Natural remedies for stress and anxiety?
Anyone have any ideas for natural ways to reduce stress and anxiety? Herbs, exercise etc. I’m not interested in drugs or alcohol as they just make things worse in the end 
You might want to try:
*St John’s Wort
*Meditation
*Yoga
*Lemon balm extract tablets
*Going for walks
*Keeping a diary/journal of your thoughts to work through them
*Joining an aerobics class
*Buying a few self-help books on stress/anxiety from Amazon.
Good luck!
September 14th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Kava Kava and Chamomile tea always work for me.
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September 14th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Most herbal supplements etc are pretty much just placebos..i know from expierence they pretty much dont work they just trick you.
For myself, i find that regular excersize helps, and deep breathing teqniques. And going out of your comfort zone.
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September 14th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
exercise releases endorphin in your brain, the happy hormone.
chocolates contain seratonin which also induces the release of endorphin.
both natural, both very healthy.
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September 14th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Sometimes the best approach is simply to sit down and think your way through your problems. One approach is to work out your thoughts and feelings and about the things that cause you stress and to test your assumptions and beliefs about them, especially where unhelpful or unrealistic. By trying out new ways of reacting you can essentially change your behaviour to something more positive and useful.
It’s something you can do yourself, although the approach is also used professionally (it’s called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - see Wikipedia for more). I used a similar approach many years ago to give up smoking, and a simple first step would be to get a DVD such as ‘Worry Less & Do More’ (see the beat-anxiety.co.uk link below).
I hope this helps - a natural solution that just requires a little homework!
References :
http://www.beat-anxiety.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy
September 14th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
See stress treatments, at ezy build, below, in section 42. A certain level of stress is unavoidable, in modern society, so it is a good idea to develop effective coping methods. Light to moderate daily exercise helps fight stress. For some people, it helps to visualise a quiet, relaxing scene (imagine, as vividly as you can, that you are on a tropical beach, reclining comfortably; you luxuriate, as the the sun warms you, and a gentle breeze caresses your skin lightly, inhaling the tangy, sea scented, salt laden spray from the sparkling, translucent, aqua waves, crashing on the white, coral beach sand, and feeling the hot sand slip through your fingers in one hand, sipping your favorite drink with the other; all the while, the seagulls call, swoop and cavort playfully overhead in a cloudless, azure sky: you feel just like one of them, free to soar and cartwheel, or just glide in the moist, heavy air, and that this moment will last forever … ).
Options: Try: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditat... & http://www.healthjourneys.com/free_audio.asp?f=1 & http://www.meditainment.com/free-meditation-content/
Take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or grapefruit, or their FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it. The supplement DHEA is thought to counter the stress hormone, Cortisol. Ginseng & Lady’s Slipper are recommended herbal remedies: see section 55, at ezy build, below. Practise daily, one of the relaxation techniques in sections 11, 2, 2c, or 2i; whichever works best for you, but the mindfulness breathing for 15 - 20 mns is ideal, although the progressive muscle relaxation can be learned quickly, and takes only several minutes, if pressed for time. Also see: http://www.mindtools.com/stress/Relaxati... & http://relaxationemporium.com/ & http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/m... & http://tinyurl.com/29so4u & at http://www.lessons4living.com/ try the audio demonstration. At http://www.amazon.com/ enter: "sounds of the ocean", & "ambient rain sound", & "mountain river sounds" in the searchbar.
Repeat: "I feel calm" and/or "I can handle this." Employ the EFT version for use in public, for which you can reasonably claim that you have a headache, as you massage/tap your temples, but it may be advisable to restrict yourself to subvocalising (saying it to yourself, in your mind, not aloud). Section 53, and pages 2, 2.q and 2.o refer. "Even though I sometimes suffer from stress, I deeply and completely accept myself". A variant of EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, which has been used successfully for those people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, insomnia, and anxiety, is shown in section 42, on page i, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris I have found that the 2 - 3 minutes spent using the EMDR markedly reduces distractions to the relaxation process, and is well worthwhile. You can also multitask, using the gazing technique, as you walk/jog or exercise, by focusing on a distant object, or just focus awareness on how each step feels, noting any thoughts which flash across your mind, without pursuing any particular train of thought, just gently redirect your focus to the task at hand.
For you, or others: A massage (at least neck and shoulders) with jasmine, lavender, juniper, and/or bergamot, or German chamomile essential oils added to the massage oil, and to a warm bath, preferably beforehand, to help make any tension knots and muscles more pliant (they may only want, say, a sandalwood & juniper, or bergamot mix:; check first). I am aware of advice that strong heat, applied to essential oils can damage them, and so I would not use a diffuser. Also consider anise, basil, bay, eucalyptus, peppermint, rose, or thyme.
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Place some pieces of rock salt in a small vial, then add a few drops of the oil of your choice (the rock salt absorbs the oil and is less risky to carry around than a bottle of oil). Open the vial and breathe in the scent whenever you need a quick stress release. Aromatherapy: http://www.quintessence.com/aromatherapy.htm & http://www.aromaweb.com/ & http://www.aromatherapy.com/essentialoils.html & http://www.naturesgift.com/infomenu.htm & http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/ Do long, stretching yoga exercises, or t’ai chi (first 3 pages; section 2, at ezy build; anxiety; see section 6; page N first).
September 14th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
You might want to try:
*St John’s Wort
*Meditation
*Yoga
*Lemon balm extract tablets
*Going for walks
*Keeping a diary/journal of your thoughts to work through them
*Joining an aerobics class
*Buying a few self-help books on stress/anxiety from Amazon.
Good luck!
References :
September 14th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I have a natural remedies book in the other room, let me go get it and see more. It reads:
Monitoring and limiting stressful situations can help. Avoiding extremes in living–working, playing and thinking. Proper diet and supplements can be important. For extreme anxiety–St. John’s Wart herbal supplement can be quick-acting to calm and reduce anxious thoughts and body tension. 1-3 300 mg capsules per day. Check with your doc if you are taking other meds. Vitamin 3 also helps. (dont take it if you plan to go to bed soon after) Others include Magnesium, Calcium. Bach’s flower Rescue Remedy is also recommended. Enjoy lots of warm, cooked whole grains, blended or mashed beans and cooked veggies. Avoid red meat, dairy, sugar, junk food. Drinks include: Chamomile, Kava Kava, Skullcaps hops, Veggie Juices, and catnip.
Aromatherapy is a good thing too, smell your favorite smells and get out of the city if you live there. Other remedies include hot baths or ssaunas which cause the body to sweat out toxins.
Ahhh the wonder of natural herbs! There are a lot of great folk/mountain medicine books out there.
References :
"Your natural medicine cabinet" by Jeanne Martin
September 14th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
hi i can also reconmend as someone esle did using EFT i have had serious anxiety problems for the last 3yrs and even though ive had good times as well the EFT is the one constant thing i always did that helped. i never used the "ratings" after each time i just found that later that day or so id think "oh shit i havent even thought about that !! lol" (whatever problem it was that i was tapping on )
i never used medication ( although never fell bad or a failure if u have tried so many natural things and that u just need something to help give u a break )
lavender is great
walking
stop smoking drinking for a little while i wasnt even having caffine
there is a great book called "living with it " by bev aislbet its done in comic form and is in no way medical mumbo jumbo every time i have a setback i read this book its great
in the health food shop theres a spray thats called brauer calm that works well for me
also reki etc u dont have to believe in it but u are relaxing while you are laying there
i am not "cured" but coping goodluck
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