Anxiety

RhondaBusby
RhondaBusby Posts: 22 ✭✭✭
edited May 2021 in Mental Health

What are ya'll best tips for helping anxiety?

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  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    Skullcap, kava, mints are calming esp. lemon balm. There are a lot of herbs that help anxiety but those the ones I think of first because they work pretty fast as tinctures and teas (lemon balm).

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    I agree with the above. I would go for lemon balm, personally. It is quite pleasant & should be easy to find.

  • SherryA
    SherryA Posts: 314 ✭✭✭

    Kava works best for me when it comes to anxiety. The only way I can drink the tea is with lots of chai type herbs, because kava itself tastes terrible. So I mostly use tincture. Also, the Calm app folks are offering free calming resources at https://www.calm.com/blog/take-a-deep-breath?utm_source=lifecycle&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=difficult_times_subs_031720.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Niacinamide worked good for my daughter. I couldn't find the video I was looking for but this one explains about a lot of uses of Niacin & Niacinamide.

    What's helped my anxiety recently is to turn off the TV or at least turn on cooking and to limit how many times I look at social media. My daughter and I went to the park today and went Geocaching which was good for it as well.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Tulsi...basil. This makes the most lovely sweet tea.

    Rosemary Gladstar has a recipe for headache tea that includes basil, chamomile, & lemon balm. It is a beautiful tea!

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    Chamomile is soothing as Mint is a stress soother. Both aid relaxation.

  • karen
    karen Posts: 80 ✭✭


    herbantherapy excellent advice. I find that at times I, too, must force myself out to my garden. wonders never cease - next thing I know it has been two hours in the sunshine and working some muscles and I feel wonderful. may hafta oush again tomorrow, but that is definitley good for the psyche when accomplished.

    anxiety: if you never have, go now to the chopra website and either learnt to meditate or read his books. today i am reading the Seven Spritual Laws of Succees. the first task is ust STOPPING, mentally. find a way to be silent for at least an hour each day no ta;king, reading, cell talk, emails, facebook, TV . Doesnt mean sitting meditating necessarily but lots of other ways. The example of walking through or just sitting in one's garden is one example. You and nature. Even in cold climes one can look at the scene outside one's window and just marvel at all one sees. finding a labyrinth to walk is another. I used to love doing this at least once a week. Of course actual meditation - sitting or yoga twice a day for 30 mintues each time can have a wonderful impact.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My favorites to use as teas are chamomile, lemon balm, catnip, linden, mints, rose, and tulsi.

    For tinctures, lemon balm, rose, motherwort, and skullcap. I've heard good things about Kava, but have no experience with it.

    I keep several on hand, and pick and choose depending on what sounds good at the time.

    Rescue Remedy is another thing I keep on hand, and can use it safely on the dog, too.

    Getting enough sleep. Naps count!

    Turning off the TV!

    Daily nature walks or sits. Daily gratitude journaling (on my Facebook page, to share with others).

    Reading for fun. Watching movies. Tending to and playing with my dog and cat. Talking to friends and family by phone or online.

    And I take great comfort in God's word and in prayer.

  • pamelamackenzie
    pamelamackenzie Posts: 143 ✭✭✭

    I heard someone yesterday saying it helped them to start each morning thinking of 3 things they are grateful for. It seems like a good idea that can't hurt.

  • nksunshine27
    nksunshine27 Posts: 343 ✭✭✭

    catnip helps with anxiety

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Last year I took a Mental Health First Aid course and this was in their latest e-mail to me.


  • sallyhoward
    sallyhoward Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    These are all great practices. I also recommend a warm bath with epsom salts and a few drops of your favourite essential oils. Or at least a foot bath with the same.

  • RhondaBusby
    RhondaBusby Posts: 22 ✭✭✭

    Thank you everyone!!! Great ideas to put in to place :)

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @RhondaBusby You are very welcome!

  • 7207chablis
    7207chablis Posts: 46 ✭✭✭

    Close your eyes and think about the most joyful event of your life. Feel it in your body, where it is, does it spread all throughout your body, does it have a color, a smell, a temperature etc... Connect with that as if you were living it again. Then when you start having some anxiety, think about this joy feeling and let your body going to the joy feeling instead of the anxiety.

  • Devi
    Devi Posts: 18 ✭✭✭
    edited March 2020

    Hi @RhondaBusby , in addition to all the great herbs mentioned here (tulsi is my fav), I do breathing - slowly in for the count of 6 - hold for the count of 6 - exhale for the count of 8 - hold the exhale for the count of 2. This helps shift my mindset, and my body releases the stress/tension/anxiety built up.

