Most people get anxious every now and then. I’ve been planning my wedding for the past year and as the day got closer, my stress was out of control. Using some of the products below helped tremendously. If you are one of those unlucky individuals like me who suffers from daily anxiety, here are some things that could help!
Natural Supplements:
B complex - This information is also in my Allergies post. B Vitamins focus mainly on the nervous system. They also assist with energy production, stress response, and sleep quality. Who wouldn’t want to increase those? B Vitamins are one of my personal favorite supplements to take. The B vitamin I fell in love with a long time ago is by the Vitamin Shoppe Brand. B vitamins are water soluble which means that you can take as high a dose as you want and your body will absorb what is needed and flush out the rest. I wouldn’t recommend taking an insanely high amount though because they get flushed out through your kidneys and you don’t want to over work those special organs. Because B vitamins get flushed through the kidneys, that means you will pee out the excess which will make your urine abnormally yellow, so don’t worry that you are dehydrated. It's completely normal. For dosage, I would recommend starting with one capsule twice daily with food. I’d recommend taking them with breakfast and lunch instead of dinner because I noticed a real energy boost with them and I don’t want to be the cause of anyone losing sleep because they just aren’t tired. You also won’t notice too much of a difference from the B vitamins for about a week, so be patient because it is worth the wait.
Holy basil - A natural herb that helps the body respond better to stress. This type of herb is also called an adaptogen. This one has been known as the stronger adaptogen compared to the others. I was a little nervous at first to try holy basil because I had tried a product in the past with holy basil in it and had a bad reaction to it, but I used PLNT Holy Basil and fell in love. I take one capsule twice daily, but every person is different so start with one cap in the morning to see how you feel.
Ashwagandha - Another natural adaptogenic herb. This one is not as strong as holy basil but pretty close. I tried this in the past and I tried three different brands and doses and they all made me sleepy. I tried PLNT Ashwagandha one day and figured I would just take it before bed so I could get the benefits of the herb and use it at night so I wouldn’t be sleepy during the day. Big mistake. I was up and alert and just not tired for half the night. After that, I started taking it every morning. I felt great. I found out I was allergic/had a very strong sensitivity to nightshades about a year and a half ago which caused me to stop taking this though, so I switched to the holy basil. If it weren’t for that, though, I’d still be swearing by ashwagandha.
Rhodiola - The third natural herb that is also an adaptogen. This is the least strong of the three in this post, but it isn’t useless. Everyone is different and some people only need the lowest or least strong dose of a supplement to do the job. I’ve never used this by itself so I’m not sure which brand would be good, but just to stick with the trend so far, here is the PLNT brand. I can only recommend following the directions on the bottle and starting small to see how you feel.
Sedalia - This is a Bioron Brand product that is homeopathic. Homeopathy means healing with the same. The homeopathic medicines that are in this product help with anxiety, but is only recommended to be taken on an as needed basis. This product is also not a pill you swallow, but it is smaller tablets you dissolve under your tongue. This way, it gets into your bloodstream quicker and more effectively. The homeopathic medicines are also very sensitive when it comes to potency, so most of them are dissolved this way to avoid diluting the potency.
Magnesium - A mineral that is most commonly known to help calcium absorb, but it also has a calming effect and can help with sleep and muscle tensing due to stress. Additional information about magnesium is also found in my Headache post. Usually, 200-400mg of magnesium before bed is good to start with. If you try this and end up with loose stools the next day, you can try to break a tablet in half and take a half dose. Magnesium Glycinate by KAL or Magnesium Taurate by Cardiovascular Research are both good products that I have used.
Probiotics - Often times if you are stressed or some kind of chemical imbalance is taking place in your body, this also means your gut has some imbalances of its own. Since 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, it is always a good idea to add some good bacteria into the mix. Additional information on probiotics is also in my Allergies post. I started by taking Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic which I absolutely love. The directions say to take two capsules daily giving you 70 Billion CFU. Your body typically needs 25-50 Billion CFU per day, so I would take one cap per day getting you 35 Billion CFU. You can feel free to increase your dose anytime, but for sake of cost, you can make this bottle last two months.
Fish oil (High in EPA) - Fish oil in general is good for the body. One of the omega 3s that are high in fish oil is EPA. EPA has more of an effect on the mood, so adding a clean fish oil that is high in EPA is always a good idea.
L-Theanine - This is an amino acid that is great for mental calmness. This can be good to help during an anxiety attack or it can help calm your mind before going to sleep. I like Natural Factors Suntheanine chewables because they get in your system more quickly than taking a pill and I don’t usually take L-theanine every night before bed, so when I have trouble sleeping I keep the chewables on my nightstand to quickly grab. That way, I’m not tossing and turning for an hour waiting for the pill to take effect.
5-HTP - Sometimes high anxiety can lead to depression. If this is the case for you, I would recommend a natural SSRI like 5-HTP. This is best taken on an empty stomach which means taking it about 30 minutes before eating or 2 hours after eating and still 30 minutes before the next time you eat. I typically recommend taking it first thing in the morning and doing other things before eating so the 30 minutes are easy to pass by. I’ve taken Vitamin Shoppe Brand’s 5-HTP 50mg regularly for a while now. I used to be on prescription medications for depression and anxiety but I chose to take a more natural approach to my mental health and started taking the 5-HTP instead.
Other Life Tips:
Increase Water - More water gives multiple benefits for your body. A stable energy is one thing increased water can help with and when you’re so run down from being anxious, that natural energy can be the best thing for you to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
The Don'ts - Of course when there is a list of things to add to your diet or regimen, there is always that list of don’ts. In the case of anxiety, I would recommend avoiding caffeine, coffee, and chocolate since these tend to increase anxiety.
Exercise - Other anxiety reducing actions to take would be exercising in any way, but cardio workouts help release endorphins which help the body deal with stress and makes you feel good.
Talk Therapy - Sometimes talking to someone can help you sort out your thoughts. Talk therapy isn't for everyone, but I know if I didn't talk through my day to day anxiety, I would be worse off. There are times where I just need to do some unrestrained venting and it feels good especially after a long day. Some people go talk to a psychologist and others just go have ice cream or a nice warm drink with a good, trustworthy friend. Whatever works best for you is what I would recommend.
Thank you for reading my post and feel free to leave any additional information, opinions, and questions in the comments below.
Thank you for reading my post!
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