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Beating Anxiety...I Have Some Answers
For starters, I have never been actually diagnosed with anxiety. I've had tests done to rule out any heart conditions, thyroid problems, etc. What I do experience are textbook anxiety symptoms for GAD. However, this is changing without meds, doctors, therapists, or side effects.
There are some things you need to understand about life. First, everyone will die at some point. You may die today, tomorrow, or 50 years from now. You have no way of nothing when your time is up. At the same time, it is not fair to yourself to live in a constant state of fear, worry or panic over dying. You can't escape death, so why worry about it? Second, if today is your last day on earth, don't spend it down in the dumps, crying like a baby or in self pity. Get out and do things, enjoy being alive at the moment, and live your life to the fullest. The sooner I accepted the fact that I will die one day, as EVERYONE does, the easier it was to reduce my anxiety symptoms. Death is a known factor, not an unknown factor. Make sure you leave a positive mark on the world when it is your time to go.
Something else that has really helped is for me to get off my lazy butt, stop feeling sorry for myself and worrying about health problems that may not even be there, and start working out. Yes, exercise. Weight lifting, walking, jogging, yoga/stretching, bicycling, just being active. I have found that if my mind is focused on exercise and not every day worries, I feel a lot better. My health is improving, and I am looking better. I "burn" off that extra energy, and it consumes a lot of the fuel for anxiety. Stop making excuses, and just do it. If it kills you, at least you died trying and went down fighting. It was just your time to go. Refer to the paragraph above about death. Sitting around in your house, doing nothing but living in misery is only making matters worse for you.
Being that I have not been diagnosed with anxiety, I have relied heavily on my best friend who does have GAD along with Lupus. He has it pretty bad and the meds he takes has some side effects. I did not want to resort to drugs to try and "maintain or balance" things in my body, only to screw up something else. I started doing some research into what happens in your body when an anxiety attack is taking place. It may sound crazy, but ancient Chinese figured things out a long time ago. Their herb lore is well known and documented. There are a variety of herbs that can naturally help reduce or eliminate anxiety symptoms. I realize that many doctors laugh at "natural healing and medicine," but keep in mind that prescription drugs start with natural or organic sources, and get refined from there.
Some of the best known herbs are Kava Kava, St. John's Wort, Valerian Root and Ginseng. You need to do some research into these and see what their potential drug interactions are, along with any possible side effects. Kava Kava is the most powerful of these herbs, often times eliminating anxiety symptoms all together, however it is important to note that it can be hard on your liver. I personally take Ginseng, and have narrowed it down to Panax (red) Ginseng in capsule form. I get mine from GNC, but you can get it anywhere. Just make sure it is not American Ginseng. You want Asian Ginseng (China, Korea, Japan). Other people like SJW or Valerian. The Panax Ginseng that I take most definitely has a calming effect on me (natural tranquilizer), but also leaves me feeling alert, thinking clearly, and only costs $15 for 100 capsules (100 day supply).
Something else to consider is avoiding caffeine. It is widely known and medically proven that caffeine can increase your chance for an anxiety attack, or make your symptoms worse. So to help reduce your anxiety, forego that soda, coffee, tea, chocolate, etc. Instead, flush toxins out of your body with water, natural fruit juices, and milk. Give it a week to get over the headache withdrawal from lack of caffeine and you'll feel 100% better, you'll sleep better, and have a clearer head without the caffeine buzz. It may also eliminate any acid reflux you have been having.
A lot of anxiety is simply mind over matter. You have to be willing to say "yes I can" instead of "I can't" as far as beating anxiety goes. How many times have you thought that you were dying for sure, worried about it all day and night, only to see the sunrise the next day...and the next...and the next? Death never came, did it? Your worst fears never actually manifest themselves into real things, do they? You avoid such and such out of fear of outcome X, but in truth, there really isn't anythnig to fear. How is it that 6 billion people in the world manage to live day to day? Life is made up of choices. You choose to sit at home and be afraid. You choose to worry about dying, so you don't drive, go outside, face fears, etc. Your mind feeds on those fears and makes your symptoms worse over time. You can also choose to say enough is enough and get out there and do something about it. Go down fighting. Live free or die trying.
