How Music Helps to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

by Ingredia USA | Mar 9, 2022 | Stress Management & Sleep Disorders

What’s the correlation between music and stress? The past two years have been historically stressful for many people. 

Between a global pandemic, political upheaval, catastrophic weather events, and interpersonal drama, people are more stressed than they have ever been. Therapy, meditation, yoga, and other stress-relieving techniques are gaining in popularity. 

With that in mind, it makes sense that music for anxiety and stress is getting attention. That’s why we’ve assembled a guide to the connection between music and stress. Let’s get started!

1. Music Provides Connection

Bonding with other people is difficult. Depending on where you live, you may still be worried about the pandemic. And navigating stresses around work, family, friends, and other relationships makes connection difficult.

This is especially true in the modern age when scientists say that we are suffering from a lack of interpersonal connection. That’s why music is the universal language—you can connect with anyone over their love of the same band, artists, genre, or performance. 

Relaxing music for anxiety and stress is different for everyone. If you want to connect with people who love the same music you do, your ‘calming music’ doesn’t need to be classical jazz. Whether you love country, hip-hop, or pop, any music to relieve stress and anxiety can be effective.

2. Music Is a Distraction

Sometimes, you need to work through your feelings. Therapists sometimes refer to this process as ‘sitting with your feelings.’ There may not be concrete work, but feeling them—as opposed to distracting or stuffing them down—is crucial to the healing process. 

Conscious processing isn’t the only way to deal with them, however. Instead, being able to ‘feel your feelings’ through music is important. That’s why we tend to turn to a Taylor Swift album or an Adele single during times of heartbreak.

The music is sad, so it compounds our own feelings of sorrow or heartbreak. This provides a sense of camaraderie, but it’s also a distraction. Hearing how someone else processed their feelings provides an alternate view of the situation.

When you’re distracted, your body is no longer in fight-or-flight mode. Instead, you have a chance to calm down, think about something else besides your breakup or toxic job, and take a time-out from your own emotional or mental issues. 

Whether you choose classical music for stress and anxiety or choose to jam out to Broadway show tunes, any type of distraction can help. Music that you aren’t familiar with can sometimes be better since it forces your brain to tune in and pay attention. 

3. Music Reduces Cortisol Levels 

Cortisol is sometimes known as ‘the stress hormone.’ It triggers a fight-or-flight response in your body, which is good for immediate survival. This reaction helps people exhibit superhuman strength in crisis, run farther than they ever dreamed, and survive the predator-prey situations our ancestors experienced. 

Today, though, cortisol can often do more harm than good. If you’re in a state of chronic stress, your body is constantly releasing cortisol. This may leave you emotionally drained and exhausted.

When you listen to calming music to reduce stress, your cortisol levels often drop. The human body wasn’t made to maintain extreme fight-or-flight responses over long periods of time.

But when you’re grieving, or going through a breakup, or staying at a toxic job, that’s exactly what your body does. Listening to music to relieve stress and anxiety can provide small patches of relief to help you get through the day. 

4. Music Slows You Down 

If you’re a big fan of rock or hip-hop, listen to those genres! But there’s still an argument to be made about classical music for stress and anxiety. 

When you listen to calming genres, such as classical music, indie music, or other slow music, your body calms down. Your body’s biological processes, such as breathing and heart rate, often react to the music you’re listening to.

When your breathing slows and your heartbeat is beating normally, you will feel less stressed. This gives you an opportunity to relax on a biological level, not just a mental or emotional one.

5. Music Sparks Creativity

Music to relieve stress and anxiety is a great idea because it sparks creativity. Human beings weren’t made to exist in a constant state of production. Instead, taking time to be creative, use our imaginations, and make things is crucial. 

Creativity is often emphasized for children. Rather than considering it childish, taking creativity into our adult lives is massive stress relief. There’s no ‘wrong way’ to be creative, which lowers the stakes and associated stress with everyday life. 

