Easing Anxiety

Calming Your Amygdalae & Easing Emotional/Mental Anxiety

Emotions are energy molecules that float around looking for receptors they match, latch onto, and set up house within parts of your body. Yes. Emotions are physical. Positive emotions feel great, don't they? When we fall in love, get a high test score, buy that brand new outfit we look great in, or finally purchase that classic truck, we can feel our stomachs relaxing, our mouths turning up in a smile, and we can breathe a sigh of relief that floods our body with calm. We could all do with more of these kinds of vibes. We don't mind when they set up house.

 

Negative emotions, not so much. That argument with the spouse, that dirty look from your co-worker when she thought you weren't looking, or flunking an exam can give you a stomach ache, frown wrinkles, and a night of poor sleep. You can deal with these emotions by working them out through communication, understanding, or acceptance, or you can try to ignore them, which makes them hang around and cause dis-ease.

 

People are often told they can do nothing about their stress-related symptoms and that they somehow have to learn to live with them. I beg to differ. The more aware we become of our emotions, the more we can make correct choices for our energy wellness. 

 

Anxiety is often caused by old, hidden, buried, negative emotions lurking subconsciously. One thing that can be helpful in easing anxiety is to use your imagination to peek into the emotional file boxes in the attic of your brain. Look at the labels on the boxes. Are anger, rage, frustration, impatience, sadness, shame, or resentment written on the labels? Blow off some dust and remove the lids. Look inside. Who or what caused or is causing these emotions? By acknowledging your feelings, making amends, and forgiving, you can begin to delete some of these old files.

 

Become aware of the thoughts you have over and over during the day. Not everything you think is the truth. Start listening to the things you tell yourself. Don't believe all of your thoughts. Your thoughts will lie to you. It's essential to be aware of this.

 

Next, make an effort to take care of yourself. Eat as well as you can, get enough sleep, move your body, love others and yourself, and live in a clean environment. The lack of these things affects your emotions negatively and causes stress and anxiety. 

 

 

Meditation & Imagination

 

There was a time I wasn't crazy about meditating. Just the thought would make me antsy. That was before I realized I could meditate on anything I wanted to. I didn't have to chant or listen to weird background music or even try to clear my mind of everything, which is still difficult for me at times. No. Meditation and I were not friends until I learned to think of my favorite spot, the corner of my sofa. It's comforting there. I feel safe. I am at home in my "spot". And my "spot" is where I find myself calm and relaxed. Sometimes, when I feel stressed, I imagine I am on my sofa in my "spot," no matter where I am. It instantly reduces my stress level by more than half and puts a smile on my heart.

 

However, this meditation would not have worked when I suffered intense spasms from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. For that, I had to go somewhere in my mind that didn't exist in my world. For terrible bouts of pain, I would use my imagination to go to a pristine beach where I could sit in the warm sand and let the turquoise water lap at my feet while a large palm provided shade and a lone seagull called to me from overhead. In my mind, I would focus on every sound on that beach and everything I felt there. Using my imagination was my only escape. 

 

Meditation doesn't have to be complicated. An example of effortless meditation is sitting somewhere quietly and focusing on your senses for a few moments (what you hear, smell, and feel). Take the time to live in this moment without concern for the past or future. Also, see Simple Meditations. 

 

 

Music Therapy  

 

Meditative music is an excellent means of relieving stress, increasing perspective, promoting creativity, and enhancing sleep. 

 

 

Positive Affirmations

 

Positive affirmations are words and sentences that encourage optimism and motivation, such as, "I'm OK. I can do this!" or "I deserve to be happy." Place these words where you can see them every day. Soak them up in your mind and heart, begin believing in them, and act on them. Stick positive affirmations on the bathroom mirror or dashboard. Paint an affirmation on a rock and place it beside your front door. Or, buy some lovely artwork with beautiful words and display it in your hallway.

