Ever wonder who’s always by your side? Stress. All jokes aside, let’s face it – stress has become a constant companion in our modern, fast-paced world, especially for us ladies.

From juggling work, family, and household chores, to finding time for ourselves, this modern life seems to be trying to suffocate us. We're always on the move with a never-ending to-do list, even when we’re supposed to have some well-deserved me time.

Given the reality we live in, stress management should be a non-negotiable part of our self-care routine. Let's explore how we can balance cortisol levels and live life to the fullest, without letting stress take over.

Being a human stress magnet

Did you know that women are much more likely to experience stress compared to men? Yeah, no kidding. The American Psychological Association found that women report much higher stress levels than men in a recent survey.

Being an independent woman doesn’t mean you don’t need support and nourishment from your partner, family, and friends. In that same survey, 68% of women also reported that they could use more emotional support than they received. Quite sad.

How does stress affect your body?

Although both men and women can experience physical stress symptoms, women have a really unique aftermath of long-term stress.

Our body – and hormonal compositions are very different from men, not to mention that women are put under much more stress than men.

The most common physical stress symptoms are:

• Irregular periods – Have you ever wondered why on Earth your period is late or too early? Chronic stress can shake up your menstruation calendar, cause more severe PMS or even make you miss menstruation entirely.

• Hormonal imbalance – Feeling stressed for longer periods of time can affect your mood, hormones, and overall health. It's also proven that stress causes a spike in your progesterone and cortisol levels.

• Fertility issues – We know how stressful it is when you’re trying to get pregnant, and chronic stress can make matters even worse as it has been linked to fertility issues.

• Lower pain tolerance – Increased pain sensitivity comes hand in hand with higher cortisol levels. You become more susceptible to specific issues, such as headaches, chronic pain, muscle cramps, and even more severe period cramps.

What makes you stressed the most?

Usually, stress waves come with major changes that wreak havoc in your life. You're forced to accept some difficult situations, and your mind and body are suddenly out of peace. Those situations may come on suddenly, and that’s why they are even harder to process, such as dealing with a divorce or a breakup, unemployment, moving houses, grieving the loss of a loved one, or being diagnosed with a challenging disease.

Long-term stress can also go unnoticed because it consists of a bunch of little things that torture you inside, such as feeling undervalued at work, picking fights with your partner, constantly struggling to look your best, having too much on your plate, or even all of the above at once (crikey).

But what are the common culprits in a woman’s life that make it so nerve-wracking?

• Work and toxic bosses – A woman’s career path is a rocky one. Dealing with rude supervisors, gossiping coworkers, undervaluation, being underpaid, and even mansplaining (although they always need your advice).

• Finance issues – The cost of living has skyrocketed right now. Having a stable and well-paying job is now a luxury, and many women still deal with money problems as daily necessities (such as food, gas, and rent) seem to get more expensive every month.

• Red-flag relationships – We all had a thing for bad boys until we realised they gave us nothing apart from broken hearts. Dealing with gaslighting, undermining, and even abuse can leave you feeling powerless, silenced, and with low self-esteem.

• Children – It's okay to admit that your kid is stressing you out. What sane person could calmly take all the tantrums, crying, and screaming? Take a deep breath and know that this too shall pass.

• Family relationships – Perfect families exist in advertisements and Christmas movies. If you don’t get along with your siblings or in-laws, but are forced to spend time with them, this can really stress you out and make your days cloudy.

Natural ways to lower cortisol levels

The first step to becoming more peaceful is acceptance. You can’t prevent stressful situations from happening, but you can control how you react to them – that's what mindfulness is all about. 

These natural stress management tricks can make a big impact on how your body and mind deal with stress: 

1. Good-quality sleep – Evenings are the perfect time to unwind. Bring yourself to peace, calm your worries, and manifest good dreams and even better mornings. It's best to sleep for at least 7 to 9 hours a night.

2. Morning pep talk – The best one-minute morning routine to set-up the day ahead is definitely positive words of affirmation. This aims to inspire you to focus on your strengths, believe in your abilities, and motivate yourself. You can try with simple affirmations such as “I am enough. I can do this. I am smart and kind.” If you struggle to come up with positive words, think about what you would say to your best friend to hype her up, and treat yourself with the same kindness and love!

3. Get moving – When you’re drowning in worries and stress, it’s easy to cuddle up in a blanket and try to forget everything. But an occasional walk or jog in the sun (or rain) can do wonders for your mind. Fresh air is perfect for relaxing your tired brain.

4. Try mindfulness exercises – when your mind is racing, and your thoughts are jumping from task to task, that’s when you most need to put the breaks on. Mindfulness and meditation isn’t thinking about nothing (we know that’s nearly impossible), but about controlling what you are thinking about. Trying to be present in the now, and not letting your mind go into a self-destructive loop. You are in control of what kind of thoughts you’re letting grow inside your mind. 

5. Natural help from adaptogens – The most natural help comes from plants, herbs, and mushrooms, which can help you lift the feelings of stress, anxiety, and fatigue.

What are adaptogens?

Adaptogens are the fairy godmothers of herbs, plants, and mushrooms. They help your body and mind adapt to stress, whether it’s from your boss, your crazy schedule, bickering with your loved ones, or everything all at once.

The three most popular adaptogens right now are:

• Ashwagandha, an evergreen shrub that that grows in Africa and Asia. The most valued part of ashwagandha for stress management are its roots, as their extracts are proven to help you find balance in stressful times.

• Rhodiola rosea comes from the cold parts of Europe and Asia, and its roots have a long history of being used in traditional medicine. The benefits of rhodiola rosea include reducing stress-related fatigue and improving brain function.

• GABA, or more scientifically gamma-aminobutyric acid, is an amino acid that produces the calming effect you need in the most challenging times. GABA benefits your stressed-out body by playing a major role in controlling anxiety, stress, and even fear.

So, where can you get them? You obviously can’t go digging the grounds in Asia, Africa, and Europe. 

At TummyTox, we put our efforts into designing two perfect stress relievers with the most searched for adaptogens.

Sweet solution for short-time stress

There will always be cloudy days when we need a little extra support. Whether it's a hard task at work or an uncomfortable event you have to attend. 

For those with a sweet tooth, we designed yummy strawberry gummies that provide you with a zen state of mind with the power of all three adaptogens!

Ashwagandha, Rhodiola rosea, and GABA are all packed in Stress Relief Gummies from TummyTox.

These yummy gummies offer you support during mental tension and protect your emotional balance. This formula is enriched with vitamins B6 and B12 to help you relax even more and boost your resilience to stress.

Feel calm even at the most stressful times, whether at work or at home, with just 2 gummies a day. No more intrusive thoughts or stressing out; now, it’s just you and your peaceful state of mind.

Balance your long-term stress

Natural ingredients for balancing your stress hormones? Count us in!

When suffering from long-term stress, your cortisol levels skyrocket trying to protect you from the negative aftermath that stress can cause.

Forget lying in bed, losing focus, and gaining pounds from stress. Our natural stress reliever, Cortisol Balance, improves your focus and mood with the power of adaptogens, such as ashwagandha and Rhodiola rosea.

But not just any ashwagandha. We designed Cortisol Balance with the strongest ashwagandha root extract on the market, KSM-66®. 

It has been scientifically proven to:

• Reduce stress by 44*%

• Increase happiness by 19,2*%

• Helps you lose weight twice as fast

• Improve sleep and focus