I have found quite a few good podcasts on this website for people who suffer from anxiety and insomnia from Inner Health Studio (www.innerhealthstudio.com). Go take a look. “sleep relaxation” from July 2011 is really effective. Try it.
This website also includes coping skills for stress, anxiety, anger, and panic. There are podcasts, free worksheets, tips, relaxation scripts.
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Part 2 on sleep problems and solutions
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Some people who suffer from anxiety fidget a lot and like to keep their hands busy. For some that means holding a cigarette, fiddling with their keys, etc. I have found that in my practice, many anxious individuals find it relaxing to handle the playdough that is on my shelf. So why not make your own?
Not only is it natural and non-toxic, but you can add essential oils to it that have a soothing effect or any other desired effect you may seek.
The process of making it can also have beneficial and relaxing effects, keep your mind off things, and may even have a meditative effect. While you are at it, why not practice mindfulness while in the process of making your own playdough?
Mix the following organic ingredients (non organic ingredients are ok too):
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup of sea salt
1 Tbsp of oil
2 Tbsp of Cream of Tartar
Food coloring or use natural spices for color (e.g. turmeric for yellow)
A few drops of an essential oil (eg, lavender for relaxation). It is up to you to choose other essential oils if the purpose is other than relaxation… read up on the properties of rosemary, geranium, chamomille, peppermint, grapefruit, lemon, etc..
Adjust ingredients (flour or water) until you get the texture you like.
Place in a sealed container.
If you would rather buy it… go on Etsy and for a tutorial on How TO, go on You Tube there are quite a few tutorials!
A colleague of mine recommended these little interactive self-help workbooks to help children cope with anxiety, negativity, anger, problems with sleep, and OCD. The author uses lively metaphors and illustrations to make the concepts and strategies easy to understand. The author is Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.. She is a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of children and their parents.
If you are on a quest to finding a natural anxiety treatment, you first need to be aware of what contributes to your anxiety and what perpetuates it. Individuals who suffer from anxiety often share common character traits, some are positive and some are less desirable. Some of these traits are appreciated by family and friends while others can be annoying. While some traits are probably genetic, others are more likely the result of childhood experiences. These traits often perpetuate the problem with those who suffer from anxiety disorders. Four main traits that perpetuate anxiety have been identified. They are: perfectionism, the excessive need for approval, the tendency to ignore physical and psychological signs of stress and an excessive need for control. Do you recognize yourself?
There are various ways you can
yle=”text-decoration: underline;”>overcome perfectionism. You need to let go of the idea that your worth is determined by your achievements and accomplishements. You need to first recognize and then overcome perfectionistic thinking patterns (e.g., avoid the use of should, must, can’t, always, never). Human error happens, you must work at stoppping to magnify the importance of small errors. Stop focussing on the negatives (there will always be negatives) and start to focus on the positives. Perfectionists often set unrealistic goals; work on goals that are more realistic. Of course you need to work, but you need a good balance in life. Get involved in more pleasure and recreation. Finally, play to play, not just to win, so work on the process of things rather than on the final outcome (i.e., having a process orientation as opposed to an outcome orientation).
Anxious people often feel an excessive need for approval, they must be liked by everyone and they work really hard at it. This places a lot of pressure on the person and he/she would benefit best from developing a realistic view of other people’s approval. There is no need to take everything so personnally or to make rapid conclusions about another person’s comment on you. Be realistic. Not everyone will like you and that’s okay. Do you like everyone? Dealing with criticism in an objective manner may be more beneficial, it may become a positive learning experience. A constant need for approval is often linked to co-dependency. Recognizing co-dependent behaviour and then letting go of it is also key. Stop placing other people’s need before your own and it is a first step to breaking away from co-dependent behaviour.
Another difficulty often encountered with anxious individual is their tendency to ignore physical and psychological signs of stress. This can lead to long term health problems and mental health issues. Individuals who do not suffer from anxiety disorders tend to be more in touch with their bodies. When people are unaware of the toll stress takes on their minds and their bodies, they are at higher risk of illness and burnout. These physical and psychological signs are warning signs that you should slow down. It is important that you become more aware of your own personal signs of stress. For example, signs of stress, but not limited to these, are headaches, backaches, teeth grinding, stomach ulcers, colds, depression, anxiety, mood swings, nightmares, relationship problems, etc. There exists various coping strategies for stress which involve the following: physical and lifestyle strategies; cognitive strategies, emotional strategies, and philosophical/spiritual strategies.
