Natural Ways To Get Past Anxiety!

Nov 7, 2013 | Sensory Goodness

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(via)

Anxiety.  The faster our lives run, the less directly we communicate, the more we overwhelm ourselves with electronic, the more expectations pile upon us, the more we kick our hormones and nervous systems into overdrive.   While it is easy to intellectualize and say ” Nothing good comes of worry, ” or the like to someone that is freaking out, once the body response kicks in, it is very hard to reason through panic.  It is true though: nothing good comes of worry.  

I grew up in a house of panic.  It was the general tone of my household.  My mother’s go-to emotion was breathless out-of-control anxiety.  I absorbed a lot of that, and found “free floating” panic strike me as a teenager when I least expected it- driving, flying, heading into classes.  Luckily, I decided against them at an early age,and set out on a mission to undo what I learned.  Terror would not be the color of my life.  It took a lot of research, a lot of work and a lot of fun (!) to understand anxiety for myself… and move beyond it.   Today, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite holistic anti-anxiety habits to share. There are so many more, but these are an easy start!

rothko

(Mark Rothko) 

Some holistic ways to keep anxiety at bay…

Clear Clutter.  Clutter is the stuff that will pile up mentally and emotionally until it reaches a breaking point of overwhelm.  By getting rid of extra papers, by filing emails, answering your messages, clearing out your mailbox and cleaning your house you will find greater peace.  You can only stuff things away for so long before they spill out in the form of panic attacks and overwhelming stress.

Exercise.  Regularly. In A Way You Enjoy!  Exercise both creates fresh and lively new brain cells and helps to regulate your responses in stress so that you can stay calmer, even under pressure.  THIS study in the New York Times details recent findings about how exercise affects our brain cells.  Yet another great reason to find an exercise program you love!  

Try Some Homeopathy. In a pinch, I run over to the Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy and grab a little stress relief in the form of homeopathy.  HERE is more about homeopathy for anxiety. 

Get A Pet. Pets have proven very helpful in reducing depression, feelings of isolation and anxiety as well.

Become More Present.  In Psychology Today’s article Overcoming Anxiety With Mindfulness Therapy, Peter Strong, Ph.D. writes about the powerful benefits of being more present in life, and includes this exercise you can try at home to start (the whole article is HERE and it is a very helpful read) :

EXERCISE

1. Sit down and get comfortable. Close your eyes. Allow yourself to relax and practice basic mindfulness of breathing to steady the mind.

2. Open the field of your awareness until it feels like a large space.

3. Introduce an anxiety emotion into this space and experiment with just sitting with it as you would with a friend: looking and listening very carefully with interest and an open mind.

4. Find the color that best fits the feeling.

5. Experiment with surrounding that color with another color. Try the exact opposite color first and notice the shift in feeling intensity of the anxiety.

6. Develop this imagery and try other modifications in size, position and movement.

7. Continue monitoring the change in intensity on a 1-10 scale. When the anxiety has reduced by at least 50% open your eyes and take a break before returning for another round.

8. Repeat the whole process 5 to 10 times for 3 to 4 days. Notice how your perceptions change each day.

Now, of course it is easier to do this with a skilled mindfulness therapist, but you will probably be quite surprised at how quickly things change once you get down to the detailed sensory level, made possible through focused mindfulness.

And, of course, consult experts and seek medical treatment whenever necessary.  It’s also interesting to note that anxiety is not always caused just by “stress”: I have had friends with anxiety who actually suffered from food allergies, thyroid problems, anemia and hormonal imbalances.  Comprehensive medical care- East or West or Both- is always best in solving chronic issues such as these, though I find a little help from nature to be supportive if not curative as well!

NOTE DISCLAIMER: PLEASE CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU HAVE ANY HEATH CONCERNS.

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feng shui 101And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!

4 Comments

  1. maggie

    This is awesome! So funny, I was just thinking about all the clutter in my house and how I am gonna go to town tonight and clean it up so I feel better!

    Reply
  2. Dale

    Hi – I have the same history of panic attacks & agoraphobia as your mom, but I conquered it by forming associations between the feared situation & something I loved WHILE I WAS RELAXED. By being relaxed and visualizing something positive and only then adding in the feared object or situation, it’s amazing the shift in thinking you can accomplish. Then when you face the situation for real, the positive association you’ve been practicing kicks in. An example: I was moving to Arizona where there are tarantulas & I was an arachnaphobic! So for several weeks before I moved, I periodically looked at the floor and thought of a tarantula as a cute furry animal. What happened when I saw my 1st tarantula? Believe it or not, I started to bend over to pet it! Of course, I stopped myself, but the strong connection I had developed was amazing. CAUTION: this works well for many people, but may not for someone reading this. Also, ease into it – start with something similar but less frightening. I was able to start immediately with visualization of a tarantula (which scared the daylights out of me), but only because I have been doing this for a long time.

    Reply
    • danaclaudat

      Wow. How amazing. I really appreciate you sharing this, Dale. Profoundly helpful, possibly for many many people!

      Reply
  3. cesar miramontes

    I took so many natural supplements I felt they cause me lots of problems with my adrenals and thyroid in one occasion I had a panic attack while driving thanks for explaning that It can be cause of allergies and issues

    Reply

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