The Anxiety Monster

Feeling occasionally anxious is a normal response to modern life.

2020 has been filled with change, and unpredictability. What you once relied on and was part of your routine, even the basic experience of seeing peoples smiles, has shifted so dramatically its unnerving to say the least. Your nervous system through anxiety is letting you know there are some aspects of the future that are concerning for you and your wellbeing. Fair enough too. For some people the anxiety may have increased to such a extent that to reduce it may feel outside of their control and it may be affecting everyday situations. If your anxiety is overwhelming you more regularly, your noticing ruminating though patterns you can’t get out of, you experience panic attacks or cant sleep at night due to anxiety, it’s time to get some help to tackle the anxiety monster.

The Aetiology of Anxiety

Anxiety is experienced at different time points for different people, and can be a perfectly normal response to a one-off stressful period or worrying event.

However, for some, anxiety can persist and become a chronic mental health condition. In this instance, the triggers for chronic anxiety are multi-factorial, encompassing genetic predisposition, gut health, work stressors, traumatic life events, family or relationship issues, abuse, and physical disease. Personality traits of low self-esteem and/or perfectionism can also predispose individuals to experience anxiety.

Therefore, the key to reducing or eliminating anxiety lies in addressing these underlying causes. However, making big life changes or processing large emotions can often take time, and it isn’t always possible to rectify right away.

So what can you do each day to reduce your symptoms and boost your ability to cope in the moment? In these instances, it can be really important to amass some tools that will help to manage and reduce your symptoms.

Symptoms Can Be Physical AND Emotional

Symptoms of anxiety can be very unsettling. Your heart rate increases, your mind races and you can no longer think straight. Though everyone experiences anxiety a bit differently, there are some more common symptoms to look out for.

• Physical sensations:

-racing heart;

-hot flushes, sweating and skin clamminess;

-rapid breathing;

-frequent gastrointestinal upsets.

• Emotional sensations:

-feelings of excess worry, panic, fear or guilt;

-obsessive thinking and behaviours;

-feeling generally tense and wound up.

If you can relate to any of the above, speak with your healthcare Practitioner today – this doesn’t have to be your everyday ‘normal’.

Creating Head Space

With my clients I have seen firsthand just how well natural medicines work to combat anxiety, both acutely and in the regulation of anxiety long term. This longer-term modulation of the stress response is particularly useful, as it’s hard for your brain to construct solution-focused and proactive thoughts when it’s constantly in ‘fight or flight’ survival mode. This is important, as it’s having control over your thought patterns that allows you to create strategies and routines that’ll address the triggers of your anxiety in the first place.

This where I see the real strength of herbs and the ingredients I will tell you about below. Whilst they can’t undo a traumatic life event or cause a transfer out of an anxiety-inducing job, they calm your mind, support your body, and give you some breathing space to address the cause head on.

The Calming Force of Nature

In addition to the plethora of dietary and lifestyle interventions available, several nutrients and herbs are also available that work to calm the nervous system and nourish a stressed body and mind. Eight of my favorites include:

Magnesium:
- When anxious, your body actively eliminates magnesium, which is a catch 22, as a magnesium deficiency actually leads to releasing more stress hormones. Magnesium deficiency adversely affects excitatory neurotransmitters such as serotonin and acetylcholine and is associated with stress. Magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C and zinc are required to regulate the stress response as co-factors in neurotransmitter production.
Glycine:
- Promoting an inhibitory effect on the nervous system, this amino acid has shown particular benefit in improving sleep quality. As anxiety often disrupts sleep, and poor sleep is a primary trigger for anxiety, ensuring a good night’s sleep goes a long way in helping to reduce anxiety levels.
B vitamins
- The neurotransmitter adrenaline, and the adrenal hormone cortisol, are the primary drivers of stress in the body. B vitamins are required to synthesize both of these, with anxiety therefore increasing the body’s demands for these vitamins.
- B vitamins are also needed for your brain to produce several key anxiolytic neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA).
- By taking a B complex, you can support your body during times of increased stress, while the production of calming brain chemicals.
Zinc
- This nutrient is essential in modulating the stress response associated with anxiety. Zinc levels have been found to be deficient in people with generalised anxiety disorder. Exposure to acute stress increases the need for zinc and thus overtime without extra zinc in our diets we may develop a deficiency.
Passionflower
- This herb works fantastically to increase the activity of your master anxiolytic neurotransmitter GABA, and does so without causing drowsiness.
Zizyphus
- Holding a long history of use for states of nervous tension, this herb inhibits excess stimulation within the brain that occurs during stress; calming anxiety, frustration and irritability, and promoting sleep.
Kava
- This herb calms the nervous system while also acting as a herbal muscle relaxant. Kava and Passionflower work synergistically and therefore I usually put these together in a herbal formula. It particularly useful for people feeling tension in their muscles from stress, experiencing panic attacks and also can’t sleep at night.
Withania

Anxiety can trigger the nervous system to be in the fight and flight and over time this pathway to feeling anxious can become easier to trigger. After days of feeling anxiety the nervous system can get stuck in this stress state and is unable to naturally calm down despite your best attempts. Withania is an incredible herb that nourishes and restores the natural stress response by reducing inflammation, supporting the adrenal glands and reducing stress hormone production such as cortisol. This herb is highly recommended for almost everyone right now that has ridden this wild wave of 2020 and is feeling depleted, wired and tired.

Note: If you are taking medications such as benzodiazepines to reduce your anxiety, don't worry, there are herbs that are safe to use alongside pharmaceuticals. Always check with a natural healthcare practitioner to ensure any natural medicines are safe to take alongside pharmaceutical medications.

Let Nature Help

An individualised herbal formula forms the foundation of an personalised program to reduce anxiety and promote mental wellness. Whilst experiencing anxiety can stem from a multitude of factors, there are just as many options that can help you feel calm, centered and free from the grip anxiety can hold. To create an anxiety-management toolkit for yourself, send me an email and we can discuss what natural medicines will work with your unique presentation.