Natural Help for Anxiety
We deal with stress in different ways -- for over 18 million Americans, anxiety is an all too familiar experience which worsens in stressful times. Anxiety as a symptom is a reminder that we need to tend to our mental health just as acutely as we would attend to our physical health. Broken bone, sore throat, obsessive worrying -- all are equally important and should be appropriately addressed.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Fatigue
Restlessness
Sweating
Racing or unwanted thoughts
Hypervigilance
Irritability
Fear
Insomnia
Shaking
Shortness of breath
And more...
What are natural treatments for anxiety? This is a question I frequently get in my office. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, which makes it difficult but also a fun challenge. Each patient is different, so each patient’s anxiety will present differently and will be treated differently as well.
Keep Blood Sugar Stable: Did you know that symptoms of anxiety may be partly, if not entirely, due to blood sugar instability? When blood sugar starts decrease, our body releases stress hormones in the same way that it does if we’ve narrowly missed being hit by a car or we’re running late for an appointment. Folks with anxiety often have higher output of stress hormones or are more sensitive to their effects. When you start to feel worried, faint and anxious those symptoms may actually be due to the fact that you ate a cheese danish and OJ for breakfast 2 hours ago and your blood sugar is plummeting. A quick fix to keep blood sugar stable is to make sure you eat every 3-4 hours and make sure whatever you eat contains some protein. Apple and peanut butter, turkey and grapes, you get the idea.
Try Kava Kava: Ever heard of this cool root from the island of Vanuatu? I hadn’t either until Naturopathic school. Kava kava is a relative of black pepper and revered for its calming properties. I like to recommend a cup or two of Kava Kava tea at bedtime or whenever you’re feeling super stressed. Kava kava has a distinct flavor, so capsules might also be appropriate in some cases but I like to encourage my patients to become familiar with the flavor experience of an herb when possible. Kava kava is known to relax the body without affecting clarity of thought.
Keep your schedule consistent: A regular sleep, wake and eating schedule tells your body and your hormonal system that all is well. Keeping your schedule consistent from workdays to off days will prevent swings in your stress hormones which may pique anxiety. Try your best to get to sleep early enough that you can wake up on your own.
Give tapping a try! Tapping or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is an excellent tool you can quickly learn. The process involves stimulating pressure points on your body as well as affirmations to calm your body and your mind during a time of anxiety. This link has everything you need to learn the technique. I have experienced awesome effects through using EFT myself and recommend it to many of my patients.