 

 

Engage Humor

 

Watching the news, shows, and movies focused on negative emotions will only worsen your anxiety. Make a serious effort to limit watching anything containing extreme emotions, such as fear, anger, and rage, while learning to manage and erase your anxiety. You may enjoy this type of entertainment, but your amygdalae don't. They don't like the news channel either. Remember, they react to everything you've ever been afraid of, including what you watch on the screen. Watch comedy shows, go to a play, or watch nothing at all.

 

 

Talk To Your Inner Child

 

Your inner child remembers growing up. Your inner child is closely associated with your amygdalae. The amygdalae are two tiny, ancient organs in your brain responsible for managing your emotions and are in charge of the "flight, freeze, or fight" response. Whenever your inner child is frightened, it will let you know by triggering your amygdalae to release hormones that create feelings of anxiety. Your "little" self needs to feel safe. We all need to feel safe. 

 

You have a pair of amygdalae. However, it's just one of them that creates an over-reactive stress response and opens the hormonal floodgates that cause anxiety, panic, and depression. I like to think of the amygdala as your inner child's pet. When your inner child is afraid, its pet gets defensive and aggressive, like a guard dog or a piranha (since I like to refer to the amygdalae as your inner fish).

 

Try talking to your inner child, the "little" you. Tell it that it is OK and that you appreciate the warnings you're receiving (the stomach ache, anxiety, panic attacks) but that there is nothing to be afraid of and that you are both just fine. Talking to your inner child or your amygdalae may sound and make you feel ridiculous at first, but essential. Your inner child believes everything you say, even lies. If your focus is always on fear rather than calming words, your "little" self remains fearful. While providing calming words to your inner child may be challenging as you sweat and feel you will pass out, do it anyway. Lies like, "Oh my god! I'm going to die!" aren't helpful. Instead, tell your inner child, "I am fine. I'm OK." It and you need to be reassured.

 

So that you know, your inner child sees situations and relationships that consistently drain your energy as a sign that you are always in danger. If you get into a disagreement or feel your rights have been ignored, your inner child and your amygdalae may provoke a delayed reaction. You may experience anxiety a couple of hours later, the next day, or even the next time you see the violating person or situation by having a panic attack. 

 

By telling your inner child you have a plan, that you are OK, and are working on making things better, it will begin to calm down. Sometimes, your inner child needs to know that you know. 

 

NOTE: If you have a physical reason for your anxiety (Leaky Gut, blood sugar problems, poor sleep, etc.), talking to your inner child won't be the fix. However, it can still be helpful to talk to your inner child and reassure them that you are working on fixing the underlying problem and that everything is going to be OK. 

 

 

Stop Performing Mental Checks On How You Feel

 

Resist the urge to perform a mental check, a scan, on how your body parts feel all day long and whether you are OK. Don't go looking for something to be wrong all of the time. That makes your amygdalae nervous. If you are looking for something to be wrong, your amygdalae figure there must be a reason, and when it can't find one, it panics. Instead, shift your attention from scanning for fear, panic, and other symptoms to doing something physical. Get the litter box emptied, wash the dishes, or go for a walk (even if it's only around the house). Get down on the floor and play with the kids or the dog. You'll create better energy balance by altering your emotional response to stress through positive sense-based activities.

 

 

Calming Your Amygdalae & Easing Physical Anxiety

 

Stress can alter your appetite and, therefore, affect your diet. Consequently, it'll be up to you to make an effort to eat right and often enough. Some sure signs and symptoms indicating a need for a change in your diet are anxiety, a headache, insomnia, moodiness, irritability, brain fog, chronic cough or hoarseness, muscle pain, fatigue, panic attacks, depression, digestive problems, including rectal leakage, recurring herpes outbreaks, and blood sugar problems.

 

 

Burn Up Excess Adrenaline

 

One way to ease anxiety and depression is to use up nervous energy. Adrenaline is a hormone, one of many, that readies us for "flight or fight". It gets into our muscles and makes us want to move. Use it up. When you find yourself in panic mode, use it up. If you are standing in line somewhere or in a meeting and can't just up and leave, flex the muscle groups in your body. Start with the large ones first. Flex and tighten your thighs, calves, feet, and rear end wherever you feel a sensation of wanting to move. Do it. Move! You can do this without anyone noticing, and it helps relieve anxiety and the rush that comes over you in a panic attack. If you have had a panic attack (and can get away for a bit to somewhere private), jump up and down, and swing your arms or shadow-punch.