That’s why listening to music can help spark your creativity. Whether it’s an instrumental piece or there are lyrics involved, music is meant to tell a story. Humans are communal, storytelling creatures, and hearing someone’s story can help you decide to tell one of your own. 

Whether you make your own music, tell verbal stories, draw, or simply enjoy imagining stories in your head, music prompts the creativity that can distract you from ‘the real world.’ If you’re looking to reduce stress and anxiety, music is the way to go.

The Connection Between Music And Stress

Music and stress are associated together because one helps reduce the other. Whether you prefer old country classics or new rap music, there’s something for everyone.

Take the time to experiment a little when finding the genre or artist that really calms you down. After all, there’s no reason to subject yourself to elevator music just because you think it ‘should be’ calming. In fact, listening to music you hate will only raise your stress levels—not reduce them. 

Being able to holistically care for yourself, through music, a healthy diet, and the right supplements are also good ways to reduce stress. If you’re interested in learning more about being able to holistically take care of yourself, contact us today! We can help.

The Negative Effects of Stress Eating

by Ingredia USA | Jan 6, 2022 | Stress Management & Sleep Disorders

Stress eating is a vicious cycle perpetuated by anxiety. So, it’s no surprise that 47 percent of adults say they have been eating more or eating unhealthy foods due to the stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

If have found yourself wondering — why do I stress eat? — and want to learn how to stop, keep reading. This article explains the reasons for emotional eating, its impact, and how to help yourself. 

What Is Stress Eating?

Stress eating, also called emotional eating, is a pattern of eating and behavior that causes one to push down emotions with food. Physical appetite or hunger does not have anything to do with stress eating. 

Unsurprisingly, there is a link between stress and weight gain. When a person’s levels of stress rise, it’s not unusual that they put healthy eating on the back burner. Stress may cause one to:  

• Exercise or move less 
• Eat comfort foods 
• Skip meals
• Overeat
• Eat whatever is accessible (which is often unhealthy)
• Drink less water 

This is because stress causes the body’s cortisol and adrenaline levels to rise, which triggers a physiological response that may compel one to turn to high fat, high sugar, energy-dense, and low nutritional value comfort foods.

This response, known as fight-or-flight, is leftover from the days of early human development when stressors were life-threatening, and food was in short supply. While there is still some benefit to this response, prolonged or chronic stress can lead to a number of different health issues, especially binge eating and complications that can follow. 

Stress Eating Disorder

While it is normal to eat when you are not hungry to relax, stress eating disorder is different. Stress eating disorder follows cycles of high stress, excessive eating, followed by shame and/or more stress. 

This cycle may look like:

You have a hard day at work or get into a fight with someone important to you, so you turn to food, often something sugary, salty, or high in fat, for comfort. Even if you are not hungry, you eat and maybe continue eating past the point of fullness. After the stress eating episode comes a wave of shame or worry, which in turn causes more stress.

When that new wave of stress is not dealt with in a healthy way, it can loop back into another cycle of emotional eating. Not only is it damaging to mental health, but this type of interaction with food can have a negative impact on your physical health. 

Side Effects of Stress Eating Disorder 

Stress eating disorder is a cycle. This cycle can cause mental and physical health side effects such as:

• Excessive fatigue 
• Increased abdominal fat
• Fluctuations in weight 
• Stomach pain, cramping, or other gastrointestinal issues
• Preoccupation with food 
• Feeling out of control
• Isolation 
• Difficulties telling the difference between emotional and physical hunger 

Stress, in conjunction with emotional eating, can also raise your risks for diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart conditions. As cortisol builds with excessive stress, it may raise your blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. These changes also contribute to the accumulation of arterial plaque and coronary artery disease. 

Cortisol also impacts metabolic function, which can make weight loss more difficult. Obesity is a compounding factor of each of these conditions and can serve to cause more stress. Conditions like high cholesterol or diabetes do not happen overnight or just because you indulge every once in a while.

