Anxious?

 

Then check out these tips to keep you naturally calm.

 

By Nikki Yeh

 

1. Relax. Ask your naturopath about progressive muscle relaxation, a method that helps you loosen your muscles instead of thinking about the issue that’s making you anxious. While working various body parts from the tongue to your thighs, you’ll learn how to breathe slowly and deeply.

2. Eat up. Calcium, magnesium and potassium are depleted by stress, so add mineral-rich foods to your diet such as brown rice, whole grains, soy, yogurt, broccoli, bananas and avocados.

3. Smell this. Relieve stress with mandarin oil. Rub it on your skin, add it into your bath water or diffuse five drops of it with three drops of bergamot oil — another citrus oil — in an aroma lamp.

4. Work it. Even if it’s just a brisk walk around the block, find a new activity to get you moving. Physical activity generates endorphins and burns off stress-related chemicals such as adrenaline.

5. Tea time. Drink a cup of fennel tea before or after your meals. If you tend to get anxiety-related stomach cramps, fennel is known to stimulate digestion and relieve flatulence, bloating and distension.

6. Soak it in. Mix five drops of lavender essential oil in a warm bath. In aromatherapy, lavender oil helps induce calmness as well as treat headaches.

7. Get herbal. Discuss St. John’s wort with your doctor. St. John’s wort contains hypericin, an anti-viral and anti-depressive substance. According to The A to Z Guide to Healing Herbal Remedies, some people find that this herb is an effective remedy for herpes simplex attacks, which are sometimes brought on by stress.

8. Stop smoking. Researchers have found that the brain misinterprets a smoker’s hard breathing and lack of oxygen as a threat, which results in the heart pumping faster with even heavier breathing. In anxious people, the brain mistakes these responses as a sign of panic.

9. Kick away caffeine. Consider cutting down your cups of joe. Caffeine is known to activate the sympathetic nervous system, which launches your body to respond to stress or danger.

10. Meditate. Look into meditation. In one study, researchers measured brain electrical activity after a two-month course in meditation. They found that activity increased on the left side of the prefrontal cortex, the area associated with pleasant emotions.

Bonus tip

According to The National Institute of Mental Health, anxious people can benefit from sharing their problems with others. Seek the support of your family and friends. Speak to your doctor about a referral to a group therapy session that’s run by a mental health professional.

References
Phyllis A. Balch. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2006.
Christina Boufis. Natural Health. Nov 2008 v38 i10 p89(2).
Phyllis G. Cooper. Clinical Reference Systems. “Stress management:
progressive muscle relaxation.” Nov 2008 v2008 i3 pNA.
Earl Mindell, Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible, 1992.
Michael J. Mufson. Coping with Anxieties and Phobias (Harvard Special
Health Report). July 2006 p33(11).