Natural Anxiety Management

Just when I think I have everything under control, here it comes…ANXIETY!

Yes, it happens to all of us, some more than others. It may be something specific (public speaking, heights) that cause our palms to sweat, our mouths to get dry, and our heart to thump a bit harder. Or it may be seemingly nothing at all.

Anxiety IS caused by something. It doesn’t just happen. But it does not have to be a specific event or fear that turns us in to quivering masses. It can be as simple as diet, exercise, hormonal fluctuations or even a mental pattern we’ve gotten in.

Intake of the obvious offenders, caffeine and sugar, should be examined when confronted with anxiety. They can definitely be effective in producing feelings of nervousness. But other foods that you may not even have considered could also be to blame.

Eat to Calm. Consuming too many dry, cold foods can throw your system into imbalance and cause feelings of anxiety. Try laying off of iced drinks in place of warm or even room temp beverages. Warm, mildly spicy, somewhat heavy foods are good for bringing a flighty, ungrounded mind/body back into balance. Cooked vegetables (especially root vegetables; pumpkin, beets, carrots), soups, and stews. Mild spices (but not too hot) like cumin, curry, and turmeric. Feel like having a delicious apple this season? Try baking it with cinnamon (mild spice) and a bit of good old ghee (great for providing healthy heat to the body). Oatmeal with cinnamon, nuts, and milk is the perfect fall/anxiety-relief breakfast.

Breathe. When we are feeling nervous we subconsciously begin to take short, shallow breaths. This tells our body that we are in danger and the body then begins to show signs of panic. If we can remember to take long, even breaths our body will acknowledge our relaxed breathing by relaxing. Breathing, in the form of conscious breath or meditation, really is huge in keeping us calm and healthy. If your bouts of anxiety come in monthly regularity (i.e. hormonal), certain hydrosols like Evan Healy's Rose Geranium or Orange Blossom or The Answer for Skin's PMS Clarify toning mist can help.

Talk Yourself Down. Anxiety can also be caused by an event that is not really something you fear. We are all creatures of habit and, for some, a variance from our normal routine can cause us to feel anxious. These can be hard to pinpoint, but if you can, get to the source and “tell” yourself that this is an unreasonable fear. Change the story that you are telling yourself from “this is causing me trouble” to “ this is not a big deal”. This may not be an immediate solution, but over time can help.

Do what you love. Another cause of feeling ungrounded and all over the place, lack of self-nuturance. “Huh?” you may ask. Ok, sometimes in our crazy, hectic, fast-paced, American lives we get so busy taking care of other’s needs (boss, spouse, children, co-workers…) that we forget to take care of ourselves. I am not talking about a vacation here --though if you can, go for it—but a few simple minutes each day to do something totally for you. No, washing laundry so that YOU will have something clean to wear does not count. If it feels like a waste of time, then you are probably doing the right thing. And this goes for our kids too. I have definitely noticed that when we have a jam-packed week around here the stress levels in my kids are much higher than when we have a down night or two.

As mentioned in last week’s article on having a healthy and happy fall season, exercise and a regular routine also help to calm the mind, body, and spirit.

Now, we usually imagine anxiety to look like worry, nervousness, etc. But anxiety is stress, and stress can play out in many different ways – anger, withdrawal, repetitive actions. My son tends to worry, that is easily identifiable as anxiety and stress. But it took me longer to realize that when my daughter has an angry outburst over something small it is her stress mechanism, not just bad behavior, which equals…you guessed it. ANXIETY.

The key to managing anxiety is:

• Find the source, even if it is something unrelated to what you think you are worried about. Look deep.
• Look at your diet, are you consuming too much caffeine (chocolate?), sugar, salad?
• Go for a little “you time”. Run a bath, take a walk, spend time with a close friend, or just sit and breathe. Whatever does it for you.

I am not a doctor of any type and certainly do not claim to know everything about anxiety. My knowledge in this area comes from extensive reading and research. And lots of practice. ;)

How do you deal with spells of anxiety? We’d love to know!