Do you step out for a smoke? Do you grab a cup of coffee? Do you anxiously wait until 5pm until you can get a bottle of wine on the way home? Do you hold back tears? Do you run for a sweet fix?
Seriously, how do you handle stress at work?
I ask these questions because I’ve been there and I’d feel that stress even before the week started.
You see I hated Sundays. My once most beloved day of the week was now a day that filled me with dread, anxiety and a list of items running like a hamster in a wheel until Monday hit. This used to be a day that I looked forward to watching the Smurfs on TV smelling my mother make eggs for breakfast and my father singing along to classic Brazilian jazz. But during my days in advertising, I hated it. It would remind me of the week ahead, how much I hated my job and my boss who would shut down every idea I had. My heart would pound, my hands would get sweaty and during my walk to the subway, I’d start to get nauseous.
If only I knew what I know now, I could quite possibly have gotten through it without getting so sick because the stress practically ate me alive. So here is a listing of what you need to incorporate into your world, pronto:
Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar or a Bitter’s tincture
One of the first things I noticed back then is that my digestion plummeted. Suddenly foods I had eaten for years weren’t digesting and I was constantly bloated. You see, when we’re stressed, our body isn’t focused on digesting, so our stomach decreases substantially. We then lack the ability to digest proteins, turn on energizing vitamins like B12 and we bloat. And I don’t know about you, but how awesome do you feel when your digestion is in knots? [Queue sarcasm]
Directions: Take 1 tsp of a bitters tincture or unpasteurized apple cider 10mins before meals.
Pascoflair by Pascoe
I’ve ranted about this supplement in a past video and I do so because I have felt the benefits myself. Pascoflair is the highest concentration of passionflower, which helps to calm feelings of anxiety without sedating you. And the bonus is there are no known contraindications. Had I have known about this, I would have carried a box of it in my purse as an Ad Exec.
Directions: Take 1-2 with a bout of anxiety.
Probiotics
One of the biggest ways to manage stress is to do your best to equip your body with the good stuff so the stress blows aren’t as bad and probiotics are a must. Dr. Mercola had recently compared it to the new Prozac and why: because a lack of healthy, friendly bacteria leads to increased cortisol production (our stress hormone).
Directions: Take 1 capsule (30 billion per live cell) with breakfast daily. Effects will be seen after a 3-6 month period.
Now I’m not in any way saying I never get stressed now, because of course I do. As an entrepreneur, I’m responsible for my own pay cheque (not to mention others on my team). There are wins and losses (or what I’d like to see as unfinished success) and it can be incredibly isolating.
What does help is building a tribe, which is why I love the Sexy Lady Balls so much because the support is paramount. There are recipes, yoga tutorial videos, interviews and so much more, including a community to support you. So if you feel like your stress is taking over, like your digestion is a mess, like your hormones are all out of whack and that your anxiety has reached new heights, then I urge you to join us.