Anxiety is the way the body communicates it is out of balance. Symptoms include constant worry, restlessness, shortness of breath, palpitations, sweats, doom, impending death and fear. We have to learn to let go. Worry will not change the outcome, but will rob you of your life by preventing you from living in the moment.
If you are experiencing anxiety, embrace it as an alarm that something needs to be corrected. A pill is not going to correct it. The only thing anxiety medications benefit is providing billions of dollars to Big Pharma. Most anxiety medications create dependency and many are in the class of benzodiazepines like Xanax ®, which have serious side effects—a.k.a. black box warnings. These warnings include death from suppression of the respiratory system, suicide, seizures, coma and sedation. To be human is to feel all the human emotions—not to numbed from them. We learn from our emotions and when we experience anxiety it is time to look at our life and make the necessary changes.
If you need help to get you through a crises, natural medicine has much to offer—several herbs, neurotransmitter inhibitors and homeopathic options—none carry black box warnings or are addictive. Massage, acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments also reduce anxiety. You can also relax with chamomile tea.
Instead of Running After the Next Pill…
- Talk problems out. Seek counseling or talk to a friend.
- Take walks and truly look at nature—embrace its beauty, which has a calming effect on the mind.
- Some people enjoy running to release worry.
- Meditate
- Do slow, deep breathing when you feel anxiety coming on. Concentrating on your breath while deep breathing releases stress.
- List things you are grateful for and read it several times a day.
- Live with gratitude.
- Accept all is working out for you and let things go.
What is the worse case scenario? Is it most likely to occur? Probably not. Things are never as bad as we envision them to be.