can heal a porous intestinal lining and balance these chemicals in the gut and brain. If this aspect of my work is relevant to your chief concerns, I can guide and support you in this process.
Summary of Integrative Therapies for Chronic Stress
In summary, I offer many tools to support your recovery from chronic stress. However, if your energy or motivation is low or you need to nurture some part of yourself to proceed, I will guide you with the most effective wellness tools to jump-start your recovery. I look forward to hearing from you and supporting you on your path to healing.
For more information, see Services, Wellness and Therapy, and Holistic Nutrition,
Blogs, Stress Eating, and Plant Therapies,
and Resources, Yoga and Healing, and Health Information.
Ready to book a consult? Get in touch with me HERE for your free consultation. Thanks.