Suffering with feelings of anxiety?

Are you like a high proportion of the population suffering from either mild or debilitating feelings of anxiousness, depression and/or fatigue?

You could be suffering from ….. Fear! Yes that’s right anxiety is just fear in another guise. If we are in fear then all sorts of things can raise their ugly heads and bite us on the derriere.

Life has changed hugely over the last five decades; things we used to take for granted are no longer written in stone, like jobs for example. When I was growing up people had jobs for life, they stayed in their houses and they had neighbours that did the same. Everything was stable and ticked along at a gentle pace.

Now we have a world that is unstable that even our monetary system appears to be wobbly.

No wonder we are living in a state of anxiety and stress!

However we can cope, in fact we have to learn to cope as this it the way the world is and we have a choice we either sink or swim.

I am personally making a choice – I am going to swim and I am going to help as many people who want to swim along with me!

Why do we react like we do?

The reason we are either suffering from anxiety or fatigue or anything in between is due to our hormonal system going into overdrive our adrenals are working overtime and we are feeling on edge and tired at the same time.

There is an awful lot written about fatigue and I am sure there are some of you reading this are sufferers of this horrible ailment - I know how you feel as I have been there. I have been blessed over the last 30 years to have overcome the long-term fatigue I was struck down with in my 20’s and to help others to do the same.

However, if I had of taken notice of the anxiety I had when I was in my teens I might never have fallen as hard or as long as I did!

Even though I have strategies in place to keep the fatigue under wraps, I admit that over the last few years I have had many days where I have felt that I simply cannot cope. It has been having support that has got me though. The support for me has come from a variety of sources it has been emotional support with a friend, colleague or practitioner (yes practitioners need practitioners too) I also have a list of “things’ that I do to make me feel better, plus some remedies/nutrients that support my body through the time of high stress. With this repertoire I find that I get effected by the ravages of stress less and less, even though I still have the usual stresses/anxieties I just don’t react like I used too!

Some tips that helped me to help reduce Anxiety/Fear: I know that they can help you too!

Try one or more of these tips to help you on a daily basis to reduce anxiety

1. Herbal supplements like Rhodiola and/or lemon balm can really help. Lemon balm makes a delicious relaxing tea. Rhodiola is an amazing herb that can be used with other medications – it is great if you are taking any medication for depression and anxiety - I can help if you need any confirmation of this.

2. Try deep breathing I have found the following technique really useful. You can do this anywhere, well nearly! Take a deep breath in, through your nose for a count of 5, hold it, for a count of 6 then breathe out for a count of 7. Do this once to start with as if you do too many at first you can find yourself getting a bit dizzy.

3. Go for a gentle walk out in the fresh air, whenever you feel anxious. Gentle exercise can be a wonderful therapy for those of us prone to anxiety.

4. Some essential oils can really help – so keep some on hand to help almost immediately. Lavender is probably the most known about but patchouli and geranium are a great mix to put with your lavender for an exotic antidote.

5. It is recommended to meditate if you are prone to any forms of anxiety however if you are anything like me with a brain that hates to shut off, I find guided visualisations really useful.

6. Avoid drinking excess alcohol as this really can make things a lot worse.

7. Having a delicious massage can really help combating stress as it can reduce inflammation.

8. Write a to do list every evening before finishing up for the day and have it beside you so that when an idea comes to you, you can write it down. By doing this you are decluttering your mind. I have a to do list that includes something for me personally to do every day.

9. It has been shown that by being creative can take your mind away from other things so pick something totally different from what you do for work – I see my work as my ART so I make sure that I either pick up a paint brush or read some design magazines they are great distractions.

10. When you start to think in a negative way – make it a habit to change that around. Once you get used to doing this you will feel better and then things start getting easier and you will feel less anxious and more in control – as the saying goes “the better it gets, the better it gets” We always need to practice this one!

11. Get some sunshine. You have to be in sun to get essential vitamin D, everyone always feels better when the sun starts to shine. If you can’t be in the sun then take a vitamin D supplement

12. Sleep for at least 7 hours each night. If this is a challenge for you then you might need some assistance. Try chamomile tea or an Epsom salts bath – just 12 minutes and don’t have it too hot, why only 12 minutes? The theory is that Epsom salts help us to detox and if you stay in the bath any longer reverse osmosis starts, which means you start to reabsorb the toxins you have released.

13. Take a magnesium supplement – in my opinion transdermal is best as by applying it to the skin bypasses what can sometimes be a digestion that is under duress. (we have our own that works wonderfully well!) Here is the link for Calm.

14. Eat lots of vegetables and good quality protein – organic where possible.

I would like to thank you for reading this, I truly hope it helps you.

Phone number - 021 408 277

​Vitality Shop/Apothecary/Clinic
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Marsden Road,
Paihia, 0200