Finally, another character trait we encounter in individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders, is the excessive need for control. Somehow, they believe that if they can control a situation, a person, an outcome, that they will experience less anxiety. The problem with this perception is twofold. First, the only person we can control is ourselves. The minute we try to control other people or situations, the more we increase the odds of failing or encountering relationship difficulties. The fact is that the idea that we can control other things but ourselves is an illusion. The best way to address this need for control is to first accept that we have no control. Second, we need to cultivate patience, which means that at times you will need to tolerate an uncomfortable situation. Another important aspect is to come to the realization that most problems eventually do work out or get solved. Clients who have overcome anxiety have also found that developing a spriritual approach to life has helped them greatly, in addition also to mindfulness.
It is important to realize that these traits have become a way of life and will take time to change and will require your commitment. The first step to successful change is to become aware of these traits. In the end, this shift may bring about a domino effect, where you will not only change these traits but also end up changing certain values and beliefs you hold true and you may even change your lifestyle. Priorities may change also. The ultimate goal is to be freed from the anxiety and lead a happy and fulfilling life.
If you liked this article you can find more details on how to cope with anxety by purchasing the book from which this article was insipred: The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne.
(c) 2010, Dr. Gina Madrigrano. All rights reserved.
A great number of people of all ages suffer from anxiety . There are natural remedies to relieve symptoms of anxiety, which have been proven effective in studies which included control groups. If you are not willing to take prescriptions drugs and prefer to try the natural route, you may benefit from these natural and safe alternatives.
Research has shown that cognitive behaviour therapy and some natural herbs have been quite effective at treating various anxiety disorders for children, teens, and adults alike. Many of the strategies used by therapist can easily be learned by individuals.
There are cognitive and behavioural aspects to anxiiety disorders and both need to be addressed in otder to best treat anxiety. Let’s start with the easier components which are the behavioural components. There are three main strategies that can be used: visualization, deep breathing (or diaphragmatic breathing) and progressive muscle relaxation.
For the cognitive aspect of anxiety disorders, peole need to look at the source of their anxiety. It can be a place, an object, an animal, a situation. etc. Whatever it is, there are a few cognitive techniques to address these fears: progressive exposure, exposure and response prevention, flooding. These techiniques can be done in imagination or in vivo. The ultimate goal is to become skilled to do the exposure in vivo. The main key, whatever the approach chosen, is to remember to resist the urge to avoid or escape the feared stimulus. Doing so will only reinforce your fear and solidify it. Finally, thought stopping is another important cognitive strategy to reduce irrational thoughts related to the anxiety provoking stimulus.
Once more, these techniques have been proven quite effective and there are many resources out there that describe them in detail. They can be found in workbooks available on Amazon or other book stores, web sites and You Tube videos that give very good descriptions of these techniques.
Lastly, in lieu of prescription medication, it is worth consulting an alternative health professional (e.g. homeopath, naturopathic doctor) for their advise on the best natural remedies to calm symptoms of anxiety and its related problems, such as insomnia. Valerian Root, Melatonin are two example of natural sleep aids. St-John’s Wort has been shown to help with mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Always remember to consult with a registered and licenced professional before using any natural remedies, especially if you are also taking prescription drugs; drug interactions are possible and can be dangerous.
Finally, it is important to have a healthy balanced diet. Eating whole foods is always best, organic if at all possible, avoid processed foods, and artificial sweeteners, among other things. Basically, eat real food! Furthermore, the excessive use of stimulants (e.g. cigarettes, cafeine, sugar, soft drinks) can imitate physiological symptoms of anxiety which in turn can be misinterpreted as anxiety or even misinterpreted as a panic attack.
In conclusion, anxiety is a disorder that is treatable and with high success rates with the natural techniques mentioned above. However, if you find you get no relief, it may be helpful to consult a mental health professional. It may be difficult to go at this alone, especially if you have been suffering with anxiety for many years.
(c) 2010 Dr. Gina Madrigrano, All Rights Reserved.