The more immediate signs that stress is taking a toll on your body are sleep issues like insomnia, muscle tension, muscle pain, and migraines. However, if stress and related issues like emotional eating go untreated for long enough, your cardiac health may begin to suffer. 

Treating Stress and Emotional Eating 

As mentioned above, stress and emotional eating feed into one another, causing a cycle that is not easy to break. So, what can you do to help manage a stress eating disorder?

Add More Movement To Your Day 

Try to add more movement and exercise to your daily routine. This can include going on a walk, trying out yoga, signing up for a gym, or even setting a timer on your phone that will remind you to get up and stretch every once and a while. Start out small and work your way up to bigger activities if you are intimidated by the idea of beginning a new fitness routine. 

Getting Professional Treatment 

Knowing how to stop stress eating is a process that is hard to take on alone. Reach out to your general physician for help or a referral to a specialist. The consequences are not only physical but mental too, so it is strongly suggested you seek out a mental health specialist as well. 

A therapist or doctor specializing in emotional eating behaviors can help teach you coping mechanisms and strategies for dealing with the thoughts food suppresses. 

Identify and Try to Remove Your Triggers 

Triggers can be emotional, like stress, boredom, anger, or social anxiety. Practice identifying what triggers you to overeat or eat emotionally and take a five-minute break before acting on any impulsive thoughts. Go for a walk, do some deep breathing, or take a moment to assess what you are feeling and why you want to stress eat. 

Other triggers may be environmental. These may include keeping certain types of food in your home that you know you go to when you are stressed out. Consider planning out your meals, making substitutions, or proportioning the food into appropriate containers. 

You do not have to cut out the trigger foods completely. Try not to assign a “value” to them or feel ashamed after eating them, as it will continue the cycle. Instead of thinking of them as taboo or off-limits, let yourself eat them in proper serving sizes to help control the urges. 

You Can Control Stress Eating 

Stress has an impact on many aspects of your life, and it can seriously impact your health. Stress eating is a self-perpetuating cycle that is difficult to break on your own. We hope this article helps you identify resources and motivates you to ask for help. 

Take a look at our activities page to see Ingredia’s natural products for stress relief and overall wellness.

How the Stress of the Holidays and Holiday Travel Plans Can Affect Your Animals

by Ingredia USA | Dec 10, 2021 | Stress Management & Sleep Disorders

Looking forward to holiday travel? Many Americans are planning on ‘revenge travel‘ — traveling more to make up for not being able to see friends and family during the pandemic.

As a result, trips will be longer, farther, and more involved than before. While these adventures may be exciting for you, what about your pet?

Pet stress spikes during the holidays. Animals are often creatures of habit and disrupting those habits can often stress them out and impact their health.

If you’re wondering how to reduce pet anxiety over the holidays, we’ve assembled a guide to help you out. Let’s get started!

1. Plan Ahead 

Assuming that your pet ‘will be alright’ is always dangerous. Cat owners are especially at risk of making this assumption. Cats are famous for being independent, but that doesn’t mean you should leave them alone for days on end. 

No matter what type of pet you have, they are used to the routine. That routine includes being walked, seeing you regularly, being fed at certain times, and so forth. 

No part of their routine has equipped them for being lonely in an empty house and drinking stale water out of a dish that hasn’t been replenished for days. If you don’t plan ahead, though, boarding shelters and pet sitters will be all booked up. 

If you plan ahead, you’ll be able to introduce your pet to their new circumstances. This will reduce their holiday stress, make sure the boarding or pet sitting arrangement is a good fit, and help keep them safe.

2. Establish the Rules 

What does your holiday travel situation look like this year? Maybe your holiday and pet stress is reduced slightly because you’re hosting this year, rather than traveling. 

Take a few minutes to consider the potential implications of pets and holidays. If you have a new puppy that is particularly troublesome, it might not be the best time to introduce them to a house full of strangers.

Even if your pet is well-behaved, know that your holiday stress will be compounded by keeping an eye on guests. Feeding your pet table scraps without permission can be fatal and will only add to your pet stress.