I also see where people have social anxiety issues. They don't feel loved, don't feel beautiful, don't feel like anyone cares. Maybe they had an abusive life and don't know any better. Maybe they are just doing it for attention. Regardless, know this: I love each and every one of you and care deeply. Life is the most precious gift given to us. It is not meant to be wasted by wasting away. If I did not care, I would not have taken the time to type all of this up. I would have simply ignored you. But I didn't ignore you, and in that there lies a spark of hope.
Stand up, say "YES I CAN," and fight for your freedom from anxiety. Get off your butt, exercise, eat better, drink water, and take care of yourself. Love won't find you if you are stuck at home. Beauty will fade if you let yourself go. But if YOU, the anxiety sufferer, start with a positive atitude and set small goals, work toward those goals, and start taking back control over your life, you will start to see things coming around for you. All you have to do is take that first step.
I'm here for anyone that needs help, advice or a shoulder to lean on.
--Chris
There are some things you need to understand about life. First, everyone will die at some point. You may die today, tomorrow, or 50 years from now. You have no way of nothing when your time is up. At the same time, it is not fair to yourself to live in a constant state of fear, worry or panic over dying. You can't escape death, so why worry about it? Second, if today is your last day on earth, don't spend it down in the dumps, crying like a baby or in self pity. Get out and do things, enjoy being alive at the moment, and live your life to the fullest. The sooner I accepted the fact that I will die one day, as EVERYONE does, the easier it was to reduce my anxiety symptoms. Death is a known factor, not an unknown factor. Make sure you leave a positive mark on the world when it is your time to go.
Something else that has really helped is for me to get off my lazy butt, stop feeling sorry for myself and worrying about health problems that may not even be there, and start working out. Yes, exercise. Weight lifting, walking, jogging, yoga/stretching, bicycling, just being active. I have found that if my mind is focused on exercise and not every day worries, I feel a lot better. My health is improving, and I am looking better. I "burn" off that extra energy, and it consumes a lot of the fuel for anxiety. Stop making excuses, and just do it. If it kills you, at least you died trying and went down fighting. It was just your time to go. Refer to the paragraph above about death. Sitting around in your house, doing nothing but living in misery is only making matters worse for you.
Being that I have not been diagnosed with anxiety, I have relied heavily on my best friend who does have GAD along with Lupus. He has it pretty bad and the meds he takes has some side effects. I did not want to resort to drugs to try and "maintain or balance" things in my body, only to screw up something else. I started doing some research into what happens in your body when an anxiety attack is taking place. It may sound crazy, but ancient Chinese figured things out a long time ago. Their herb lore is well known and documented. There are a variety of herbs that can naturally help reduce or eliminate anxiety symptoms. I realize that many doctors laugh at "natural healing and medicine," but keep in mind that prescription drugs start with natural or organic sources, and get refined from there.
Some of the best known herbs are Kava Kava, St. John's Wort, Valerian Root and Ginseng. You need to do some research into these and see what their potential drug interactions are, along with any possible side effects. Kava Kava is the most powerful of these herbs, often times eliminating anxiety symptoms all together, however it is important to note that it can be hard on your liver. I personally take Ginseng, and have narrowed it down to Panax (red) Ginseng in capsule form. I get mine from GNC, but you can get it anywhere. Just make sure it is not American Ginseng. You want Asian Ginseng (China, Korea, Japan). Other people like SJW or Valerian. The Panax Ginseng that I take most definitely has a calming effect on me (natural tranquilizer), but also leaves me feeling alert, thinking clearly, and only costs $15 for 100 capsules (100 day supply).
