Besides getting all of the necessary nutrients for a healthily functioning brain (such as good fats, especially omega 3), we all need to deal with the negative effects of stress. Stress is abundant in our world today.
Throughout our evolution, stressful situations were generally few and far between and we had plenty of time to recover in between. You got chased by a saber toothed tiger, you got away (hopefully) and then you had say, a week before anything else stressful happened. That is how our stress response mechanism (our sympathetic nervous system) has evolved to work.
The reaction of our sympathetic nervous system to stress is commonly referred to as fight or flight. We perceive a stressor and our minds gear up our bodies to do one of those two things, fight for our lives or run as fast as we can. To do this, our sympathetic nervous systems kick in, our adrenals fire up and release glucocorticoids, such as epinephrine and adrenaline, which in turn rapidly raise our blood sugar, shut down digestion along with other parasympathetic activity and get us ready for action. This is all very taxing on the body.
Unfortunately, a lot of us are going through this physically demanding process several times a week, if not daily. Driving to work, eating excessive amounts or refined carbohydrates, financial concerns, computer problems, relationships and many other things can initiate our stress response. We have plenty of stressors and nowhere near enough time to recover from each one before the next one shows up. Pair that with deficient nutritional intake and you have a recipe for disaster. It's not surprising that mental illnesses are on the rise, sales of antidepressants are booming and a myriad of physical ailments related to unhealthy functioning of the brain are occurring.
Learning and practicing stress coping methods are essential to good health. Find something that you can and will do. Try a few different things until you find one that fits. Yoga, meditation, massage, biofeedback, the active cultivation of positive emotional states and even just going for a peaceful walk are all good. There are numerous ways to fight stress. Mainly you just need to find a way to clear your head and avoid any mental stimulation periodically. And, of course, proper diet (especially avoiding refined carbohydrates and any foods your body does not tolerate) and exercise are essential to fighting stress and its negative effects.
