Immunity and Stress
Hows everyone going out there? Feeling the rollercoaster of emotions like I am? Its unchattered waters, this global pandemic and its understanding that emotions are up and down! Add in some isolation and fear of the unknown and it becomes very natural and common to experience feelings of anxiety, insomnia and depression. This is not the time to beet yourself up for feeling crap, nor the time to think ‘I should just be positive’.
Positivity is not going to save your ass from illness! Especially if you DONT FEEL POSITIVE! Dont get me wrong, thoughts absolutely have roll to play in our health BUT if you are in the depths of overwhelm, trying to force yourself to think positive, you will quickly think the exact opposite and feel even crappier because you couldnt do it! Sound familiar?
Studies show that stress massively impacts our immune function! Chronic stress (be that physical stress, emotional stress, environmental stress, work stress or homeschooling stress ect) causes inflammation in the body. The body and immune system is busy dealing with the inflammation caused by STRESS.
Then along comes a bug, virus, bacteria… and BOOM, you have been invaded by the bug because your immune system was too busy dealing with your stress and inflammation to notice it was under attack. Very quickly, the bug grabs hold of your body and you are feeling like shizzle… NOT how you want to be feeling in a global pandemic! #iso
So for us here in Aus, COVID-19 has just hit our waters really… And we are heading in to FLU SEASON… Excuse my excitement… (When times are challenging, I turn to inappropriate humor, #soznotsoz hehe) so how can we reduce the stress on our bodies, give our immune system a break and our bodies a better chance at fighting off disease?
These are the top 5 things I do in my home and in my clinic in Camden to support the body and immune system;
STRESS LESS - Easy right! Check out my blog ‘Busting Stress by Balancing Blood Sugars’ on how to reduce dietary stress on our bodies.
GRAPEFRUIT AND FRESH GINGER IN MY WATER ~ Each day I squeeze half a grapefruit and about 3mm of ginger in to my water bottle (and some medicinal mushrooms). It tastes delicious, supports my immune system and helps balance my cortisol.
ELIMINATE FOODS YOUR BODY DOESNT LIKE ~ Example: If you KNOW you are intolerant to dairy, you will probably feel pretty crappy when you eat it! If you do feel crappy, this is because your body feels like its under attack from the dairy and turns on your immune system to sort it out! If your immune system is busy dealing with your food intolerance, it can be side swiped by pesky lil viruses quite quickly! Do your self a favor and eliminate those questionable foods you suspect are not great for you for a while.
INCLUDE IMMUNE LOVING FOODS IN YOU DIET ~ Having a salad? Add a bunch of parsley! Having a pasta, add some extra garlic. Herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables naturally fight viruses whilst they are growing in nature so it makes sense that these foods can help our bodies too!
GET SOME SUNSHINE ~ It is so easy to sit in doors scrolling right! And the day just passes on by! Vitamin D is so important for our immune system and our mental health… studies suggest adequate levels of Vitamin D reduce feelings of depression by 30% and as a bonus, it FEELS GOOD!
I hope you are feeling empowered by the end of all this and this is the whole purpose! This is exactly how I want you to feel because empowered feels good! Good reduces stress. Reduced stress supports our immune system.
For some extra support and guidance, I am offering IMMUNE BOOSTER ~ EXPRESS COACHING for only $40!!!! To book in via telehealth (dw its so easy!) you can click here.
Please be safe and be well, Charmaine xxx