Something else to consider is avoiding caffeine. It is widely known and medically proven that caffeine can increase your chance for an anxiety attack, or make your symptoms worse. So to help reduce your anxiety, forego that soda, coffee, tea, chocolate, etc. Instead, flush toxins out of your body with water, natural fruit juices, and milk. Give it a week to get over the headache withdrawal from lack of caffeine and you'll feel 100% better, you'll sleep better, and have a clearer head without the caffeine buzz. It may also eliminate any acid reflux you have been having.
A lot of anxiety is simply mind over matter. You have to be willing to say "yes I can" instead of "I can't" as far as beating anxiety goes. How many times have you thought that you were dying for sure, worried about it all day and night, only to see the sunrise the next day...and the next...and the next? Death never came, did it? Your worst fears never actually manifest themselves into real things, do they? You avoid such and such out of fear of outcome X, but in truth, there really isn't anythnig to fear. How is it that 6 billion people in the world manage to live day to day? Life is made up of choices. You choose to sit at home and be afraid. You choose to worry about dying, so you don't drive, go outside, face fears, etc. Your mind feeds on those fears and makes your symptoms worse over time. You can also choose to say enough is enough and get out there and do something about it. Go down fighting. Live free or die trying.
I also see where people have social anxiety issues. They don't feel loved, don't feel beautiful, don't feel like anyone cares. Maybe they had an abusive life and don't know any better. Maybe they are just doing it for attention. Regardless, know this: I love each and every one of you and care deeply. Life is the most precious gift given to us. It is not meant to be wasted by wasting away. If I did not care, I would not have taken the time to type all of this up. I would have simply ignored you. But I didn't ignore you, and in that there lies a spark of hope.
Stand up, say "YES I CAN," and fight for your freedom from anxiety. Get off your butt, exercise, eat better, drink water, and take care of yourself. Love won't find you if you are stuck at home. Beauty will fade if you let yourself go. But if YOU, the anxiety sufferer, start with a positive atitude and set small goals, work toward those goals, and start taking back control over your life, you will start to see things coming around for you. All you have to do is take that first step.
I'm here for anyone that needs help, advice or a shoulder to lean on.
--Chris
I am glad to hear that this might be helping some people. Sometimes all it takes is a little insight, a little nudge, or some positive reinforcement. Those first steps are huge, but once started, things get better quickly.
Panax Ginseng update for me: I have been on it for almost 4 weeks now. I have had very few, if any, of those weird chest sensations. The one or two I can remember having were so mild, they were more like an itch I just scratched vs. a freak out episode thinking heart attack. My mind has definitely been clearer and some of those intrusive thoughts that come with OCD have diminished to almost nothing. No known side effects as of yet!
Panax Ginseng update for me: I have been on it for almost 4 weeks now. I have had very few, if any, of those weird chest sensations. The one or two I can remember having were so mild, they were more like an itch I just scratched vs. a freak out episode thinking heart attack. My mind has definitely been clearer and some of those intrusive thoughts that come with OCD have diminished to almost nothing. No known side effects as of yet!
Thank you so much for this post! I cried when I read this and you have no idea how much it help me...Thank you again!
wow i agree with much of what you say, those first few steps are so huge that it takes many of us some time to get there. I have been exercising every day for about a month or more now and feel better every day! I have written several posts of helpful and have been journaling on here too. THanks for the positive options!!!
Correction: 2nd paragraph: "You have no way of nothing when your time is up." Should be "you have no way of knowing..."
Chris, this is great and so.true. Thank u!
One point though is people need to be very cautious with herbs. They can have side effects. I have ms and autonomic dysfunction and ginseng is a big nono for those with ms as are some other herbs. Other than that all I can say is ur so right and I will try to remember this when those attacks hit. Thanks:)
Beema
One point though is people need to be very cautious with herbs. They can have side effects. I have ms and autonomic dysfunction and ginseng is a big nono for those with ms as are some other herbs. Other than that all I can say is ur so right and I will try to remember this when those attacks hit. Thanks:)
Beema
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