Finding Balance: Is Stress Good for You?

Stress. Ah, stress. We are all familiar with the feeling: too much to do, too little time, too many demands being placed on us by too many people. There’s no doubt that more of us than ever before are on the lookout for ways to manage and lower stress levels. Last year we spent almost $400 million on stress relief supplements. But can stress ever be beneficial? Could stress even be good for you?

The simple answer is: yes, stress can be good for you. Very good for you, in fact. Just like most facets of health and wellbeing, stress follows the ‘Goldilocks Principle’ whereby too much is detrimental to your health, as is too little, but if you manage to get the levels 'just right' then you could find that stress helps you to get more done and to feel better is the process. Moderating your stress levels is the name of the game.

But how do you know whether or not your stress levels are optimal? And if they are not, what can you do to either up-regulate or down-regulate your stress response? In this article we debunk the myth that stress is inherently bad for your health and productivity, explain how you can achieve the correct balance of stress, and shed light on some of the best supplements for stress and anxiety as well as some top stress-busting nutrition tips.

Ask yourself: am I constantly tired? Is my mood always low? Do I suffer from high blood pressure? Is my skin in bad condition? Am I having trouble sleeping?

If the answer is yes to any or all of the above, you might be suffering from chronic - or too much - stress. Chronic stress can take over your body and mind when normal, low-level stress is not resolved and is, instead, allowed to hang around unchallenged in the body for days, weeks or even months at a time. This kind of stress can weaken the immune system, cause you to feel run-down, lead to insomnia and fatigue, and may result in depression and other mood disorders, high blood pressure and even heart disease.

Chronic stress has been linked to inflammation. Inflammation can be incredibly detrimental to your overall health and can cause lasting damage if not addressed.

LYMA contains an adaptogenic powerhouse (including ashwagandha) to help regulate the amount of cortisol circulating in the body (cortisol is the body’s stress hormone). Taking this daily can be a really effective way to lower cortisol levels, reduce inflammation and encourage your body to revert to homeostasis, (its natural, harmonious state of balance.) LYMA contains 600mg, which is the clinically approved dose.

LYMA also contains potent anti-inflammatory HydroCurc®, which is the most bioavailable and effective form of curcumin on the market as well as affron^®, a novel saffron extract (Crocus sativus L.) that has recently been proven to improve mood in healthy adults.

Despite what we may have been conditioned to believe, too little stress can be just as bad for you as too much stress. In fact, boredom can be classified as its own form of stress.

Boredom, which can be easily conflated with low stress levels, can result in a lack of engagement and counterproductivity at work. Ever found yourself aimlessly scrolling through twitter or browsing the internet for new crockery (that you definitely don’t need, or have space for) when you should have been finishing off a presentation or replying to an urgent email? These time-wasting activities could in fact be a sign that you’re under-stressed.

What should you do if you’re under-stressed and consequently feeling bored and unmotivated? Setting ambitious but - crucially - achievable goals is a great first step. Equally, setting yourself realistic deadlines that make you feel that you’re under a moderate amount of pressure while still ultimately being able to meet them can be really useful. Being realistic with your goal and deadline setting is crucial. If your boredom is work related, it can be useful to communicate to your boss that you’d like to feel a little more - but not too much more - challenged.

A life free of stress definitely sounds desirable. However, research has shown that the happiest and healthiest people are those who have had to overcome adversity or negative experience in early life. One possible conclusion that could be drawn from these findings is that some stress - not too much and not too little - could in fact be good for you.

In fact, research conducted in offices across the US found that employees who reported that they felt under a ‘moderate’ amount of stress at work performed better, learned faster, were better at multitasking and were more resilient than those who felt ‘very’ stressed or ‘not stressed at all’.

It also seems that experiencing a moderate amount of stress early on can make you more resilient to succumbing to the effects of severe stress later on. Researchers found that experiencing some severe stress - in the form of financial hardship, the death of somebody close to them, or a traumatic event in early life - was correlated with overall greater life satisfaction in the years following the event. It is important to note though that those who suffered sustained and repeated stress earlier on, as well as those who had not experienced any form of severe stress, were more likely to report a lack of life satisfaction. This perfectly illustrates the ‘Goldilocks Principle’ we mentioned earlier: not too much, not too little, but just the right amount of stress can be a really positive thing.

There seems to be a sweet spot for stress: too much stress overloads the system with cortisol and inflammation and negatively impacts health, and too little stress can lead to boredom and a lack of productivity which will eventually take its toll on your self-esteem and self-worth. You need to find a middle ground. LYMA’s formula can help you to find balance; to regain the homeostasis that will serve you and that is, fundamentally, your birthright. LYMA works with your body - not against it - to support hormonal regulation and restore your health to harmony.