Happiness and contentment are not static processes and it’s difficult to maintain positive emotions like optimism, self-confidence and emotional tranquillity. We deal with difficult people on a daily basis, are often overwhelmed by our numerous responsibilities and easily become anxious and emotionally drained. Researchers have been battling for many years with the concept of what makes or keeps a person happy. Psychologists have up to now been focused on ways to elevate a patient’s mental state from minus five, for example, to neutral. The modern scientific ambition, however, driven by a more demanding world is to elevate one’s state of mind from neutral to plus five. This approach involves the concept of emotional intelligence or EQ, rather than IQ, as well as the use of certain plant extracts and nutrients known to improve mental functioning and mood.

How stress affects brain function
The brain is made up of billions of small components called neurons which communicate with each other via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters.  Ultimately every brain function has a chemical as well as electronic pathway. These include thought, mood and emotion. If these communications are laid down in a repetitive pattern, they serve as a memory bank from which information can be recalled at a later stage. If we become stressed or depressed, brain function slows down, we become forgetful and start thinking irrationally.

Everyone suffers from mild forms of stress throughout their life. This is normal and can even be invigorating. Situations of emotional conflict and the many new problems that life unexpectedly delivers, all contribute to our daily stress levels. Stress is also present when we experience an inner conflict situation between what we want to achieve, and what our subconscious mind believes will prevent us from doing so. In other words, our minds keep on warning us of every possible thing that can go wrong.

Energy is always needed to accomplish your goals. Stress, however, consumes your energy unnecessarily, making you lose focus and give up on your goals.

Six easy steps to combat stress

Step 1: Cut yourself some slack.
Take a short break and move away from the immediate problem which causes your stress. This will allow you to reframe your mindset. It will also give you the opportunity to develop a different perspective of the problem. Go out, take a stroll or occupy yourself with another task. Listen to some music. Phone someone. Only when you are successfully distracted, will you be able to break the irritating cycle of continual mental dialogue, in which the same thoughts and fears mill around your head in a never-ending merry-go-round that only consumes your energy.

Step 2: Think about the problem when your mind is at peace.
Once you have calmed down, focus on how to think positively about the problem. Consider the best case scenario first and then move backwards from there. Fear and worry turn all of us into pessimists. Pessimists lose hope and try to justify failure. Do not allow yourself to follow this self-destructive route. Force your intellectual mind to choose a different path, not the one your emotional mind would like to take.

Step 3: Change your point of view.
Instead of becoming self-absorbed, introspective and isolated, broaden your scope by focusing on other people. How would they see your problem from their perspective? What would they do to solve it? Anxiety can be so overwhelming that it makes us short tempered and irritable. Nobody deserves that sort of treatment from anyone. Protect others from it, especially those that are close to you. Distressing others with your negative mindset will only set you back a good few steps.

Step 4: Ask for help.
We live in a web of relationships with family, co-workers, friends and healthcare providers.  People who draw strength from these relationships are able to tackle challenges that they would not be able to master on their own.  Problems never seem so overwhelming when you share them with others. Enlisting support is quite simple - all you have to do is to ask!

Some people act as advisers and provide you with information, either in your personal or professional life. Others act as catalysts to bring out the best in you; some applaud your successes and others support or nurture you when times are tough. Contacts provide you with information, advice or leads, and are able to connect you with other people who are able to help you sort out your problems. It is unrealistic to expect this kind of support from only one person. Think about what you need and then actively seek the company of the right people who can help you answer your questions.

Step 5: Confront the situation when you are ready.
Try not to ignore a problem. It will not go away, and usually simmers in the background, making you more anxious on a sub-conscious level. Develop better ways to deal with your problems and listen to the advice that has been given to you.  Do not exaggerate the problem. Control all strong emotions and try and remain objective and positive. Maintain your integrity, mind your manners and never compromise your moral principles.

Step 6: Give your brain a competitive edge.
Stress alters the chemistry of your body quite significantly. Many hormones are released through stress  activate various biochemical processes, each process naturally consuming energy and producing toxic by-products that slowly accumulate in your system. It is therefore not surprising that mental exhaustion, irritability, mood swings and forgetfulness are all common symptoms of a brain working in overdrive.

The first step towards optimising brain function is to follow a proper, wholesome diet. Fresh fruit and vegetables must be consumed daily and the intake of toxic substances like alcohol and tobacco smoke should be minimised. Exercise is a wonderful and natural way of relieving both stress and depression as well as cleansing your system. There are also many nutrients and natural, herbal agents that are known to assist mental functions such as memory, concentration, alertness and recall.

NeuroVance™, especially formulated by the Medical Nutritional Institute to give your brain a competitive edge, aiding various mechanisms of brain function, thereby giving your brain an improved physiological advantage during stressful periods. Since a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, much thought was devoted to enhance separate but interconnected components of brain function during the development of NeuroVance™.

[Read more about NeuroVance™]

Step 7: Define your boundaries with others more clearly.
Boundaries are like invisible force-fields that protect you from others who with their inconsiderate behaviour, ungratefulness or constant demands, drive you around the bend. Once properly defined, boundaries determine how people closely associated behave towards each other. Your mood and the quality of your relationships are dependent on the strength of your boundaries. If people close to you consume too much of your time, belittle your efforts when you have tried so hard or speak to you in a rude or sarcastic manner and you allow them, they will continue. If, however, you set certain standards by defining what you are prepared to put up with and what not, they will stop. The reward that you will receive is emotional contentment, a worthwhile concept that all of us must continuously pursue.

[Read more about setting up boundaries]

[Read more about conflict management skills]