A lot of natural substances and herbs are being marketed today as effective remedies for your stress but a recent study say that these products are most likely not the things that can help you with your tensions.

There is only little evidence that these natural and herbal products work well long-term and there are also claims that it does not necessarily mean they are totally safe because they are herbal. Here is a closer look to some of the most common herbal supplements people use to relieve stress:

Lemon Balm

According to small studies, the lemon balm can help improve one’s mood and also promote calmness. One research was able to establish that about 1,600 mg is enough to help someone calm down for more than six hours. Lemon balm is also considered as relatively safe.

Kava

The kava herbal supplement is formulated from the kava plant roots found in the South Pacific. There are studies which proved that kava supplements do not lower anxiety significantly. It has also been said that kava might be to blame in liver failure cases. Kava is not a recommended supplement by experts.

Passionflower

Passionflower has been used in stress relieving studies and was proven to be effective in lowering anxiety levels in mice. Study in humans is still limited to one research. The study done in 2001 established that about 45 drops everyday of liquid passionflower has the same effects as the stress drug oxazepam. More studies are recommended before it can be tagged as effective and safe for humans.

Valerian root

The valerian root has been used for sleeping and anxiety disorders. Combining St. John’s wort with valerian root was proven to be as effective as the drug diazepam which lowers anxiety when used for about two weeks. Other studies though did not show the efficacy of valerian root so further research is needed. Plus, some studies found out that valerian root is related to blurring the user’s vision and also alters the normal rhythm of the heart.

Everyone deals with some form of stress in one way or another at home, school, or work. Here are some practical tips which can help you handle stress:

Eliminate your sources of stress

As much as you can, get rid of your sources of stress. It can be as simple as dealing with long lines in the supermarket during weekends, you might want to schedule your trip on another day when the lines will not be stressful for you. Clear all the clutter at home or in the office which may get in your way.

When you are running late, stop and think

You might be running late and all the stress might ruin the rest of the things that you need to do. It might be best to pause for a few minutes and list down how you will prioritize stuff. Be realistic and do not try to do too much.

Avoid stressful activities

If looking for a gift or playing a certain sport stresses you out, then do not go. Decline if you are invited to predictably stressful scenarios for you. The point of shopping or recreation is after all to relax and if at the start you will already be stressed, then there is no point of going.

Focus on one task at a time

Some say that multitasking helps them do more at work but studies have found otherwise and you might end up doing less at the end of the day. You might want to focus one task at a time and avoid the stress of the workload at hand.

We have all heard it before. You are telling a friend, a family member, or a colleague that you are feeling stressed out, and they recommend exercise in an oh so chipper tone of voice. You groan inside and endeavor to change the subject, because just thinking about exercising and how you always mean to but never have time just makes you feel even more stressed.

But like it or not, it is true that exercise is a great stress reliever. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do which will not even seem like exercise. These activities are just fun.

Yeah, okay, you can do yoga, but if you are pretty doubtful about your abilities to touch your toes to your nose, don’t worry. Swimming is great for relieving stress, and in the sweltering month of August, it is the perfect activity.

Karate can help you in a lot of ways. Guys enjoy it, women can learn some self defense moves, and no matter what, you will develop a strong sense of self discipline.

Last but most certainly not least, just take a walk!

You know what the experts all say.  They say that, when you are feeling stressed, talking about it is the best way to relieve it.  You are supposed to discuss your stress factors with anyone who will listen.  Talk to friends, talk to family members, talk to therapists — talk to someone. For some of us, however, that is easier said than done.  In theory, talking our feelings out makes sense; in practice, though, many people are wary of doing some.  We may not want to burden other people or we may simply not want to open ourselves up that way.

So, why not talk to yourself?  Now, of course, that does not mean walking down the cereal aisle in your local grocery store, discussing your stress factors — though, you know what?  If that helps, go for it.

Specifically, however, keeping a journal can be enormously beneficial in helping you to reduce stress.  In a journal, you do not have to worry about offending anyone.  You can rant all you want without hurting anyone’s feelings or censoring yourself at all.  For a journal like this, however, designed to be solely for you and to help you relax and relieve stress, an online journal might not be the best option — unless you take the appropriate measures to make sure it is private.