Keep the Holiday Stress Beast Caged
Control holiday stress so it doesn’t end up controlling you.
Holiday stress is normal… What with all the unavoidable time-consuming tasks of the season—shopping in overcrowded stores, searching for the “perfect” presents, preparing the “perfect” roast dinner, and making too numerous (or endless) holiday engagements involving family and friends, all while trying not to wreak havoc on your finances? Who doesn’t get overwhelmed? How does someone make it through without freaking out a little?
With some strategic planning and the help of natural stress-regulating compounds, the holiday beast inside us all can be kept in its cage. Setting realistic budgets, limiting holiday events, being sure to get workouts in, and trying some meditation all can help you to stay sane, as can boosting your body’s natural stress-fighting power with adaptogens!
Adaptogens—compounds from plants that help increase the body’s resistance against stressors—can help normalize your response to, say, navigating through traffic to get to that crowded shopping mall, in which is that last-minute gift you had in mind for your aunt, whose dinner party you’re late to. With adaptogens, you can reach that dinner party with a smile on your face and a calm, cool composure. Holiday happenings can retain their joy!
The longstanding science behind adaptogens tells us that their stress-protective effects happen through multiple mechanisms. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), for instance, has been used for centuries in Asia to treat stress-related health conditions. In 2008, a study showed that highly stressed men and women who took ashwagandha for 60 days had reduced feelings of stress (1). The study’s authors attributed the stress-reducing effects partly to ashwagandha helping consumers maintain normal levels of circulating cortisol (aka “the stress hormone”). Higher levels of circulating cortisol are usually caused by being chronically stressed and not doing anything about it, which can lead to a whole host of health problems (2).
Adaptogen researchers Alexander Panossian and George Wikman, of Sweden, suggest that adaptogens act like “stress vaccines,” meaning they mimic a stress response throughout the body and therefore strengthen the body’s capacity to deal with real stressors when they come along (similar to performing exercise) (3). In this way, they decrease fatigue and improve focus and attention.
Add to that the natural antioxidant power of adaptogens and their ability to combat oxidative stress and potentially enhance the immune system (4-6) and it’s a wonder why everyone isn’t incorporating adaptogens into their daily routine—especially during the holidays!
Why wait? Get a head-start on handling the holiday stress and be sure to add adaptogens to your daily routine with Ionix Supreme, the elixir deemed “nature’s answer to stress.” The cocktail of adaptogens and all the healthy effects that come with are not to be missed—stress protection, improved performance, and raising antioxidant status. By getting your adaptogens in every day—now and through the new year—you might surprise yourself on just how jolly you can be this holiday season.
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