Try to introduce your pet to new surroundings and people slowly. Make sure you don’t change their diet too much, either. While it might be tempting to let them fill up on holiday treats, altering things too much could stress them out and negatively impact their digestion.

3. Make Some Changes

What if you’re only living for two days? If you have a healthy adult cat, for instance, most experts on pets and holidays agree you can leave them home alone. While your cat will most likely be okay.

But if you’re wondering how to reduce pet anxiety, you can do more. Even if your pet will be safe, they will still be quite stressed. After all, you are the main constant in your pet’s life. 

Start by playing the radio in your absence. As long as it’s safe to leave something plugged in, keep the radio on low while you’re gone. This will help your pet because the house won’t be silent. 

Create multiple feeding stations around the house, too. This advice depends on the eating habits of your pet. Some cats in particular are able to self-regulate.

Other pets will eat any food in sight, and then be sick. If this is the case, you may choose to invest in an automatic feeder for your absence. If not, you can set up multiple food and water bowls in different places. 

This will prevent your pet from running out and going hungry or thirsty while you’re not there to replenish the supply. Once you have their basic needs covered, though, it’s time to consider enrichment activities.

4. Enrichment Activities

How much of your day do you spend playing with your pet? Do they snuggle up in your lap when you watch TV at the end of the day? This is a huge part of their day. 

When you’re gone, what can you do to make sure they aren’t as bored as they might otherwise be? You can start with a new toy or two. 

This will make sure they have something shiny to play with and can help stimulate them and make your pet happier while you’re away on holiday travel. Their favorite treats won’t hurt, either. 

Of course, make sure it isn’t wet food that will go bad quickly. You’ll also want to limit the amount you set out — a balanced diet is crucial to pet health. That way, they won’t eat too quickly and get sick.

If you have a cat, there are plenty of things you can do to make life more exciting for your feline friend. Consider setting up some cardboard boxes in your absence. 

Cats love to nest inside contained, warm spaces. If you tuck a shirt of yours in there, so much the better! 

You can also create small blanket forts. Cats love dark spaces and lurking there usually brings them some joy during your absence. You can set these up in their usual favorite napping spots, anyway. 

Some pets also appreciate high perches. If it’s safe, you can set up some sort of perch or scratching tower for your pet to rest on in your absence. Whatever you do, make sure that you plan ahead for your pet’s safety above all else.

Reducing Pet Stress for Holiday Travel 

Pet stress might spike during holiday travel, but this is a short time of the year. All the quality time you spend with your pet at other times of the year pays off, and they’ll soon be feeling less stressed as soon as their routine is back to normal.

Reducing pet stress through careful planning, a healthy diet, and stress management techniques can help make the holidays better for both of you. If you’re interested in great supplements that can help with stress reduction, contact us today!

Holiday Stress: 8 Ways to Cope With Stress During the Holidays

by Ingredia USA | Dec 4, 2021 | Stress Management & Sleep Disorders

Did you know that 88% of Americans consider the holiday season the most stressful time of year? This time of year is filled with activities, from holiday parties to family events. While the Christmas season is meant to bring feelings of cheer and love, it can bring about feelings of holiday stress for many people. 

If you need help managing holiday stress, you’re not alone. Family reunions can bring about conflict, and shopping excursions can cause great anxiety. 

This guide includes our top eight-holiday stress tips to help you cope with Christmas season holiday stress. 

1. Set Holiday Intentions 

Make the conscious decision to enjoy this time as much as you can. By doing so, you’re opening yourself up to true happiness and overall improved well-being. You’re less likely to miss uplifting moments, and you even might notice them more than if you hadn’t set that intention. 

When you set an intention, you prep your brain for positive things to happen. When you allow yourself to feel positive emotions, you can become more receptive, sensitive, and open to future experiences. You’ll start to soak up more positive experiences and feelings as a result. 

