Natural Remedies For Anxiety?

[sun seeker]

I'd finished writing a post and my computer froze and I lost it. Grr.

Does anyone have a natural remedy for anxiety that works for you? I can't count how many I've tried, and how much money I've wasted, on ones that don't (for me). My therapist showed me a yoga pose that does help some, so I've been doing that when it gets past a tolerable level, but I'm finding my arms go to sleep if I try to do it as much as I'd like to. I'm used to anxiety as a constant companion, but lately it's so much so often that it's affecting my thinking and making me tired, weak and dizzy even in the in-between phases. There are some real situations I need to deal with but I need some relief before I can even think about it.

I won't try to write a comprehensive list of everything I've tried, but here is what I'm doing at present:
weekly therapy
starting family therapy, which will hopefully help with some major stressors but is stressful in itself
nutritious diet without added sugars, grains, or preservatives
long walks (though for about the past week I'm not feeling up to much)
fish oil
B vitamins
GABA
magnesium
nettle tea
yoga
grounding exercises
soothing music
hot baths
talking to friends who understand
drinking warm milk while wrapped in a soft blanket
watching comedy

You can't have a control group when working on yourself so who knows, maybe I'd be worse off without all this, but I wish it would work better than this. Just calming down from my anxiety attacks can be a full-time job. Any ideas what else I could add (preferably something cheap or free)?

 

[City Slicker]

It sure looks like you are covering all the bases.

I don't know your physical abilities re exercise but you mentioned long walks. Any type of strenuous exercise has been the one thing that has always helped me more than all the other things I have done combined. Usually the time I least want to do it is the time I need it the most.

A friend has lost her ability to run due to a catastrophic injury so there are days I push her in her chair and we hit the roads. She has learned to amp up her breathing so that she says she feels almost an anaerobic result from our runs. Her ability to visualize herself running and the resultant physiological changes in her heart rate and sweat, breathing etc has been a real eye opener for me.

Best of luck with your path.

 

[Deleted member 28986]

It can seem difficult, and I haven't practiced lately, but meditation is pretty helpful for me at turning down anxiety. (Hey... maybe I should practice soon...) It's confusing to learn at first but you could ask your therapist what resources on meditation (s)he recommends. There's plenty of stuff on the internet, too, but a lot of the learning materials seem so New Age-y it turns me off. I dismissed meditation as a placebo long ago, so I never tried it until recently. But I was wrong.

I'm sure someone has suggested cannabis to you before, and that may not really be available in your area. There's also a strong stigma, which can make it seem unattractive. But the indica and CBD-only kinds work really well for instant anxiety reduction for me and a lot of other people. Minimal side effects for me.

I have tried kava once; not sure how helpful it was specifically for anxiety. I wasn't diagnosed then, and I wasn't really conscious of anxiety levels. The effects were subtle but real, and it was not an unpleasant experience. It can be made as a "tea," or they have capsules in vitamin shops---at least in the US. It is proven somewhat effective at reducing anxiety.

 

[Chava]

Herbs: ashwagandha, holy basil. ginger. daily walks unless 20 below zero, moving mindfully vs fidgeting, Pilates helps me quicker than a drug....so much to be mindful of, and slow, controlled release of energy.....takes my pre-panic feelings right back down to settled, Anything slow, mindful like that, somrtimes I paint, other times I wash my scarves in the tub....feels like playing with beautiful seaweed, I maybe don't wash them perfectly but playing aroud with colorful scarves in a tub of warm water is so soothing

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I love Hyland's Nerve Tonic. I know others on the forum have said it helps them, too. Its about $9 a bottle. I love their Calms Forte, too.

 

[sun seeker]

@City Slicker, I was noticing strenuous walks helped while I was taking them and a while afterward. I don't know what's going on lately that I'm so tired. I get out of breath and lightheaded just going up a staircase. This came suddenly after a period of getting more exercise than I have for years, so I'm stumped. I'm waiting for that to pass so I can get started again. Meanwhile maybe it would help just getting outside in the fresh air even if I don't do much.

@The One Who Knocks, yes I tried meditation daily for about six weeks at one point but when my anxiety got really bad I started having so much trouble with intrusive thoughts that I stopped. I don't mean the kind of thoughts everyone has when meditating, but more like OCD obsessions that took hold when I was focused. They were so disturbing to me that I had to stop. Kava is something I have not tried, and it was banned in Canada until recently but I understand the ban is loosening, so I'll check with my local health food store and see what they say. Re your other herbal suggestion thanks, but I think I'll pass!

@Chava, okay, I haven't tried ashwagandha or holy basil yet. Do they help you significantly? I do eat ginger. Pilates I don't have the energy for right now, but I know exercise will help when I'm able. The scarf washing sounds lovely, I wouldn't have thought of that!

Solara, I've tried Calms Forte and didn't notice any difference, which has unfortunately been the case with all the homeopathic remedies (many!) and flower essences I've tried. Discouraging! I haven't tried the nerve tonic though.

 

[ms spock]

3-4 hours of exercise per day
Mindfulness Meditation - but you will probably feel worse but then it gets easier to manage. In my media folder on Mindfulness, there is "The Mindful Way Through Depression", at the end of that are all the practices - and you have to practice (well twice a day for me) daily.

 

[sun seeker]

3-4 hours of exercise per day

Wow... okay, that's something to work up to. I was managing close to two, but for some reason I'm not up to it lately.

 

[ms spock]

Is that a somatisation thing @sun seeker? Or is it a health thing? Or a depression thing? It can be good to consider that.

When I do about 5 hours of exercise per day the anxiety and depression goes right down for me.

 

[falling_wave]

Yogi Kava stress relief tea. Let the tea bag sit for 3-5 minutes before drinking. I have to warn you it tastes gross like licorice and cinnamon but it works pretty well and hydrates you which is good in itself.

 

[Upside Down Eagle]

1. valerian tea works pretty well for me against anxiety and tension (make it yourself, not pre-made)
   
2. St. Johnsworth works well with me against feelings of depression.
3. I have calming pills that combine a mixture of herbal remedies (chamomile flower, celery seed, hop flower, passiflora flower, valerian root).
4. running at least 3-4 km sometimes helps better than walking, but don't overdo it, and don't cross your own boundaries.

I also take the fish oil. Does the magnesium help you as far as you know?

 

[sun seeker]

Is that a somatisation thing [DLMURL="https://www.myptsd.com/c/members/28120/"]@sun seeker[/DLMURL]? Or is it a health thing? Or a depression thing? It can be good to consider that.

I've wondered that too, and I'm really not sure. Probably a combination of all of the above.

When I do about 5 hours of exercise per day the anxiety and depression goes right down for me.

Like I said... wow. That's a bit out of my league for now, but I'll do my best.

Yogi Kava stress relief tea.

Thanks for the tip, I'll look for that. I'm not sure if kava tea is now allowed in this country.

Radise, unfortunately I've tried all those remedies to no avail. Except the running. I have an extreme reaction to extreme aerobic exercise. I can't tell whether the magnesium makes any difference or not, I just think it's good on general principle.