 

 

A Muscle Relaxation Technique

 

This muscle relaxation technique is a simple exercise to do when you are in bed at night and can't relax or sleep. I've used this relaxation technique to relieve tension, backaches, and headaches. Lay on your bed perfectly still. Now, relax your toes, feet, knees, thighs, rear end, pelvic region, and stomach, and keep going higher and higher. Relax your back, chest, arms, hands, shoulders, neck, head, and face. Let your mouth hang open and lie there limp as a ragdoll. If parts start to tense back up, relax them again. If you don't have any concerns about "Charlie Horses" (muscle spasms), you can tense up each part of your body right before relaxing, which creates more blood flow to oxygen-deprived muscles but don't push it. Just a little squeeze will do. You could also do this to specific muscle groups at work at your desk. But, again, no one will ever notice, and it can help relieve stress within just a few minutes.

 

 

Exercise to Relax

 

Exercise is scary for some of us because it mimics panic. Our hearts speed and skip beats. We sweat and are pushed to breathe harder. Exercise may feel like you are producing a panic attack and make you feel like a fish out of water, but this is good for you, as it teaches you that your body will return to normal without killing or embarrassing you.

 

Circuit training improves your body's nerve communications and promotes calm. It is best to do circuit training where your body exerts itself and then rests and then exerts and then rests during exercise, like walking, then running, then walking and running again, or walking uphill and downhill. Also, when our bodies are in better shape, they resume normal status during panic episodes much quicker than when we are out of shape. And studies show that exercise works just as well as medication, with no side effects.

 

Stretching in the morning while lying in bed helps eliminate anxious thoughts that seem to float up and immobilize you before your day begins. Create a daily stretch routine lasting a few minutes. You should hold stretches for 7 seconds or until you feel the muscles relaxing. If you can't feel the muscles relaxing after 7 seconds, you're stretching too forcefully. As your muscles become conditioned, they'll accept more stretch. Other ideas are yoga, tai chi, chi kung, qui gong, and swimming.

 

 

Schedule Some Downtime

 

A type "A" personality (those who never slow down), lack of sleep, a poor diet, and no exercise leads to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion and increased sensitivities. Exhaustion also leads to General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Exhausted people cannot help but be worried and anxious about body sensations they do not understand. Pencil in some downtime for yourself between activities. This downtime is not spent doing laundry or playing video games on the sofa. Those things are fine, but not for scheduled downtime. Scheduled downtime is for quality time spent having dinner with an upbeat friend, taking a class you enjoy, meditating or praying, soaking in seaweed bath salts, or reading a great book. Your amygdalae need to relax, and so do you.

 

 

Your Amygdalae Sleep at Night, So Should You

 

Your amygdalae are a tiny pair of organs in your brain responsible for managing your emotions and your "fight, flight, or freeze" response. 

 

The hypothalamus is a relative of your amygdalae and directly communicates with the nerves in your eyes. This particular part of the brain is called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN). It becomes less sensitive when you take in too much light. Too much light causes it to lose influence over your body's natural cycling ability. In other words, your entire system can become completely unanchored when you lose your natural rhythm between the light of the day and the darkness of the night, which can alter moods, trigger anxiety, and cause normal activities to become irregular. For example, most homes are furnished with artificial light. Watching TV or on computer screens until well after dark, you take in too much light, making you feel like a fish out of water.

 

Nighttime is peaceful. I understand wanting to be up at night. I'm a night owl myself. Although it may feel relaxing, this habit is self-defeating by disrupting your normal circadian rhythm and your body's natural built-in awake and sleep cycle. Staying awake after 11 PM disrupts your circadian cycle and hormonal balance, especially when you work nights. Studies prove working nights shaves years off your life. If you work irregular shifts, do what you can to make it dark in your room when you sleep. Consider purchasing lamps with built-in timers that imitate the sun rising when it is time to wake up.

