Does anyone know of any good alternative ways of relieving stress and anxiety which causes palpitations. I have been to the doctor and had blood tests and everything was fine, so it has been put down to being to anxious and worrying too much. I'm looking for natural ways to relieve this as I don't like taking meds?
Have you tried reading any books about the subject? I never even thought about it, just thought "That would never help" for the longest time... but then, I found a book, a fairly short one, and I can't even remember what it was called. But it all seemed like such basic stuff, things that I could have thought of myself, but never bothered to try it. The book that I read basically explains that those feelings are normal, and there are a lot more people dealing with it than you'd even imagine. It's basic stuff, "Learn to relax", "remember to breathe", stuff like that... and to just tell yourself that whatever you're feeling isn't real, tell it to go away, it's just a panic attack, it's all in your head, you don't HAVE to feel like that, etc. (Side note - I've also never been medicated, and never will.)
I suffered from panic attacks in the past. And my greatest lesson from dealing with that challenge was to learn how to welcome and inquiry into adverse feelings. Panic simply means you're avoiding a feeling which requires your attention. Do you agree with that?
Yeah I think that is true, I have had a lot on my mind recently and haven't really had anyone to talk to about it so maybe this is how it is coming out!
Talking to others is very important. But why? Is it not because it validates our feelings? Is it not because when we communicate our feelings we are giving them the attention and thought they wanted of us all along? Why then do we try to rid ourselves of those feelings? If you want to talk to me about them here on this forum, I'll try my best to keep up with your posts. Good luck.
If you want to go the herbal route Valerian root works very well for stress relief but watch out it also is a very effective sleep aid plus it tastes awful.
I have used Calm Drops in the past along with prayer and deep breathing. I also have a lavender aroma bar which helps. Bach rescue remedy has worked for some of my friends but not me.
Exercise will increase the amount of a free floating inhibitory chemical in your brain called GABA, which is how anxiety medicines (benzo's) work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABA
Here's a powerful spiritual technique to try. When you are anxious, stressed, or worried, be aware of the emotions in your body. Pay attention to them. Feel them. Don't label or judge what you feel. Allow the emotions to be there. By allowing them to be, you accept that they are there, without any negativity. Miraculously, the emotions will dissolve, as if by magic, and all that is left is the consciousness (awareness) that was watching the emotions (and allowing them to be). There is stillness, and it is only then that true peace can arise.
I didn't get to read everyone's posts so I don't know if this was mentioned or not. Have you tried rescue remedy? It's a homeopathic remedy that you can find in most health food stores. It really helps me when I get anxious. Meditating on a regular basis helps too. I have generalized anxiety disorder yet my doctor won't prescribe me meds for it so I've had to find other ways. Also, while you're getting an anxiety attack try breathing. Breathe in for 8 seconds, hold it for 4 seconds, breathe out for 8 seconds. Repeat. Focusing on your breath can help calm you down. Another thing to try is counting. Count everything around you that is yellow or round or something like that. It gets yourself out of your head and helps you focus on reality which can sometimes help with anxiety (used more for when you're losing touch with reality which I sometimes do. But I've used it for anxiety too). Hope this helps! Jessica
in addition to valerian root, which was already mentioned, i also use kava kava, B-Complex and calcium/magnesium in a 2:1 ratio. and i can testify that controlled breathing really works well. studying yogic breathing for awhile will help you get the basics. (you don't need a class, just read a book or get it from online searches.) beyond that, if you want to try psychotherapy, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) can be very helpful with this.
