Chess and Vitamins: The Best Ways to Handle Stress

Stress frequently appears in our everyday lives—at home before work, on our commute in traffic, and even with some coworkers. Dealing with factors outside your control can be tricky, as they can quickly pile up and become a big problem. In my personal experience, stress has personally raised my blood pressure at times and contributed to some facet of depression that I was never previously aware of. But luckily, there are many options nowadays to help lower and manage stress levels. 

In this article, I will discuss how chess and vitamins can help lower cortisol, reduce anxiety, and overcome hurdles in everyday life.

What factors can I control?

Before diving in, I want to emphasize what a person can control and cannot. 

I was a hooper back in high school, somewhat of an above-average player, but I remember our season in the summer of 2021 was horrendous. We lost all our essential games to Chaminade and Alemany. I was struggling with my mental health at the time, probably due to the pandemic. Our team was scattered before school started, and Coach Boston gave a speech to everyone. He first talked about many bush leagues, but whatever the end was, it was meaningful. I will never forget the last words of the speech. He quoted that the only two things one can control are effort and attitude.

And I questioned advice like I always do: is that all a person has in their control?

Why Control Isn't Limited to Effort and Attitude

If one controls only their effort and attitude, they will likely not achieve success in all areas of life.

The truth is, you can control more than just effort and attitude.

The wisdom that has been existing for centuries has proven this. People can maintain their health through the choices they make, the words that come out of their mouths, and vices such as smoking and drinking.

You can have a reasonable effort and a positive attitude and still be a degenerate gambler, have obsessive worries, and even be broke. 

The reality is that life is way too dynamic to be overly simplified into those two categories. 

Stress Management Is In Your Control

Sure, one may not be able to control the actions of others, such as an angry coworker or a driver cutting you off in traffic, but a person can control the response, not just attitude but other emotions. The amount of calm you experience from that point moving forward and not dwelling on the situation is all in one's grasp. 

For some of us, it is shocking to know that there are factors we can control that were previously out of our control. And yes, stress regulation is one of those aspects that we are in complete charge of. Some of us may have been taught erroneously by other people that men have a limited say in what they can achieve. 

Techniques in Stress Regulation

Some natural techniques in stress regulation include meditation, breathing techniques, and a healthy lifestyle. However, these are usually difficult to maintain and require significant time investment that people may not have regularly. One may have obligations such as family and work to take care of, maybe even overdue bills to pay. Everyday life can overwhelm us sometimes, and executing practices we don't have the drive for is hard. 

So what are the alternatives? It seems like that the ones listed above are reasonable and adequate.

Why Chess is a Natural Stress Reliever

For anyone skeptical about chess and how boring it is, you're gravely mistaken. 

Modern chess in the 21st century has blitz chess, with less than 3 minutes per player! I usually play on chess.com, so feel free to add me, chesscats82, if you're interested.

It is honestly entertaining to play when less time is at stake. Fortunately, the time controls aren't 2 hours each per player, like that old hag Bobby Fischer used to play. No disrespect intended for those who love a good old game of classical chess, but it isn't practical every day. 

As an avid chess player for over ten years, I have experienced many tangible benefits, such as reducing my stress. I have found that it provides a productive escape from my everyday issues. It distracts me briefly for around 10 minutes before I head over to work. I would rather play chess for a couple of minutes than watch a TikTok short or even a video game that has no benefit to me whatsoever. 

Chess can provide a sense of calm when other areas of life seem to have gone haywire. It's just you and your opponent, and you can have a carefree attitude for a while.

Participating in chess forums on platforms such as chess.com and having a community backing your chess efforts can also be relaxing. It is fun when like-minded individuals have similar goals. 

Consider taking supplements to aid stress relief.

Why chess, as well as supplements, you may ask? Well, I wouldn't say I like it when a problem is solved and then comes back again, similar to cancer healed and coming back stronger. Sometimes, stress trickles back into our lives, rapidly multiplying until you cannot handle it.

But with the best stress relief supplements, I can personally say it has reduced my anxiety to less than it was before. In my experience, pairing chess and supplements is the best combination for combating life's problems. 

As well as a chess player, I have been a vitamin consumer for almost five years. I began taking stress relief vitamins around early 2018 for anxiety, and they've helped a ton for my mental.

My daily intake usually includes two turmeric supplements for inflammation, a multivitamin for overall health, a reishi mushroom for cancer prevention, and two gummies of ashwagandha, all with a glass of water. The mushroom supplement isn't for stress relief, and turmeric doesn't help in reducing anxiety. 

Magnesium and ashwagandha are the main ones that have proven benefits for reducing stress hormones. 

Stress gummies, such as ashwagandha from India, have boosted my focus and reduced cortisol in my body. My systolic was around 170 during my last checkup in early 2024, but after taking my gummies for stress relief, it has dropped to around 120 in my case. 

Benefits of Ashwagandha and Magnesium

Ashwagandha is commonly grown as a bush in Asia and Africa. They sell in areas such as India. It is common knowledge that ashwagandha is an adaptogen that can reduce oxidative stress and anxiety. Therefore, it can also be used as an antioxidant in most cases. Antioxidants prevent oxidation in the body, which can lead to cancers. It isn't pricey, to say the least; one can buy a bottle of 60 for around 20 dollars. 

It also has cognitive benefits. When playing chess or any sustained mental activity, you can use it for better memory recall and heightened focus at work or home. Reducing the hormone cortisol is also one of its strengths, as it can improve mood and well-being. 

The best ashwagandha brand would probably be NatureMade. I have a ton of boxes of this ashwagandha gummy at home. 

On the other hand, magnesium has similar properties but isn't quite the same in the traditional sense. Personally, my cortisol levels have dropped when taking both supplements at the same time, so that is a bonus. Magnesium regulates the nervous system by calming transmitters in your brain that tend to get overexcited and jumpy at times. 

I also tend to be more relaxed at times. The pandemic had a slight toll on me at times, but overall, I was in stable condition, to be honest. I had a carefree attitude toward life, not worrying as much anymore about school, work, and relationships with my coworkers. It can be hard to feel the benefits in the short term, but in the long term, checkups with the doctor will go more smoothly than ever before. 

Taking calcium magnesium supplements or ashwagandha gummies should cause no side effects. However, if you have any underlying medical conditions, contact a doctor. 

Chess Strategies for Intermediate Players

Before I leave, I want to offer some chess strategies for intermediate players. Chances are, you have already heard about chess, as millions of adults and teens play worldwide. If you are an intermediate player, I would like to aid your struggle with chess improvement.

I am rated around 2100 blitz, which is pretty decent, so I know a thing about crushing your opponent. 

Here are some tips to use in your chess games. 

The Weakness of the Isolated D Pawn

In many games on chess.com, I exchange down so that my opponent has an isolated d pawn in the middle of the board. For this strategy to work effectively, no pawns should support the opponent's pawn. 

Then, trade most of the pieces, and ideally, in the endgames, you are left with minor pieces such as a rook or bishop. 

In the endgame, the d pawn becomes so weak that it is almost embarrassing. 

Theoretically, you should be able to pick up that lonely d pawn and then promote a flank pawn to a queen using your material advantage. It is a cheeky strategy, but one pawn usually decides the game's outcome. 

Indirect Attack

Sometimes, when attacking, you should not make your plans so obvious. Capablanca uses this technique in many of his games. 

When you play chess, try to be as tricky as possible. Offer up a pawn for bait, but it's getting skewered by a rook coming from the other side of the board. It is vital to have full board awareness when implementing this technique.  

I like to make pieces appear free to my opponent, like a pawn, but usually, it gets forked by a queen from the H line. 

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