 

If the idea of going to bed and trying to sleep causes you anxiety, don't force it. When you go to bed, don't do it with the intention of sleeping but resting. Accept that you may not sleep. Otherwise, you will become angry and upset. Use reverse psychology. Some people say they go to sleep quicker when they tell themselves they are not allowed to fall asleep.

 

If you still have trouble sleeping due to racing thoughts (hopefully not from downing a cup of caffeine), sit up straight in bed and write down your random thoughts until you relax. Then, tell your inner child (or inner critic) that you'll look over the list tomorrow.

 

Try to avoid taking a melatoninsupplement regularly. Melatonin is a hormone, and over time, it will disrupt your internal clock and cause headaches, especially if you sleep irregular hours. Still having problems? See Getting a Good Night's Sleep.

 

 

Deep Breathing 

 

Certain feel-good chemicals are released into the body when you breathe deeply. Taking a few deep breaths throughout the day also helps remove toxins from your body. See Breathing, An Exercise. 

 

 

Use Your Nose to Calm Down

 

Have you ever been stopped at a light in traffic and gotten anxious when someone else's car exhaust started infiltrating your airspace? Some of us can become faint when confined to areas with bad or strong smells. Smells can bring on panic attacks. It's the prehistoric, instinctual self (again, the amygdalae) reacting to preserve you. The opposite is also true. It is proven that a wonderful scent can immediately calm you down. Keep one of your favorite scents close at hand whenever you need an instant lift or calm, such as sweet orange or vanilla essential oils. Also, see Essential Oils for Relaxation.

 

 

Balancing Your pH is Crucial

 

Inside the body, food becomes energy through the process of metabolism. Some foods are alkaline, while others are acidic. Alkaline foods and beverages lower the body's pH, and acidic foods and drinks cause pH levels to rise. Your body needs a healthy balance of each for optimal wellness. Acidity causes anxiety.

 

 

Stay Hydrated

 

Dehydration leads to acidity, which causes anxiety, panic, and depression. The brain is the water bowl for your amygdalae. You are no less than 72% of water. Hydrate your brain by drinking plenty of fresh water. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the best water to drink is room temperature or warm. Ozonated, distilled, and mineral water are good bets for drinking water. Besides purchasing a machine that can purify your water, adding a little lemon juice to water and drinking it in the morning will also help balance your pH. Juice and tea help to rehydrate you, but water is necessary to do the whole job. Alcohol and drugs (recreational or otherwise) contribute to dehydration, which causes anxiety.  

 

 

Avoid Food Preservatives, Dyes, and Household Chemicals

 

Food preservatives, dyes, and chemicals cause acidosis, ADD, ADHD, and Autism and exaggerate your stress response and feelings of anxiety.

 

 

Put an End to Addictions

 

Often, sensitive and anxious people become addicts, of one form or another, to distract themselves from their fear or to drown out their symptoms or senses. Addictions cause changes in brain chemistry. 

 

Eliminate caffeine from your life. It raises acidity, and anxiety, depletes your body of calcium, is a diuretic, leads to arthritis and insomnia, and causes panic attacks. Some say their panic attacks end when they quit drinking caffeine. Caffeine, sugar, alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs increase acidity in the body, which causes inflammation.

 

Are you a stimulation junkie? Are you a thrill-seeker placing yourself in situations where you can get adrenaline rushes every chance you often? Do you gamble, shop, surf the net, or game excessively? What about sex? Things that get your adrenaline going consistently, such as gambling, overspending, porno, or just sitting on the computer for hours, change your brain chemistry and adversely affect your amygdalae, which are in charge of managing your emotions. If you are addicted to anything, you are on edge, and so is your inner fish. 

Nutrition & Diet for Anxiety

Avoid Sugar, Like the Plague

 

Serotonin is a feel-good chemical produced in the brain and the gut that promotes calm. When serotonin levels drop, you'll crave sweets or bread because they offer the fastest serotonin boost to the brain. However, the increase from these high glycemic foods is only temporary, and when consumed regularly, the brain shuts down some of its receptors to create a better balance. When the brain shuts down these receptors, we can't use all of the serotonin our bodies have produced. The less we use, the more we crave sugary foods, which becomes a vicious cycle, leading to insulin levels spiking too high and too often.

