How to Use a Stress Journal and 5 Tips for Stress Management

We all know that stress can be a negative influence. But sometimes it can feel like there is nothing we can do about our stress level. Not true! There will always be more to do, more decisions to make, and more situations to mediate, but---how we manage our stress is something we can control.

The trick is to be proactive. To be proactive we have to take charge of what we can control (our environment, our attitude, our thoughts, our choices) and stop worrying about what is out of our control. In other words, balance. The long-term goal is to create balance in our life (balance between work, home, and relaxation) so that when stressful situations arise, we are better equipped to mediate and neutralize them.

To create balance, we must first know what causes us stress. Simple, we know. Yet, many people know what it feels like when they are already stressed out but cannot identify how they got stressed out, the actual trigger. One tool you can use to identify what causes you to stress out and why is a stress journal.

Like a food journal, a stress journal helps you to look at your habits and your choices. It does not need to be fancy. A simple notebook will work. Every time you feel stressed, write it down in your journal. Include the date, what you feel caused the stress, how you felt, how you responded, and whether or not you felt better.

Then at the end of every week or month (whatever time period you set for yourself), review your journal. Over time patterns will emerge: patterns in your stress triggers and in your response. If how you are dealing with stress no longer works for you, it is time to try some healthier strategies. Document these in your stress journal, too, and take note of when you start to feel better.

Here are 5 tips for stress management:

1. Simplify your to-do list.
2. Express your feelings as they arise.
3. Adjust your expectations and focus on the positive.
4. Let go of what you cannot control.
5. Relax—take an aromatherapy bath, enjoy a fresh mug of herbal tea, go for a walk, laugh.

For more health and wellness tips, download the ACHS Wellness Guide HERE.

For current studies on the use of complementary alternative medicine (such as herbs) with stress, visit the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine website HERE.

Walnuts and Walnut Oil May Be Useful with Stress

Do you love walnuts? We do! They have such a velvety texture and rich flavor. Plus, walnuts are a heart-healthy food. Walnuts (almonds, hazelnuts, and many other nuts too) have the "good" fats— both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—thought to lower bad cholesterol levels and also are a good source of omega-3s, fiber, and vitamin E.

So, we thought you would want to know that new research from Penn State University suggests a diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may also help a person's body to better manage stress.

Penn State recently release the statement "Walnuts, walnut oil, improve reaction to stress" explaining researchers' findings that "walnuts and walnut oil in the diet lowered both resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress in the laboratory," and that, "average diastolic blood pressure—the "bottom number" or the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting—was significantly reduced during the diets containing walnuts and walnut oil." Their findings have been reported in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Here's a link to a healthy recipe for Beet Walnut Salad you can make in minutes. In addition to walnut and beets, this recipe also includes apples, celery, and salad greens. Some fresh herbs may make a nice addition, too! What do you think, rosemary? Dill?

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You can read more about this research on EurekAlert! HERE.

New Definition of PTSD Creates Greater Access for Veterans

According to a recent article on the website Military.com, there is a new process for service members to claim post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans who may not have engaged in combat, but are experiencing symptoms of PTSD no longer have to cite a specific incident on their claim. Rather, "the new policy recognizes that living with the fear of death and injury may be enough for troops to develop mental health issues," said Bryant Jordan in "New PTSD Rules Relax Definition".

Veterans are no longer required to cite specific incidences of stress--or support their claims with documentation. Veterans are now only required to show that they served in a combat zone and performed a job "consistent with conditions related to their PTSD symptom." And "many more veterans will now be able to file claims for PTSD, including troops who did not have direct contact with the enemy," Michael Walcoff, acting undersecretary for benefits for the VA, said during a press conference in Washington DC.

Women, Walcoff said, will be among the major beneficiaries "because their military records often did not reflect combat experience." In addition, doctors, nurses, and troops working in medical care who witnessed trauma, and other troops who found themselves working in a stressful role, will also benefit.

For more information about using aromatherapy to help ease symptoms of PTSD, click here for the ACHS article Aromatherapy Can Help PTSD.