2. Honor Your Emotions 

While we all want to have positive thinking all of the time, it’s not always realistic or practical. Allow yourself to feel whatever emotion you’re feeling in the moment, whether it’s loneliness or sadness. 

Try to anticipate moments where you might be feeling down. These types of moments can happen, especially if you’ve recently lost someone or are away from your family. 

One way to practice self-care during the holidays is by journaling your feelings. You can use this time to connect and express your emotions in a healthy manner. 

If you start to feel down, don’t wait to do something about it. Make an appointment with your therapist or schedule time with a loved one to talk on the phone. 

3. Regain Focus By Taking a Break 

Holiday to-do lists can get very long. To practice stress-free holiday shopping, make sure you take a break. Some things you can do during your breaks include:

• Yoga
• Take a bath
• Sip a cup of tea
• Exercise 
• Taking a nap

Let yourself relax by pivoting out of the mode of constantly doing something. It can be difficult to completely disengage from the busyness of the season. However, it’s well worth it to take the time to slow down and get focused. 

4. Live in the Moment 

Let your body register all of the moments when you feel good. One way to do that is to savor the sensation for 15-30 seconds. 

Savoring positive experiences will strengthen your body’s response to them. The longer you hold onto moments where you feel good, the more the memory will become embedded in the brain. 

The important thing to keep in mind is don’t let these good moments be fleeting. Enjoy them and keep them close to your heart during the holiday season. 

5. Be Generous 

Participating in an altruistic act is a great way to stimulate the “pleasure” part of your brain. If you feel like you want to be generous, you should act on that feeling. You’ll start to notice your mind and body expanding as you are generous to other people. 

Monitor how good you feel when you do something for another person without expecting something in return. A generous act doesn’t necessarily have to center around donating money. Some other examples include:

• Giving a friend your full attention
• Opening the door for someone 
• Calling a family member, you haven’t spoken to in a while

Let yourself feel all the feelings that come with generosity. Know that what you’re doing is contributing to the overall well-being of another person. 

6. Practice Gratitude 

Reflect on each of your life’s blessings every day. Be fortunate for everything you have. Directly express feelings of appreciation to loved ones. 

A great way to practice gratitude is to write down something you feel grateful for every day. Try to do at least three things, but taking the time to think of one will make a difference. By expressing gratitude to your loved ones, you’ll feel closer to them. 

7. Create a Holiday Sanctuary 

The atmosphere of your home and workspace is the primary foundation for your overall well-being. It also represents how we feel both inside and out. 

Infuse as many holiday vibes as you can into your environment. Purchase an essential oil diffuser and utilize different holiday scents. Some popular ones include:

• Spruce
• Peppermint
• Cinnamon
• Cardamom

Lighting also plays a huge factor in creating a cozy atmosphere. Candles not only give off muted lighting but Christmas scents as well. 

One idea is to purchase a few pillar candles. Use them to create a “fireplace” in a small area of your home. Decorate them with different items that give you feelings of cheer. 

8. Have Fun 

Do you remember how exciting the holiday season was when you were a child? Allow yourself to feel those sensations again. Be around children in your family so you can partake in their feelings of joy. 

Look for events in your community, like tree lighting ceremonies or parades. You can soak up the feelings of joy from those around you as you enjoy holiday activities. 

While the holidays can be stressful for most people, don’t dwell on those feelings. Allow yourself to feel what you need to feel, but be ready to move on to feelings of joy. 

Use Our Tips to Effectively Manage Holiday Stress

Sometimes holiday stress can happen, even if you prepare for it. Follow our eight tips for managing it so you can enjoy the holiday season to its full potential. 

Explore our activities to learn ways to incorporate our healthy products into your lifestyle. 

7 Stress Management Tips for Busy Parents

by Ingredia USA | Nov 24, 2021 | Stress Management & Sleep Disorders

Out of more than 17,000 parents surveyed around the world, American moms and dads feel more levels of burnout than those in other countries. When you’re not feeling like the best version of yourself, that can make you feel like you’re not the best version of yourself as a parent, leading to even more stress.