 

Insulin is a hormone that rushes in to balance blood sugar. When overused, it can stop functioning correctly and cause hypoglycemia, diabetes, and issues with other hormones, such as thyroid hormones, which result in mood swings and anxiety. A little fat, meat, or dairy with each snack helps keep blood sugar stable and mood balanced. Eat 4-6 meals daily, including protein and fat, instead of just snacking or eating one big meal each day to improve blood sugar levels.

 

Eating the right foods can often lift moodiness, depression, and panic. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, boost serotonin. Eat more meat, fish, turkey, eggs, seeds, and beans. 

 

If you are on a Paleo or Keto diet, you might want to refrain from going for long periods without eating as it is, sometimes suggested on those diets. Fasting is not a good idea until your anxiety is under control. 

 

If you do decide to have ice cream to soothe your emotional nerves and tantalize your tstebuds, make sure it's as natural as it can be. Cheap ice cream contains things like cement, glue, and saw dust (I kid you not). 

 

 

Don't Consume Fake Sweeteners

 

Do not drink diet sodas. The body reacts to diet sodas the same as the sugar in regular soda, but it has now been proven diet soda increases your risk for diabetes by 33%. Diet beverages are responsible for 15% of all cases of obesity and Diabetes in the United States.

 

Don't use aspartame or other synthetic sugar substitutes. They disrupt thyroid hormones meant to keep you calm. Fake sweeteners react in the body the same way as sugar, causing panic disorders. Stevia (a natural sweetener) and some raw honey are acceptable choices. However, many brands of stevia are nothing more than combinations of natural sweeteners that are so refined they no longer resemble the plants they came from. If you use stevia, use a brand that uses the plant (green stevia). Additionally, most store-bought honey contains corn syrup and other sugars, even though it may say it is all-natural on the label. Buy natural, raw honey from the health food aisle or your farmer's market.

 

 

Use Sea Salt 

 

Keep your salt intake between 1100-3300 mg per day. Anything less is too low, and anything more is too high. Overeating salt can cause the release of calcium and other minerals, causing high blood pressure, water retention, and other ills. But don't consume ordinary table salt. Instead, use only natural sea salt, the salt your amygdalae crave.

 

 

Eliminate Foods Causing Sensitivities & Allergies

 

Food sensitivities and allergies can cause anxiety, panic, and depression. You don't have to be allergic to food for it to be harmful, and troublesome digestive symptoms can be caused by sensitivity to even the healthiest foods you eat, such as strawberries or certain nuts. Generally speaking, foods that cause sensitivity also increase Histamine levels in the body. 

 

Additionally, some people are sensitive to oxalates and salicylates, natural chemicals found in plants. Still, we hardly ever hear about them. I encourage you to download The Oxalate & Salicylates Foods & Substances Lists.

 

Foods and substances that trigger anxiety are caffeine, sugar, flour, processed foods, preservatives, gummy vitamins, nicotine, microplastics, prescription medications, and pollution.

 

 

Condition Your Brain With Healthy Fats

 

The neurons in your brain are composed of essential fatty acids. Cell membranes and receptors transmit signals in and out of your brain through fatty acids. To use your serotonin supply and other hormones, you have to eat healthy fats, such as omega 3s. Healthy fats promote calmness and relieve pain. 

 

It is essential to avoid fake fats and trans fats. Your brain will shut down receptors if you eat unhealthy fats. A small amount of saturated fat is acceptable and healthy, so don't avoid lean, red meat, which also supplies a bit of iron. Iron deficiency causes anxiety, panic, and depression. If you avoid meat or are vegetarian, ensure you get in your healthy fat servings daily by eating coconut oil and avocados. You can also take fish, krill, squid, or flaxseed oil or eat more fish. 

 

So that you know, all no-fat and low-fat diets lead to anxiety, panic, or depression. 

