Stress is a by-product of life, and it will never be practical to expect to rid stress from our lives. Learning to recognize what is creating havoc in our lives, discovering ways to keep it from doing damage, and arming ourselves with stress-fighting techniques is what we’ll cover today.

Stress is a form of chemical warfare against the brain. It has the capability of ravaging brain cells and inciting dementia. That’s pretty graphic, and I’m here to lay out some things I’ve learned and to encourage all of us to put boots on the ground in self-defense.

Chronic stress can become self-perpetuating where the brain ends up wiring itself to act in stressful ways. We know there are many hormones in our bodies, and optimum health requires those hormones to be working in perfect harmony. When they are out of balance, which can happen for many reasons, we suffer the consequences. For this reason, we should always be open to a heart to heart talk with our doctor. He or she can arrange for lab work, which may identify that imbalance and be of help in getting us on the road to recovery. There are prescription medicines as well as anti-stress supplements, and your doctor is your best source in determining which are right for your situation.

In my research for this article, I found that adding foods high in magnesium can be very beneficial in fighting stress. During times of stress, your burn rate of magnesium increases and as your magnesium depletes, you become subject to stress, which makes you jumpy and more irritable. Magnesium has a relaxing effect on the body. Foods rich in magnesium include dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), avocado, nuts (cashews, Brazil, almonds), legumes (lentils, black beans, chickpeas, peas, soybeans), tofu, seeds (pumpkin, flax, chia), whole grains (wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, quinoa), fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, halibut), banana, and leafy greens (spinach, kale, collards, turnip greens, mustard greens).