    [6-6-8-2]

    Hope you find the relief you need! 💕

  • RhondaBusby
    RhondaBusby Posts: 22 ✭✭✭

    awesome! Thank you. Breathing helps me too!

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    I've struggled with anxiety since I was a child, for various reasons. Finding a diet that worked for me and my hormones has helped tremendously, but it's a still a work in progress. Supplementing with magnesium has helped, and I think nutritional yeast has helped as well(b-vitamins.) I can't give advice about herbs, but here are some practices that have helped me ( Not saying I always avail myself of them!)

    1. first off, read my Bible and talk to God about it- honestly and humbly. Trust God to handle the things that I can't fix.
    2. Try to find out why you are anxious. I don't think we are ever really anxious "for no reason". Understanding better how my brain/body works has helped greatly. Learning about PMS means I more prepared to deal with it. Also understanding brain and personality differences means that I am easier on myself and on others. By brain differences I mean issues such as Aspergers, ADHD, or OCD. If you haven't researched OCD, I encourage you to do so. Lots of people deal with it unknowingly, because they are only familiar with the "Hollywood" version. It is not being neat and organized! As for personality, I have found that MBTI has helped me understand and appreciate both my own and other's personalities. This might sound pretty off topic, but accepting that others think differently helps prevent anxiety for me. Yes, there are lots of silly articles that claim you can find everything from the perfect job to the perfect spouse based on your type; that doesn't mean the basic theory can't be helpful.
    3. For me, communication issues are an ongoing source of anxiety; I've found that it's important to try to resolve them while I am calm, instead of waiting until they have become a major problem.
    4. If I know mentally that the source of my anxiety is not legitimate, or that it is legitimate but there is nothing I can do about it, and I can't shake the feelings, I try exercise or a good book. Taking a long walk/jog can be great. Sometimes I know everything is all right, but hormones keep telling me to feel panicky or depressed; that's a great time to read a novel or listen to an audiobook, preferably with some handsewing.
    5. Sometimes talking about my anxiety can be helpful, but I've found if I'm in full panic mode its usually better to wait until I've calmed down.
    6. Hot sauce. Seriously, capsaicin releases endorphins. Of course, if you don't like spicy foods it probably won't help..
  • Momma Mo
    Momma Mo Posts: 138 ✭✭✭

    I find reading the Bible, prayer, and reminding myself that God has it in His control relieves my anxious thoughts. Just do things to the best of your ability and then "let it go".

  • Alison
    Alison Posts: 179 ✭✭✭

    There are a lot of ideas here so I trust one will help. I will add in a few thoughts of my own for you to consider:

    1. Vitamin D - the sun. This has proven benefits in regards to lifting mood as well as aiding in the absorption of calcium.
    2. St Johns Wart as a herbal remedy [not homeopathic - I believe it's used differently in homeopathy]. This can be a tincture or capsule/ tablet. I have had family use it very effectively for anxiety/ depression with very fast results. I am told it also assist with pain relief.
    3. Exercise.
    4. Keep a good routine. That is, ensure you get up at a reasonable/ regular time and have things planned for the day, but don't trash yourself if you don't keep it, or you fall short.
    5. Try and find the reason you are anxious. This may involve finding a counsellor/ therapist/ support person [even online] who you trust so you can work through the underlying cause of the anxiety.

    The other thought is of course not 'isolating' yourself per se. While I understand that most of us are self isolating due to the virus lockdown, I am expressing more in relation to being willing to connect with others - by phone, facebook, email, smiling at a stranger if they walk past your property, even ensuring you spend quality time with a pet [again this has scientifically proven benefits].

    Take Care 💐

  • sarah121
    sarah121 Posts: 129 ✭✭✭

    Ashwagandha is a really useful and safe herb to take as a simple. The following article may offer some useful suggestions:

    https://alchemilla.co/ashwagandha-one-of-natures-best-remedies-for-anxiety/

  • Ruth Ann Reyes
    Ruth Ann Reyes Posts: 577 admin

    Great advice in this thread! Thanks, y'all!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Something that I learned when in labor was using a change of words. When I said "ow," I was supposed to say "open" and focus on the goal. The idea was that a physical body responds directly to the words said by that individual, either tensing or relaxing muscles to be able to work properly. Changing words also helps your mindset to help you work through something rather than working against you.

    If we stay vigilant while changing our focus & words to something positive, it will help us each move forward in a more productive & slightly more comfortable way.