The World Health Organisation defines mental health as “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
For many people, their state of wellbeing has been thrown into question during the pandemic of 2020. For some, there have been many positives that have emerged from the pandemic, for example, learning to slow down and be more present. For others, there have been many negatives, for example, losing their job, losing a loved one, living on their own with little social connection.
The statistics show that one month post Covid-19, anxiety had increased by 63%, depression 50% and stress 64% in the Australian population.
Personally, I really enjoyed a different way of life at first but towards the end of the strict second lockdown, I was starting to suffer from anxiety and stress. This is what urged me to write this blog. Many people I met at that time were feeling the same but we were getting through it by thinking of the positive aspects. Maybe it’s too early for PTSD but many people could be affected in years to come. Many symptoms of PTSD overlap with severe stress. Here are some of the most common symptoms of severe stress:
• Headaches
• Sleep disturbances (insomnia or nightmares)
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Dramatically fluctuating body weight
• Disordered eating
• Difficulty coping with relationships or work
You can’t control the pandemic but you can strengthen your resilience to deal with it, both physically and psychologically. Simple changes to diet and lifestyle can have a significant impact on potentially reversing symptoms of stress and help you to regain control of your life – promoting peace of mind and vibrant energy, supporting sound sleep and an effective stress response, nourishing your nervous system and happy hormones and optimising gut-brain function.
Therefore, symptoms and conditions associated with anxiety, depression and traumatic stress can be improved by using a combination of multi-targeted nutrients that modulate the neuroendocrine and central nervous system (CNS) and neurotransmitters, down-regulate the immune system and neuroinflammation and regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
We can usually increase our resilience through social connections, meaning and purpose but if that’s not available, our resilience is reduced. Multi-targeted nutrients can make a big difference, as well as changes to your diet. If diet changes seem too huge a challenge right now, multi-targeted nutrients can definitely help get you on the right path to resilience.
Some nutrients involved in the above are magnesium, B vitamins, Vitamin C, zinc, turmeric, saffron, along with many combinations of nutrients to suit specific symptoms. Only personalized advice can help you determine which is suited for you.
If you need help and would like a chat, you can book a free 20 minute call here. Or you can drop me a line at sal@saltheutritionist.com.au. If you know someone who is struggling, I would love you to share. Thank you!
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