          

 

Boost Your Brain Calming Chemicals, Naturally

 

Again, serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain and the body that controls emotions and the desire for food, water, sleep, and sex. A healthy supply of serotonin keeps the amygdalae calm and happy. Tryptophan, norepinephrine, dopamine, and noradrenaline are chemicals in the body that help produce serotonin. When a doctor prescribes an antidepressant, it is often a Serotonin Uptake Inhibitor (SUI) to keep the serotonin in your system longer and calm you. However, it might interest you to know that studies show low serotonin is no longer a valid cause for depression. It's more likely to do with an unhealthy balance of microbes in the gut microbiome. Low serotonin does, however, cause anxiety and panic. 

 

Tryptophan is an amino acid found in apples, bananas, beets, eggs, cheeses, and fish, which helps form your muscles and other body parts. Your body turns tryptophan into serotonin. Increasing the levels of tryptophan in your diet produces more serotonin, and you will have less anxiety and panic.  

 

Affection, intimacy, laughter, joy, exercise, prayer, meditation, and yoga also help boost serotonin levels.

 

 

Causes of Serotonin Shortage 

 

Many of the following causes have already been stated but are worth rementioning.

 

• Eating a diet too low in protein is a cause of serotonin deficiency.

 

• One of the results of eating too little protein is iron deficiency, which can cause anxiety, panic, and depression. Not eating enough protein generally sets you up for anxiety because your body does not have what it needs to repair itself. There's always this state of anxiety just below the surface.

 

• Protein, made up of amino acids, is necessary for rebuilding the muscles and tissues of your body. Amino acid supplements are available over the counter but don't contain every amino acid your body needs to function correctly. If you are a vegetarian, supplementing with amino acids can be helpful, but you must also eat various protein-containing foods for dietary balance. Vitamin B-12 is also essential for vegetarians to get enough of. 

 

• Eating a diet too high in sugar and refined carbohydrates is a cause of serotonin deficiency. Fats and sugars are "flight, fight, or freeze" foods. Meaning they are used for energy but do not repair your body. Protein does that.

 

• Eating a diet too high in acid-producing foods (sugary, junk foods, and prepackaged foods) is a cause of serotonin deficiency.

 

• Junk food used to be the treat that families had every so often. Now it has become a steady diet lacking in nutrients that boost serotonin.

 

• Stimulants include caffeine, tobacco, cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs. These things cause inflammation, which causes mood disorders.

 

• Eating plastic (fake) fats, such as Trans-Fat (TFs) or Interesterified Fats (IFs), is a cause of serotonin deficiency.

 

• Eating anything with high fructose corn syrup, which is an ingredient in 98% of all prepackaged foods, depletes serotonin and creates cravings for more. These cravings can be as intense as cravings for drugs or alcohol. Other sugars don't do this as much or in the way corn syrup does. 

 

• Chronic emotional stresses increase acidity, which depletes serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain. Again, we are talking about emotions.

 

• Lack of sleep depletes serotonin levels very quickly, as it causes stress and keeps other important hormones imbalanced. 

 

• Menstruation and menopause create hormonal changes that can also cause low serotonin levels. 

 

• Dental fillings containing mercury cause neurological problems, anxiety, and disease. Mercury is a poison. 

 

• Allergies to foods, chemicals, and additives may also cause symptoms of nervousness and anxiety because allergies use up serotonin supplies.

Eat Genetically Appropriate Foods to Calm Your Inner Fish

Up until one hundred years ago, we did not eat processed foods. We hunted, gathered, and picked the foods we ate. We also ate according to the availability of food during each season. Our ancestors ate primarily fish, eggs, meat, nuts, vegetables, and low-sugar fruits (genetically appropriate nutrition). Our bodies have not evolved any further since these times. Refined sugar, chemical additives, and synthetic hormones did not exist. These things are killing us. When thinking about eating genetically appropriate, think back to simpler times, which will help you consider proper food choices. Eat like our ancestors. Our genetic makeup is still like theirs. It just makes more sense. And your amygdalae will love you for it.

