Calm down naturally

Today, we put our bodies under more prolonged and different kinds of stress than generations before us, but traditional remedies still have a place in our modern world – and it doesn’t require a major life-overhaul to introduce them into your daily routine.

If you… suffer from stress

Losing your grip, flying off the handle, making a mountain out of a molehill? Stress is initially empowering, kicking the brain into action, sharpening the memory, and strengthening the body for a fight. But chronic stress has the opposite effect – making you irritable and angry too often.

‘Avena sativa has been proven to offer relief for jangled nerves. Better known as the oat plant, it’s not the oat grain but the plant that’s used to make Avena sativa tinctures,' says Alison Cullen, nutritional therapist at A.Vogel.

'This herb contains a number of plant chemicals, including a substance called gramine, which has been shown to relax muscles and exert a sedative action on the nervous system (the body’s control centre). Cumulative in its effect, expect to notice a difference two to four weeks into taking it.’

Try A.Vogel Avena Sativa Oat Drops, £9.15/50ml

More inspiration:

Watch Psychologies' editor Suzy Greaves interview Karen Ruimy on How to find inner peace in 2015 on LifeLabs

Read 5 ways to feel more balanced, every day by Eminé Ali Rushton on LifeLabs

Photograph: plainpicture/Andrea Gottowik