We need to deal with the stress we experience before it harms our health and prevents us from helping earthquake victims during this challenging time. That’s why, I will share 6 steps that will help you reduce your stress.

We are going through very difficult times. The Kahramanmaraş Earthquake, which took place on February 6 and affected ten provinces, caused great losses, pain and destruction. Those in the earthquake area are trying to hold on to life in the pain and sadness of their losses. On the other hand, we in other cities are trying to live with the sadness of those who lost their lives, the injured, those who lost their homes and their established order. We have all received great wounds and we are in an unknown, emptiness, and sadness that seems like it will never end. Life goes on, but we don’t know how to keep up. We are constantly following the news without our help; either we missed the measure of eating or we can’t eat anything, we are blinded by everything or we can’t react to anything; when we laugh, eat something delicious, sit in the warmth of our home, take a shower, think about those who cannot do all these things, we blame ourselves and even shame ourselves.

Indeed, it is normal to feel this way after the disaster. But before this stress begins to harm our health and prevent us from helping earthquake victims during this long and difficult process, we need to take steps to deal with it. I will share 6 steps for you to reduce your stress. By following these steps, you will be able to pass this difficult period more stress-free and give yourself the necessary self-care. Here are the things you should pay attention to:

  1. Switch to a healthy diet. Yes, nutrition is also very effective in managing stress. Our first response to stress is “fight and flight”. The body begins to secrete adrenaline and cortisol in order to protect itself, blood sugar rises. During this period, eating packaged foods with a high glycemic index puts our already stressed body even more stressed and a vicious circle occurs. In order to avoid this situation, we should switch to the rainbow diet, that is, we should add vegetables of all colors to each meal, along with a quality protein source such as organic chicken, eggs, lamb, organic legumes, and provide all the vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Thanks to the phytochemicals, antioxidant contents, and hormones such as serotonin, the foods that will relieve us in our stressful periods are as follows: green tea, dark chocolate with 75% or more cocoa, blueberry, avocado, quinoa and pumpkin seeds. Remember, it is possible to cope with stress more easily by protecting the intestinal barrier.
  2. Reestablish your sleep patterns. When we are under stress, it is very difficult for us to fall asleep when there are so many thoughts in our minds and the pain of earthquake victims in our hearts. But our survival and well-being depend on our regular sleep. When we do not get a good night’s sleep, our cortisol level does not decrease and our methylation is impaired. This causes our stress level to increase. What you can do to make it easier to fall asleep: Not drinking tea or coffee after 16.00, keeping blood sugar at an optimal level, using magnesium and melatonin; dripping lavender oil on the pillow before going to bed, drinking chamomile, lemon balm or valerian tea before going to sleep, ensuring sleep hygiene, not exercising after 18.00, meditating even for 10 minutes.