Everyone experiences anxiety. Some people are plagued with anxiety and suffer daily from the symptoms that come along with it. Anxiety is a feeling of worry and effects the body mentally and physically.
Symptoms of anxiety:
• Cloudy thoughts
• Heart palpitations
• Sweaty palms
• Muscle tension
• Dry mouth
• Queasy
• Feelings that the worst is going to happen
• Inability to concentrate
• Insomnia
• Not wanting to get out of bed
For many people, these symptoms can be debilitating and hard to live with. When one gets to this point, they seek medical attention and are prescribed pharmaceutical drugs that block the symptoms so the anxiety can be easier to live with. However, the anxiety medication causes awful side effects – sometimes worse than the anxiety itself. Medications can also become addictive and cause damage to the vital organs in your body such as the liver and kidneys.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is the “fight or flight” mechanism in your body. Our ancestors used anxiety to keep them alive when they were hunting or being attacked. Adrenaline was pumped into their bloodstream, which is what caused them to take flight or fight. Anxiety is necessary for us today as well as it acts as a warning signal when there is danger. However, many of our current-day stressors and anxieties are not reasonable to fight or run away from. If we are worrying about paying a bill or losing a job, it is OK to feel a little anxiety, but it is not a good idea to fight your boss or run away from the bill as our ancestors did.
When the symptoms of anxiety are unbearable, it can cause a lot of damage to your body which can result in illness. Rather than taking the pharmaceutical approach to treating anxiety, there are natural ways to help relieve the symptoms of anxiety.
Natural ways to deal with anxiety:
1. Healthy Diet
There is a lot of research out now about how anxiety can originate in the gut. This is why when people experience anxiety, they also have issues with bowel movements. Eating healthy foods can help a person experiencing anxiety to overcome these symptoms along with reducing caffeine, sugars and dairy and eating more fruit, veggies, grains, seeds and nuts.
2. Supplements
• GABA
GABA is an amino acid known for its calming effect on our central nervous systems. It is a neurotransmitter that helps nerve impulses communicate. If your body does not have enough GABA, you can experience anxiety. Many people with low levels of GABA choose to self-medicate with substances such as alcohol. But you can try 500-1000 mg of GABA supplement a day and include foods in your diet that increase its production, such as green tea, citrus fruit, bananas, nuts and greens.• Omega 3s
Omega 3s can reduce the symptoms caused from anxiety.• Magnesium
Magnesium naturally calms the nervous system. It can be found in coconut water, seaweed, pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds, chocolate and more.• 5HTP
– 5HTP is recommended for anxiety with depression. It is an amino acid that makes serotonin, which helps elevate mood.
3. Relaxation therapies
Yoga, meditation, breathing techniques, massage, acupuncture, and soaking in a bath all elevate mood and help release the hormones that make you feel good.
4. Move your body
Get your heart pumping and it will help circulate the blocked energy that is causing anxiety while releasing those feel-good hormones. Move the body 30 minutes a day and you will notice how much better you feel.
5. Herbs
The Earth holds all the medicines that we need to heal ourselves.
• Chamomile has relaxing and sedative effects that help with sleep.
• Kava Kava helps to reduce anxiety by activating GABA receptors in the brain.
• Valerian root is used for insomnia by taking a supplement or drinking the tea an hour before bed.
• Passionflower has been used as a remedy for anxiety and insomnia.
6. Aromatherapy
Essential oils can be added to baths, massage oils or infusers. The best essential oils for anxiety are lavender, ylang-ylang, geranium, rose, bergamot and jasmine.
