Stress Management Programme

Working in the health industry, it doesn’t take long to appreciate just how many people are suffering from the physical effects of stress.  Our stress programme has been built through experience and knowledge from working with many stressed clients over the years and helping them to feel better.

So what has nutrition got to do with stress?

The majority of people perceive stress as an ‘emotional’ thing e.g. sadness, anxiety, anger, frustration, work stress, financial pressures.  However, stress can also be physical: pain, illness, inflammation and digestive upsets also contribute to the stress ‘load’ on the body.  Even skipping meals or exercising without the correct fuel will raise cortisol levels.  The more ‘stressors’ you have, the harder you body has to work to keep up. So getting your diet right and addressing health issues can help reduce your stress load.

Your ability to respond to stress in a healthy way is very much linked to how you perceive the situation and also, to your nutritional status and physical health. This is another way we can help. Your adrenal glands, which are responsible for releasing stress hormones, depend upon key nutrients to work well.  Supporting the body nutritionally can therefore improve your stress response - so you cope better emotionally and physically.

We all know that stress can impact long-term health but what about how you are feeling right now?

Physical symptoms of stress •    Poor sleep •    Difficulty getting up in the morning •    Cravings for sugar, salt or caffeine •    Digestive issues such as bloating, nausea, cramps, diarrhoea and constipation •    Low energy or fatigue •    Dizziness – particularly on standing •    Feeling ‘wired’, anxious or running on adrenalin •    Inability to lose or gain weight •    Inability to gain muscle •    Fat around the middle •    Frequent infections •    Heart palpitations •    Reliance on nicotine or recreational drugs •    Loss of appetite •    Hormonal problems e.g. increased PMS, thyroid issues, low testosterone •    Low libido and/or erectile dysfunction

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Mental Symptoms of stress •    Anxiety and low mood •    Panic attacks •    Low self esteem •    Poor concentration/focus •    Poor memory •    Anger •    Depression •    Changes in behaviour

If several of these symptoms sound familiar, then this could be an indication that your body may be feeling the effects of stress.

Nutrition complements other therapies very well:

Perhaps you are already working in conjunction with a psychotherapist, life coach, NLP or CBT practitioner to look at emotional aspects of stress in your life. Coupling nutrition with this can bring greater benefits, as you are then tackling both the physical and emotional aspects of stress.  Our programme helps give you the energy and stamina to tackle the emotional aspects head on.

The Programme

The Key Nutrition Stress Programme consists of six sessions over a six-month period. We work with you to tailor a programme suited to your individual needs.

You receive:

• 6 nutritional therapy sessions
• Adrenal Stress test
• Guidance on other laboratory tests, if relevant
• Nutritional support programme including lifestyle, dietary and supplement advice to help your body handle stress

Getting started

Give us a call or an email to get started.

First session (1.15 hours) – your nutritional therapist will take the time to understand your health history, as this is the most important part of tailoring the programme to you. Laboratory tests may be recommended, such as the Adrenal Stress test or other relevant nutritional tests. At the end of your first session you will be given nutritional guidance to take away, and this will be further tailored once test results are in.

Second session (45 minutes) – as soon as your test results are in you will come back for a follow-up consultation. Test results will be explained and any necessary changes made to your nutritional programme. At this session a supplement programme based upon test results and presenting symptoms will be discussed. Supplements are optional but will usually help you to feel better much more quickly than working with diet and lifestyle changes in isolation. The cost of supplements is not included in the programme. 

Subsequent sessions (45 minutes) – following the second session you will then have monthly sessions with a focus on specific areas that need addressing as well as making any necessary changes to your programme as you start to feel better. Topics covered will include stress and exercise, sleep, cardiovascular health, weight, immunity, and digestion.