"When treating chronic challenges like PTSD, a consistent routine is important. The recommended solution is a combination of wellness protocols such as holistic nutrition and aromatherapy." Click here to learn more about aromatherapy and wellness protocols for PTSD.

> Click here to read New PTSD Rules Relax Definition: http://www.military.com/news/article/new-ptsd-rules-relax-definition.html?col=1186032310810&ESRC=dod.n

CDC Guidance for Relief Works and Others Traveling to Haiti

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have posted new information for relief workers and others traveling to Haiti as part of the relief and recovery efforts.

Before leaving for Haiti, the CDC recommends vaccination for Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Hepatitis B. If you are not sure about your vaccination status, it is best to check with your primary care physician before traveling.

In addition, the CDC website states that "there will be almost no infrastructure support available for Haiti for the immediate future. Relief workers, volunteers, and other travelers will need to be self-sufficient." Pack the following supplies:

• Food and water sufficient for the length of your stay.
• Soap and an alcohol-based hand cleaner (containing at least 60% alcohol)
• Insect protection: insect repellent and a bed net. (For information about natural insect repellents, click here)
  
• Medications: antimalarial pills, medications for the treatment of traveler's diarrhea (e.g., loperamide and an antibiotic), personal prescriptions (including extras), any preferred over-the-counter medications, and copies of all your prescriptions.
• An extra set of prescription eyeglasses and/or contacts.
• Water purification tablets (iodine or chlorine), bleach, or a water purifier.
• Persons with pre-existing health conditions should consider wearing an alert-bracelet and make sure this information is on a contact card in their wallet or travel documents. A contact card should include the following information:
  • Name and contact information of U.S. family member or close contact.
  • Name and contact information of U.S. healthcare provider.
  • Pre-existing health conditions and treatment.
• Personal Protective Equipment: safety glasses or goggles, work boots, leather gloves for physical labor, rubber gloves for handling blood or body fluids, surgical masks, hard hat, ear plugs, N-95 respirators for those who are fit-tested.
• Due to severe damage to health facilities and shortages of medical supplies, carry a first aid kit for your own protection. Minimum suggested contents:
  • Bandages (roller, adhesive, triangular)
  • Sterile gauze pads
  • Disposable gloves
  • Scissors
  • Tweezers
  • Cold compress
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Antibiotic ointment
  • Hydrocortisone ointment
  • Commercial suture/syringe kits to be used by a local health-care provider. These items will require a letter from the prescribing physician on letterhead stationery. Pack these items in checked baggage, since they may be considered sharp objects and confiscated by airport or airline security if packed in carry-on bags.
  • (For information about essential oils first aid travel kits, click here)

For more information about how to protect yourself in Haiti, including information about how to protect yourself from injury, stress, and infection, read the full-length article on the CDC website: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/content/news-announcements/relief-workers-haiti.aspx

Natural Product Recipes and Tips from ACHS Annual Winter Celebration

The 6th Annual ACHS Winter Celebration was a great success! We had more than 40 people attend the workshop, where ACHS President Dorene Petersen demonstrated how to make natural products to support a holistic lifestyle (including herb sugar scrub, aromatherapy and herb bath salt blend, peppermint foot scrub, essential oil blending, and how to make natural lavender and hops sleep pillows).

All of the recipes from the workshop's demonstrations can be downloaded for free from the Apothecary Shoppe College Store website. Click here: http://www.apothecary-shoppe.com/product_info.php?cPath=45&products_id=1548

Here are some of the tips and suggestions for making and using natural products that were shared with workshop participants throughout the day:

• When stressed, it is important to calm the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the "fight or flight" response). To do this, use some deep breathing at least twice a day.
• Store natural products carefully. Air and light can diminish the active constituents in herbs and essential oils.
  
• Coat your body in your favorite base oil and essential oil blend in the morning before you step into the shower. This will stimulate your senses and hydrate at the same time.
• When making a natural product that requires the use of glycerin, make sure your glycerin is plant-based. Glycerin is a humectant and holds in moisture.
  
• After you have stripped lavender from its stalk, do not throw the stalk away. You can use lavender stalks in fireplaces/fire pits to add some soothing hints of lavender.

