“A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for.”

-William G.T. Shedd

Here’s a story I heard from a friend a while ago. Her anxiety problem started with a panic attack. It was on a Sunday afternoon in a church. She had been out celebrating her final school exams the night before. She was hungover, sitting on a bench, when a series of weird sensations became to overcome her. Her heart was pounding through her chest. Her first thought was that she was having a heart attack. After thinking about that, her anxiety spiked into a state of panic. She couldn’t breathe. She eventually got calmer and made her way home, and when she eventually got home, she told no one about that and hid in her house for days.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I’ve been having a bit of anxiety crisis since last week. That made me go to see the local GP, who in turn prescribed me some heavy drugs. I had a look online to see the review of those drugs and that scared the heck out of me.

So I decided to take matters on my own hands with natural remedies. A brief search on our friend Google and I came across an amino acid called L-Theanine. According to FoodMatters, ” L-theanine is found mainly in green tea and black tea, and is also available as a supplement. Studies have found that it acts directly on the brain, helping to reduce stress and anxiety—without causing drowsiness. Research from 2008, for example, found that those participants taking 50 mg of L-theanine a day had a greater increase in alpha (relaxed brain waves) activity than those who took a placebo. An earlier 1998 study found that 200 mg a day leads to increased alpha brain waves and a relaxed, yet alert, a state of mind”.

I took it for a month or so and all I have to say is that it really works. Much better than a prescription drug, that will most likely leave you addicted for the rest of your life.

I personally think this anxiety thing is really something that our minds play up, and if we know how to deal with it, using natural remedies is the way to go. Otherwise you rely too heavily on pharmaceutical products.

But before taking any medications, no matter if it’s a drug or a natural medicine, it’s always best to try and do something that will make your mind and body feel better, like a yoga or meditation. It will do a spring cleaning of your mind for sure.

SPRING CLEAN YOUR MIND

If you want to do a spring clean of your mind, body and soul, I would recommend these tips below, whilst doing yoga and meditation routine. It will help you to know how to manage the daily stress of work and family life without having to take capsules to stay sane!

1. Your Mind – The mind can play tricks on you. Sometimes I tried to meditate but kept thinking about what I needed to do, ie. house chores (I know, horrible, isn’t it?), things to do at work, etc, etc, etc; But then when I was getting jobs done, I kept dreaming about relaxing. A study found that we spend 47% of our time thinking about something other than what we’re actually doing. Wandering minds don’t help, do they? How can you tame your brain? Outsmart it, by  thinking “Oh here is the feeling of something that’s in the past, or hasn’t even happened yet”. After all, thoughts are just thoughts, right? Another tip is to give your body a workout. Simple mind games and tweaks to everyday habits can help keep our minds agile and improve concentration, memory, visual and spatial skills.
2. Your body – Start the day eating a substantial breakfast that is nourishing, a medium-sized lunch and a smaller evening meal. That can help to maintain a healthy weight. Keeping calories down late at night could help combat obesity; What you put into your body is very important for your well being – as ancient tribes said, you are what you eat. If your blood pressure is not on the normal level, there is also a very good way to keep it on track, by eating bananas. Why? The potassium in the bananas helps maintain your blood pressure normal, as your kidneys use a balance of potassium and sodium to control the amount of fluid in the body (more fluid = higher blood pressure). So, level up the intake of bananas, potatoes, pulses, etc.
3. Your soul – Make a list that celebrates your winnings and the things that made you smile. Reflecting on the positives every day helps lift your mood, shifts your attitude to a can-do mindset and pivots you into getting more happy. So write that “Things I loved today” list and realise the difference. Also avoid filling your entire weekend with domestic jobs. We all know how horrible that is, right? Instead, make time for things that make you feel good. Happiness comes from thinking, planning and pursuing things that are important to us.
4. Meditation is also something that might help too. There’s loads of meditation apps on the market. It can help reduce the stress, lift your mood and possibly can even lower your blood pressure. It isn’t about draining the ocean, but allowing the waves in your mind to be still. You can even apply it when you’re cooking dinner – the smells and colour of the food, what you can hear around you. Maybe it’s a bit simplistic, but it can make you click off autopilot and into meditation.

Do You Have Other Solutions For Anxiety? Please Share Them, We’d Love To Know!

(Photo by inspiration club)