natural anxiety relief for the whole person

The mind is a powerful organ that influences health. It is known that attitude strengthens or weakens the immunes system, for example, depending on whether the attitude is generally positive or negative. And what we think affects how we feel.

One aspect of anxiety is mental and cognitive. We think morbid thougths about what might happen if something bad happened. When we remember bad things in the past, we relive the anxious or other emotions of that memory.

One proven method of regaining a sense of tranquility and safety begins with recognizing and analysing the morbid thoughts. Are they rational and reasonable? Did we miss the silver lining? Has a possible positive spin been overlooked? Is the "what if" scenario probable? How bad was it really or how bad could it reasonably be in the future?

The most disciplined approach is to keep a journal and written record of the thoughts. Negative-countering positive affirmations can then be created, recorded, and rehearsed repeatedly to train one's mind.

The mind can also sometimes reach a point of accepting bad possibilities even though they are bad, or of accepting bad possibilities as something one can handle and live with, not that they necessarily will happen.

Or the mind can think of people to call, ways of finding help, resources to use, and actions to take in order to reduce or eliminate anxiety.

But the mind can be influenced through the body or through healthy or damaging chemicals. Hormones can affect mood. Toxins or disease can throw off metabolic processes in the central nervous system. Blood and oxygen flow matter in the brain. Nutrition affects brain function, and some herbs, amino acids, and vitamins can help one feel calm. We are not necessarily slaves to chemicals or to our body, but there is an influence there.

Our mood can be improved via regular aerobic exercise and muscle stretching exercises like Yoga. Exercise increases "good-feeling" endorphins in the brain and increases the body's ability to remove lactic acid from the brain. Diet and nutrition may hinder or enhance a sense of well-being. Magnesium or other mineral supplements have been known to be helpful to some. Caffeine, sugar, and alcohol should generally be avoided by anxiety sufferers. Regular optimal sleeping habits should be observed.

For this latter, generally one should avoid late night snacks or caffeine, be in bed before 11 PM, and use some relaxation technique before bedtime. Snoring can negatively affect sleep, oxygen in the brain, mood, and general sense of well-being.

Interestingly, a percentage of anxiety sufferers have low body temperature. This is often related to low thyroid activity, and can usually be relatively easy to correct as students of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome know.

One of the simplest and often highly effective natural anxiety treatments is slow nasal breathing via the diaphragm. Hyperventilation is common among anxiety sufferers, probably as part of a mistaken "fight or flight" response. Hyperventilation can actually increase anxiety symptoms as feelings of unreality, dizziness, light-headedness, and numbness in extremities creep in.

Slow nasal breathing via the diaphragm (a muscle sheath below the lungs) increases oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange efficiency in comparison to shallow breathing through the mouth. In anxiety sufferers, the breathing must be self-consciously slowed using regular breathing exercises.

Of course personal views on the human soul or spirit vary. Arguably there is something in the human will, sense of purpose, determination, self-concept, motive, and so on that affects the body and the brain. And arguably, the brain and body affect the soul.

In any event, many have found anxiety relief in prayer, meditation, and various forms of rest. Rest may even include a fun hobby or pleasurable distraction, a conversation with a friend, or a walk in a beautiful place.

And there are those who have overcome entrenched problems with anxiety through somewhat mysterious improvements in attitude or will. The strength of one's resolve is important to recovery even while realizing that some face greater of lesser challenges to mind and body.