For more tips like these and to watch Dorene's demonstrations from the Winter Celebration do two things:
#1 Become a Fan of ACHS: http://www.facebook.com/ACHSedu
#2 Subscribe to ACHStv on YouTube, where we have posted hours of instructional holistic health videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/achstv

Herbs and natural foods support optimal brain function

"Many foods an nutrients are known to improve brain function," according to NaturalNews. "Fish has long been known as 'brain food' because of the omega 3 fatty acids, but many other foods can improve and maintain healthy mental function and improve memory."

Adaptogens, for example, help brain function by reducing stress caused by the "fight or flight" response (such as, ginseng and rhodalia), while other plants work to detoxify the blood and brain (such as cabbage, broccoli, collards, kale, brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, arugula, radish, wasabi, watercress, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, and turnips).

Other types of brain-healthy herbs and foods include vitamin D, which is important for calcium absorption, omega 3 fatty acids, thought to help with mood, and protein foods.

In general, "to improve brain function, avoid foods that contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup. [...] Processed foods in general, do not help build healthy bodies or brains."

>> For more information about herbs, herbal medicine, and holistic nutrition, click here
>> Read the full-length article on NaturalNews here

Green Your Life while you earn credit

In case you haven't heard...

ACHS is hosting an exciting wellness retreat October 4-9, the ACHS Green Your Life Retreat at Breitenbush retreat center in Oregon.

And now we have even more exciting news—attend, and you earn 1 elective credit towards your ACHS diploma or degree.

You'll have the opportunity to meet and learn with experts such as:

• Plant Identification Walk with ACHS President Dorene Petersen and Essential Oil Company President Robert Seidel
• Essential Oil Distillation with Robert Seidel
• Children's Health with Deborah Halvorson
• Iridology with Dorene Petersen

>> Click here for more information.

Imagine an opportunity to relax, explore your wellness potential, and get hands-on holistic health experience while you earn credit towards your ACHS diploma or degree.

Call us today at (800) 487-8839 or click here to securely register online. We look forward to helping you green your life!

Fresh lavender distilled from ACHS can be used with stress relief

On June 30 ACHS held a public distillation of lavender from the botanical teaching garden. About a dozen community members helped College President Dorene Petersen with the distillation, including harvesting the lavender from the garden.

Historically, lavender Lavandula angustifolia has been used to relieve stress and its effects, including insomnia and anxiety, and to generally aid relaxation. It can also be used around the home as an effective deodorizer and air freshener, in closets and drawers as a natural insecticide, and as a perfume.

Lavender oil is colorless, pale-yellow or yellowish-green oil. It must be stored at cool temperatures in well-filled, airtight containers, and protected from light.

>>To sample the lavender essential oil from the ACHS distillation, check out the Apothecary Shoppe College Store for your free sample.

>>To see more pictures from the ACHS lavender distillation, friend us on Facebook.

>>To watch the ACHS lavender harvest and distillation, visit our Youtube channel, ACHStv.

Create your own antiaging program in 6 steps

The June edition of More magazine features a special section called "Age proof your health." The article emphasizes two interesting points: 1. that health is primarily do-it-yourself, and 2. using a holistic* approach to health, you can create your own anti-aging program.

Here are six steps for creating your own anti-aging program based on More:

1. Set a time frame.

Pick a set time (they suggest 30 days) to focus on making lifestyle changes. Being specific focuses on your intention and creates a benchmark against which to measure progress.

2. Partner with a doctor.

To find an integrative medicine specialist to work with, More suggests the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. However, you can also alternative healthcare workers through the American College of Healthcare Sciences Practitioner Directory and on industry-specific sites like the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy.

3. Get tested.

Standard tests will show areas of concern, including diabetes and heart disease.

4. Evaluate your diet.

You may want to work with a nutrition consultant, who can help you to develop healthy eating plans. *Incorporating organic herbs into your daily diet will impart additional vitamins and nutrients (and flavor!). For more information about cooking with herbs, download the free lecture Antioxidants and Herbs from the ACHS Apothecary Shoppe.

5. Develop and exercise routine.

Do something active every day. There is no single definition for what "active" means, which provides a great opportunity to make exercise work for you. That can mean taking a walk at lunch, joining a jogging group, or working with a personal training at the gym, to name a few.

