Ways to Remain Peaceful During Stressful Times

As we all know, this COVID 19 pandemic is quite stressful. Most people are completely out of their comfort zone. What they knew as normal, is now not normal. It’s over a month of the Stay at Home order, and week to week is always emotionally different. To be honest, of course we have had days where we don’t feel like doing much or get sad thinking about what’s going on in the world. The key is to try and find ways to help your mental state of mind and try to find peace during your day. We have come up with a few tips and items that have helped us to stay calm.

Exercise

Exercise creates endorphins in the brain which act as your body’s natural pain killer. It is responsible for boosting your mood and can also create that “runner’s high” feeling after a harder workout. Regular exercise reduces cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol and adrenaline are your body’s stress hormones and can make you feel anxious and depressed. Reducing these chemicals will help you battle stress. Besides the neurochemical aspect to working out, the physical results from regular exercise can also help your mood! The better you look, the better you feel. Any type of exercise you enjoy will help! Running, walking, lifting weights, and yoga are all great ways to exercise and feel good!

Eating Healthy Food

Did you know eating healthy food can help reduce stress and anxiety? Nutrients in some foods can improve blood flow. These nutrients include omega 3’s, polyphenols and vitamin E. Examples of foods with these nutrients are red wine, blueberries, dark chocolate, sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, avocados and green leafy vegetables. A diet rich in these foods could greatly improve your mood by allowing the blood flow to your brain and transport key nutrients. When you eat good healthy food, your whole body feels better which in turn will eliminate stress and anxiety. Think about you feel after you eat a meal filled with fried food versus how you feel when you eat a clean home cooked dinner with lots of veggies? Much better eating the latter, right? We're with ya. Don't get us wrong, pizza every once in while is needed.

Getting Creative

A great way to improve how you are feeling is to get creative! Whether it’s cooking (one of our favorite activities), gardening, or painting, they all allow your mind to expand and focus on better things. It’s easy to get sucked into the news and what’s going on in the world, but try and get outside or in the kitchen. Gardening is a great way to get outside and let your creative side out! Also, of course we are going to say cooking is our favorite of the bunch. Being in the kitchen these days, especially with limited ingredients allows you to be more adventurous. Just play around with what you have remembering to taste as you go, in case it needs to be fixed early on. Been there, done that! Oops.

Hopefully these little tips can help you during these stressful times. These few changes have helped us deal with stress and anxiety in the past and continue to work today. (Also, curling up with a good book and herbal tea can’t hurt).

Below you will find a recipe for Our Avocado Chocolate Mousse. It’s a delicious snack or dessert made with healthy ingredients. Avocados and dark chocolate both contain polyphenols which reduce stress and increase blood flow to the brain. Who knew chocolate was so healthy?

It is not just a healthier chocolate mousse; it is also one of the easiest chocolate mousse recipes you will ever make! Creamy chocolate mousse made with avocado is a dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar free, vegan dessert that is super easy to make and ready to eat in 5 minutes!

AVOCADO CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

2 large, ripe Avocados

3 tablespoons Raw Organic Cacao

1 teaspoon pure Organic Vanilla Extract

1/8 teaspoon Himalayan Sea Salt

1–3 teaspoons pure Organic Maple Syrup

Mix all ingredients together using a hand mixer or food processor. For serving: top with fresh raspberries, bananas or sliced strawberries.

Avocados are incredibly nutritious! They contain more potassium than bananas, are loaded with heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, and are an excellent source of dietary fiber! Eating avocados can help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Raw Organic Cacao contains 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries. It is the highest plant-based source of iron, and is full of magnesium which promotes both healthy heart and brain function. Raw Cacao contains more calcium than cow's milk, and is also a natural mood elevator and antidepressant.