With our busy lives, most of us are used to being stressed out. In fact, you might be so used to it that you don’t even realize how stressed you actually are! As a functional medicine expert, I have seen firsthand just how brilliant the human body is and how resilient it is to the stress that we put it through.

But it can only take so much. In fact, many of the symptoms you experience on a daily basis that you deem as “normal” could actually be a check engine light from your body to chill out. So if you are tired of feeling at your limit, read on to learn more about your body’s stress response and exactly what to do to finally get out from the crippling weight of stress.

Signs your body is under stress

Since every person’s body is different, the warning signs of stress can manifest in multiple different areas of your body. Here are some of the top symptoms to pay attention to:

•  You can’t sleep
• Your skin’s a mess
• Your bathroom habits have changed
• You feel nauseous or have stomach pains
• You have more headaches
• Your hair is thinning
• You always get sick
• You feel moody
• You aren’t in the mood
• Your vision is blurred
• Muscle tightness and soreness
• Your cycle is irregular

If you can resonate with two or more of these symptoms, you are likely dealing with chronic stress that, if left unchecked for too long, can trigger long-term health problems like autoimmune conditions. 

Ways to lower stress

While it is easy to get discouraged, you can look at these symptoms as your body’s check-engine light, not a life sentence. Even if you are dealing with one or more of these symptoms, you have the power to take back control of your health by managing your stress levels with simple wellness tools. 

1. Incorporate breathwork

Taking slow, deep breaths throughout your day helps lower your body’s cortisol response and brings you back to the present moment. Plus, it is completely free and can be done anywhere!

2. Try adaptogens

These plant and herbal medicines have been studied extensively for their ability to help your body resist and recover from the effects of stress. They are generally safe for most people and have minimal - if any - side effects.

3. Rehab your sleep

Ever feel more anxious and irritable after a poor night of sleep? Getting enough sleep each night is essential for your hormones and body to repair itself and to mitigate any extra feelings of stress throughout the day. Start incorporating tools like a weighted blanket and turning off electronics a few hours before bed to find a nighttime routine that facilitates your best night of sleep.

4. Consider CBD

CBD has been shown to do wonders for calming anxiety, stress, and promoting better sleep. If you haven’t tried CBD before it might be intimidating, but since most blends don’t contain psychoactive THC you don’t have to worry about it altering your awareness.

The solution to chronic stress

While all of these tools are great (and there are countless more ways to lower stress) the problem I see with many of my patients is that they don’t always have time to add one more thing into their busy schedules. 

That's why I love DOTE because they understand the importance of taking care of yourself first, on top of your daily responsibilities. Instead of adding one more thing to your ever-growing to-do list, DOTE’s line of products gives you everything you need to improve these areas of your health without any additional stress.

Their new wellness regimen supports you throughout the day and provides energy when you need it most. The DOTE regimen is made with ingredients that are proven to increase energy levels, boost stamina and reduce stress, including the stress-reducing tools we talked about like adaptogens and CBD!

Their plant-based line backed by cutting-edge science includes five products dedicated to targeting your needs from morning to night. Plus, all of their products are vegan, cruelty-free, THC-free, and organic.

• Dream: Designed to help you fall asleep quicker, maintain healthy sleep patterns, and get a longer REM cycle than ever before so you can wake up feeling recharged, refreshed, and ready to take on the day.
• Power: Their precise blend of caffeine and L-theanine prevents spikes and crashes so you can experience peak performance without the adverse effects of overstimulation.
• Focus: This potent blend of adaptogens is designed to help increase cognition, better productivity, reduce effects from stress, and deliver sustainable energy at the cellular level without the crash. Great for before work, presentations, or knocking out a to-do list.
• Relieve: Targeted relief for active muscles works to improve performance and recovery time by delivering a warming and cooling effect on contact and naturally reducing inflammation. 
• Calm: A bioactive blend of CBD + CBN designed to restore balance to your body so you can feel better, sleep better and be your best, naturally.

Ultimately, wellness shouldn’t be complicated. You deserve vibrant health and DOTE makes it easy to reclaim your life by elevating how you feel each day.

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Photo: DOTE