 

If you coexist with the Herpes Simplex Virus, some of these foods may be HSV triggers. You'll want to refer to The Comprehensive L-Lysine Verses Arginine Ratio Guide to make sure before consuming them.

 

Also, if you are deficient in the mineral magnesium, you can't restore your serotonin level through your diet without supplementing with magnesium.

 

 

Serotonin Boosting Foods

 

• Fowl (turkey, game hen, chicken, duck, etc.)
• Meat (90% lean, red meat, including pork and lamb.) 
• Fish (cold water), shellfish, Albacore Tuna, mollusks
• Eggs
• Milk (whole, raw, nonfat dry, Soy) 
• Cottage cheese (low fat, 1%), Gruyere, Swiss, mozzarella, Colby, parmesan, cheddar cheese (low fat) 
• Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts, soybean nuts 
• Pumpkin seeds (roasted), sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds
• Baked potatoes (the skin and parts close to the skin)
• Beans (winged, kidney, mung)
• Lentils
• Rice
• Cooked oat bran 
• Bananas 
• Kelp
• Spirulina (raw)
• Broccoli
• Pumpkin leaves
• Spinach
• Watercress
• White mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Turnip greens
• Chicory greens
• Red leaf lettuce
• Basil
• Parsley
• Amaranth leaves 
• Soy protein and tofu
• Yogurt (plain, organic)
• Raw honey (Manuka is best for medicinal purposes)
• Hummus
• Tabasco sauce
• Soy sauce
• Horseradish
• Brewer's yeast

 

NOTE: Seafood that may pose a health risk to adults and children due to Mercury contamination are grouper, swordfish, crab (Blue, Snow, and Tanner), Yellow-Fin tuna (canned or log-line caught), Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, farmed salmon, and shark.

 

 

Drink a Calming Beverage 

 

Certain teas have significant calming effects. Have a cup before sleep or whenever you are feeling anxious. You can also try herbal capsules if tea has you running for the bathroom at night. You'll find a list of calming teas and tea recipes in The Herbal Remedies Recipe Guide. 

 

You might be tempted to drink spirits. Again, alcohol will never relax you. I haven't had in drink in more years than I can count, but when I did, I wondered why I felt so moody afterward. Because of how it metabolizes in the body, alcohol induces anxiety, panic attacks, and depression in sensitive people. 

 

 

Supplements to Ease Anxiety

 

• Magnesium deficiency is the number one cause of low serotonin levels and the first supplement of choice to relieve anxiety-related disorders. Magnesium plays a role in so many bodily functions that even a minor shortage can cause muscular and sleep problems. Magnesium citrate works best. Magnesium is found in almonds, avocado, bananas, black-eyed peas, cashews, kidney beans, lentils, oatmeal, peanuts, peanut butter, pinto beans, potato (with skin), raisins, soybeans, and spinach.

 

• Vitamin C is found in leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, cranberries, kiwi, mango, papaya, peppers (green and red), raspberries, spinach, and strawberries. 

 

• Vitamin E is found in broccoli, spinach, tomato, and peanut butter. A symptom of vitamin C and E deficiency is being easily startled. 

 

• Essential fatty acids are healthy fats in vegetables and seafood that calm the brain.

 

• 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, which converts to melatonin in the body and reduces anxiety.

 

• Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that reduces anxiety. However, it feeds the Herpes Simplex Virus. 

 

• GABA is a naturally-occurring neurotransmitter in the brain that reduces the activity of specific nerve systems.

Other Therapies to Consider

• Biofeedback devices can measure and provide feedback about biological responses to stress, such as the AVS (Aura Video Station).

 

• Acupuncture balances and heals your energy meridians.

 

• Tuning Forks help to restore your energetic vibration.

 

• Singing Bowls: When the parts of your body are healthy, they create specific sound frequencies in harmony with one another. Conversely, whenever a part of your body is in a state of dis-ease, a different sound pattern is established in that part. Harmony is restored when sound is projected into the dis-eased area by listening to singing bowls.

 

 

Back to Anxiety, Phobias & Depression.