6. Reduce stress.

Yoga and breathing exercises both help to reduce stress. For how-to techniques visit the American Institute of Stress website and download this free lecture about aromatherapy.

* What does holistic mean? Holistic is a whole person approach to health care, which emphasizes prevention, and optimal health through a balanced approach to mind, body, and spirit.

Growing vegetables relieves stress and financial strain

When tough economic times hit, our collective money belts cinch tighter and tighter. People stop looking for entertainment out of doors and hunker down for the at-home experience, including eating in.

Yet—there is a silver lining. Although the current economy may cause us to make the move from sidewalk café to sideboard jockey (for a while), there is much to gain along the way. Say hello to stress relief. It may sound counterintuitive—“I’m stressed because everyone is stressed, so I should be frugal and grocery shop and stay home and cook my own dinner.”

But, cooking—and by extension, growing your own food—is an age-old holistic health practice, which promotes relaxation by shifting your focus from mental worry to physical exertion. As anxiety chills, your immune system and cardiovascular systems work better (otherwise known as, “I feel good.”)

It’s a win-win. You feel better AND your wallet feels better, because GIY (grow-it-yourself) gardening gives you fresh vegetables at a fraction of the store-bought price.

How do you get started?

Seed starting. True, you can also save money with month-old plants from your local nursery or home-supply store, but why would you? Seeds are a fraction of the price and produce more of what you want—lots’o’veggies.

One of the best ways to seed start, according to Master Gardener and ACHS Senior Vice President Erika Yigzaw, is with a seedling heat mat. These mats are portable and lightweight (which means apartment friendly), and allow you to bottom water, minimize the risk of mold.

Seed starting, Yigzaw shared at the ACHS Organic Gardening workshop March 21, has several personal and health benefits:

• It’s fun and easy.
• Fresh, on-hand food.
• You know where your food comes from (if you spend a little time researching your seeds and seed starting mix, you can be sure your food is organic, free of synthetic pesticide and chemicals).
• Saves money.
• Lengthens the growing season.

Start gardening...

1. Check the Farmer’s Almanac for your region to see when the last frost is scheduled to arrive.
2. Consult a gardening encyclopedia-type reference to see what veggies will grow best in your area. (In Oregon, the Oregon State University Master Gardener program is a good resource.)
3. Find your local, organic gardening store, where you can purchase your seeds, seedling starting mix, and seedling heat mat.
4. Read any and all instructions that come with your products.
5. When it is time to replant your seedlings into larger containers, re-use household materials like old plastic and/or ceramic planters, bowls, glasses, or tubs.
6. If you plan to transplant your veggies into larger plots, consult a local expert in advance. If you plan to build a container garden, the Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food is a very user-friendly resource.

Tip: Make sure the container is large enough to avoid root-bound plants. And, you will want to sterilize your containers in a 10% solution of bleach.

For questions about organic, at-home gardening, contact the OSU Master Gardeners or your local organization.

For information about personal nutrition, or holistic nutrition career training, contact the Australasian College of Health Sciences.

Jobless and stressed? Some offer job-placement assistance

"At Australasian College of Health Sciences, a career change can be stress relieving," Elizabeth Grattan Teater writes in the Sunday, March 15, Learn On special section of the Oregonian.

"The college's new certificate in wellness consulting is already one of its most popular programs. Entrepreneur magazine calls wellness coaching one of the hottest career trends in 2009. The program costs $4,500 and can be completed in as little as four months.

"The holistic nutrition consulting and aromatherapy programs are also in demand.

"Where do graduates work? Some practice in holistic health clinics or develop programs for health care organizations like Kaiser. Some work as managers for nutrition departments in high-end grocery stores. Many are self-employed--creating natural body care products, for example."

"Sometimes when you face losing a job, you start to look at: 'What's important to me?'" says [ACHS President Dorene] Petersen. "Your life takes a turn for the better, and you start to live what you're learning."

Click here to request more information.

To learn more about wellness and nutrition consulting, aromatherapy, and holistic health programs offered by ACHS, go to www.achs.edu or call (800) 48-STUDY.

Click here to read the full-length Oregonian article.