You owe it to yourself and your children to prioritize your mental health and learn how to manage stress so you can feel your best. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about how to get started with stress management, we’re here to help. 

Keep reading to learn 7 helpful stress management tips that you can start implementing today and in the coming year. 

1. Rediscover Past Joys

When you become a parent, it’s easy to feel like taking care of your kids is your whole identity. Of course, over time, this can leave you feeling like you don’t even know yourself anymore. Try rediscovering some of the things you used to love before becoming a parent to reconnect with your former self. 

For example, if you used to play baseball, look for a local league to join so you can play once a week. Or, if you used to read a book every week, try committing to reading just 5-10 pages each night. When you rediscover things you used to love, you might find your stress levels go down. 

2. Prioritize Your Health

Did you know that 77% of people who experience stress say that it’s so bad it affects their physical health? Busy parents often don’t feel like they have the time to focus on their own wellness, but prioritizing your health is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your kids. 

Try to incorporate some movement every day, whether it’s going for a walk or practicing a few yoga poses. You can even get the kids involved to help them learn healthy habits from a young age.

Remember that small changes can lead to big results. You don’t have to run 3 miles a day to focus on your health. Just do what you can when you can, and it’s better than nothing.

3. Ask For Help

As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. If your stress levels are soaring, reach out to your village for help. You might ask your partner to stay home with the kids while you go out with friends or get a babysitter so you can go on a long-overdue date night.

The people who care about you will step up when you need them, just like you would do for them. If you don’t ask for help when you need it, your stress levels could lead to burnout syndrome, affecting all aspects of your life. Don’t wait until it’s too late. 

4. Do Something Fun and Different

Oftentimes, getting into a dull routine takes a toll on our mental health and stress levels. Try to break out of the same old monotony by doing something different, even just for an afternoon. Visit that museum you’ve always wanted to explore or check out a restaurant that’s new in town instead of going to your old standby. 

You can even get the kids involved and plan a family staycation for a day in a local hotel. A change of scenery can do wonders for your stress, helping you “reset” before getting back to your normal routine.

5. Make Time for Yourself Every Day

Busy adults often feel like they always need to be “on” for their kids. However, without some time to yourself, that’s not sustainable. Of course, it’s not always possible to get a babysitter if you need time away, but there are small things you can do for yourself each day to recharge. 

For example, you might leave for work a few minutes early so you can sit in the car and take a moment to clear your head before diving into your day. If you stay home with your kids all day, create a set “quiet time” for a bit, where they can play independently while you take a moment for yourself.

Even if your alone time is only 5 minutes, take that time for yourself instead of using it to do chores or errands, so you feel like you have a break. 

6. Connect With Other Parents

No one knows the stress of parenting better than other parents, so make time to connect with your fellow moms and dads. You can exchange parenting advice or talk while your kids play, giving you the much-needed adult interaction that you crave. 

Parenting can sometimes feel isolating, so it helps to remember that you’re not alone in feeling stressed and that other parents are going through it too. 

7. Don’t Overschedule Your Calendar

Is an overbooked calendar part of the reason for your stress? If you find that you’re always saying “yes” to activities, outings, and other commitments, it may be time to take a step back and figure out what you can say “no” to instead. 

While some commitments are unavoidable, your stress levels will always be high if your plate is too full. Maybe the next time sports season rolls around, you enroll your kids in one activity instead of multiple to help scale back your commitments. 

When you have less on your calendar, you’ll have more time for the things that truly bring you joy. 

Follow These Stress Management Tips for Parents

After reading these stress management tips, we hope that you have the knowledge you need to feel like the best version of yourself. Remember, to your kids, you’re a literal superhero. Don’t feel guilty for taking the time to follow these tips to lower your stress. Trust us, your kids will thank you for it!

Looking for more advice? Check out our post on school stress to help your kids manage stress as well.