Natural Remedies For Anxiety?

[sun seeker]

I'm not saying magnesium is the culprit. But when you supplement, you do need to factor in what you are already getting into your diet and where you are actually deficient. You might try cutting out the magnesium supplement and see if your endurance improves.

You may have been right, because I stopped a week ago now and today I am feeling close to normal (for me) again. For the first time in a couple of weeks I felt able to go for a longish walk without it feeling like a marathon. Thanks, I wouldn't have thought of that on my own.

 

[joeylittle]

I'm really glad to hear it, @sun seeker. I've run into trouble with overcompensating in the vitamins and minerals department before, and that's how I learned to actually learn what I was taking.

Do you have a smartphone? There are lots of good apps that will give you a pretty reliable computation for all the vitamins and minerals in your current diet, and it's a really good way to see what you might not be getting enough of. But like I said, if you are eating dark greens, nuts, proteins, limited fruit, you are probably fine.

Sorry, one more thing (because I can't help it): if you haven't had a full screening panel done on your blood in awhile, it would be worth it to check for vitamin D deficiency and anaemia (two pretty common sources of exhaustion).

 

[sun seeker]

Thanks @joeylittle. No I don't have a smartphone. There must be something that calculates the same thing on the computer though.

I think I'm well covered in terms of vitamin D, because of the tooth decay problems I posted about elsewhere I've been making some radical changes to my diet and some of that includes careful attention to easily assimilable sources of minerals and the vitamins, including D, that work with them. I agree it's a common deficiency but I think I'm okay. Last time I had a blood test my iron was slightly low, but I'm eating more meat now so that's probably fine too. I think the fatigue more likely has to do with depression, anxiety, and possibly die-off symptoms since I'm working on balancing gut flora and getting rid of candida.

 

[Ocean5]

I've found these helpful:

L-Arginine / L-Ornithine, or just L-Arginine depending on where you live. Take on empty stomach.
&
Lemon Balm (Melissa Leaves)

Hope it helps.

 

[sun seeker]

Lemon balm I've tried, I like the taste but it doesn't help the anxiety.

L-Arginine I've never heard of. I'll look into it, thanks.

 

[Maxi]

I thought I'd give my two pence. I find that Rescue Remedy and Kalms are nice natural alternatives to meds (though I find the Kalms can make me feel a bit too sleepy, so probably not advisable if you need to be super alert). I think they're made from valerian root and other flowers. Also, Chi Energy Healing treatments are quite nice (they are a combination of message, reiki and some kind of noise therapy). I also find a bit of Tai Chi and guided meditation quite calming.

 

[ms spock]

@sun seeker I am reading Feeling Good by David Burns. He goes through CBT in a way I can get, other books that I have read I haven't got it. It is amazing. I am reading it in bits and pieces. He is on youtube so you can watch him there.

 

[vtap]

I have found running and meditation to be helpful. I have eliminated caffeine completely also - this lowers my anxiety. I have started to do some yoga too which I think will help.

 

[KwanYingirl]

Biofeedback?? It's getting attention by trauma experts. I had a therapist use it with me when I quit drinking. He was trying to get me to blame my husband for everything and I wouldn't disclose my CSA to him so he abandoned it. He said I wasn't being honest with my thoughts and emotions. Then one night he died in his sleep and I didn't carry on with therapy until ten years later. Anyway my present therapist has been prodding me to give it a try for my anxiety.

 

[sun seeker]

Biofeedback?? It's getting attention by trauma experts.

I did a series of sessions of a variation on biofeedback a few years ago. Now I can't remember what it was called. Wish I could remember more details of this. Anyway, it helped dramatically for a short while, then the effect wore off. Not sure if that meant I needed more or that it was a placebo effect. I've had that kind of response to a lot of therapies. I'd do more, but the cost was prohibitive.

If you do decide to try it I'd be interested in how it goes.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Eeg biofeedback aka neurofeedback?

The effect does wear off for some. Fortunately I've kept the effects of most of my training.

 

[fyredrift23]

Volunteering really helps me feel more relaxed. I've helped out at churches, a food pantry and animal shelters (including at a vet clinic connected to one of the shelter groups). @sun seeker, you said you lived in a rural area? If there are any ranches/farms with animals nearby, could you ask the farmers/ranchers to help out with the animals? Or around the farm in general?

Could you volunteer to tutor kids after school or help out in the cafeteria? My mom was a Teacher's Aide for like 10 years, and one of the extra duties they'd have her do is monitor kids at lunch and recess. She would have preferred to be in the classroom !

The library is another great place to volunteer. Outside of simply immersing yourself in the calm and peaceful atmosphere to help lessen your anxiety, you can ask if you can read to kids (or adults!), help organize books/movies, or even water the plants. On that note, any kind of bookstore can also serve as a place of peace. Normally, you can just hang-out/forever browse until you're ready to leave. But, if a clerk/manager is picky, just buy a cheap book/magazine on your way out :)

I hear gardening can also be very stress-relieving, though it seems to depend on what you choose to care for. I had a coworker who started growing various herbs and selling them to restaurants as a side-business. He really enjoyed caring for his "product" and learned a lot about it too!

I live in a city, so I guess I'm trying to think of things I would do if I had lots of space and a yard :P

Don't forget the always-and-forever popular listening to music suggestion! You can use a streaming source like Spotify for free to listen to lots of different genres of music. They even have many playlists that have nothing but soothing and relaxing tracks on them! Whatever you choose to listen to however you choose to listen to it, aim for positive, uplifting, and calming tunes. This can be anything that puts you in a good mood or even a trance/meditative-like state (if you want that!). Mind you, I listen to tons of different music, but I'll use a couple as broader examples of what I mean. I love techno and hard rock, and the artists I enjoy leave me feeling happy, pumped, and/or generally good about life and myself. Positive rap, Christian rap, Christian, and Gospel/Choir music are some examples of music intentionally created to leave you feeling calm, positive, and less-stressed. Music is so so powerful and can affect our moods a LOT. We can use this to our advantage :D

Looking up at the stars, taking a peaceful walk, doing anything where I'm really connecting to nature can *really* help me calm down when I'm feeling over-stressed.

Arts and crafts (or any other preferred hobby!) are great ways for me to become less anxious. I mainly cross-stitch, and that requires me to be focused on following the pattern plan, thinking about if I like one color floss over another, how to tie a French knot, etc. All takes my focus away from myself and my problems and onto something fun that relaxes me.

I think that's all I got for now, lol.

Hope it helps get some wheels turnin'!