With school back in session, many of us are dealing with much more stress than we have been accustomed to in the summer. Packing lunches, checking in on homework, and shuttling kids back and forth between activities can be exhausting and often leads to stress. “Adrenal fatigue is a big thing we see in the clinic. People are over-secreting cortisol, which is your stress hormone, which leads to mild to moderate chronic stress,” says Dr. Joey Shulman.

“Cortisol levels are supposed to be highest in the morning and then go lower throughout the day; unfortunately we have flipped that because we lead such a stressful life,” she says. According to Dr. Joey, the soaring levels of cortisol in the evening can lead to belly fat. Here are Dr. Joey’s top seven ways to achieve natural stress relief:

1. Prevention

The best way to deal with stress is to prevent it. Make sure you are scheduling time for yourself in order to keep your stress levels low.

2. Get rid of the caffeine

If you are dealing with any anxiety or stress, cut out the caffeine. If you still crave that flavour in the morning, opt for decaf coffee instead.

3. Exercise

“There is nothing better for lowering stress response like a good cardiovascular workout,” says Dr. Joey. Not only will this bring your stress levels down, but you will also have some alone time. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone!

4. Have some alone time

“I’ve started to wake up an hour before my kids so I can have some alone/cortisol lowering/listen to your iPod time to bring down stress response,” says Dr. Joey. Try fitting in some alone time in the morning or evening to relax.

5. Supplements

“A good multi-vitamin with vitamin C is very good for stress response,” says Dr. Joey. Two other natural remedies she recommends are the herbs called Relora and Rhodiola. These herbs help the body relax and de-stress naturally.

6. Clean up your diet

“Refined flours, sugars and inflammatory foods are irritants and will only raise your stress response,”  says Dr. Joey. Try to avoid these foods if you’re dealing with lots of stress.

7. Spend time outdoors

Spending time outdoors is a great way to lower cortisol levels. Even if you’re living in the city, head to a local park or take your dog for a walk.

“If your cortisol response is elevated, no problem, but don’t let it get out of hand. We don’t want to go into complete adrenal burnout,” emphasizes Dr. Joey. There are many symptoms for complete adrenal burnout such as weight gain, irritability, intense anxiety, lack of sleep, hair loss, and exhaustion. Dr. Joey says to remember that it takes active effort to relax, so be sure to take the time to prevent and deal with your stress.

To learn more about natural remedies from stress relief, watch the clip below!