The Stress Factor, Natural Ways To Stay Calm

Is stress ruining your life?

I hope you like the new photo of me. It is the one that is going to be used in my pending book so you have a sneak preview.

Well, I know all about stress, been there, (actually I am still there, unfortunately) done that, have written the book! My book is now at the publishers. I had a telephone conference call with my graphic and interior book designers last Thursday (from the US), so it is now well in hand. I have to start again on my website and was wondering why I was having so much trouble until my friend told me that the system I was using was not very good. She is going to help me so...hang in there folks!

I have a whole chapter on stress in my book (you can read all about the contents in my November post). Depression, stress, anxiety, panic all have some symptoms the same and you can be better informed as to which bracket you belong in because you don't have to wonder, as I had to. You get to read of ways in which you can help yourself, and what I did also.

It is well documented that anti-depressants do very little to help stress, anxiety or panic and my research has also shown this to be true, borne out also by speaking to various people, first hand.

My own doctor was being very good, knowing that I was taking natural remedies to stop any depression that may surface whilst also acknowledging the fact that an assessment showed that I did not need anti-depressants and neither did I want to. The jury is still out on why exactly he suddenly prescribed these tablets out of the blue, at my last appointment with him - this is yet to be established.

You can check out the signs for depression in my previous post 'Anti-depressants - Do you really need them' (Feb 6th) If you have at least 5 of the 9 signs then anti-depressants would benefit you. I don't really have even 1 of the symptoms so I rest my case on that one.

So let's try some natural remedies because unless you have major depression you really do not need anti-depressants. I have stressed time and time again that you must never just stop taking any medication that you have been prescribed as you need to come off them very slowly.

For a start, never skip breakfast as it is vital for a healthy metabolism and energy. If you really cannot face it at least grab a banana which is packed full of energising B vitamins and nutrients that not only support the nervous sytem but is also soothing for the gut.

I always put fruit on my breakfast cereal so you can add a banana to porridge for slow-release energy with the calming properties of oats. You can top up your B vit's by putting fish on your lunchtime menu. I have a banana every day to keep me going. They are also said to help with sleep.

Everyone knows that too much coffee is not good for you as it can cause the 'jitters', tea is a better choice, and chamomile is an even better one to help soothe both body and mind.

Antioxidant foods can also help relieve the effects of stress, which makes the body use up more essential vitamins and lowers immunity. Along with fruit and veg, this gives a perfect excuse for indulging in some antioxidant rich dark chocolate.

I extoll the virtues of dark chocolate in my book and the fact that I partake of a variety which has 85% cocoa solids - the higher the cocoa solids, the better it is for you. You actually only need a couple of squares for it's antioxidant qualities and I have just half of a small 25g bar (that's willpower for you).

I take St John's Wort to help prevent any depression and also a little known vitamin called Rhodiola rosea which is a great energiser, mood lifter and fatigue fighter.

To help irritability and edginess - try Weleda's Avena Sativa Comp Drops - made from oats, valerian (which I take 1hr before bedtime), and passion flower. I confess that before I had just read about this, I had never heard of it - another one for me to try.

To relieve anxiety - try Lemon Balm tablets - another I had not even heard of until this minute, although I do have some lemon balm aromatherapy oil (another mood lifter). My book goes into detail of the many oils that can also help your mood and various other ailments.

Vaporising essential oils can help keep you sweet partly because when inhaled, the vapours go straight to the brain's limbic system - the part associated with emotions - and may also trigger the release of feel-good chemicals and memories.

Try 'Rosemary' - to kick start your brain back into life

'Chamomile' - which has sedative properties,

'Geranium' - is calming and mood boosting

'Jasmine' - can lift anxiety

'Neroli' - has calming and has antidepressant properties

'Orange' - eases anxiety

'Cinnamon - useful for depression and fatigue

'Lavender' - good old fashioned standy - try 6 drops in your bath to soothe away the day's stresses

For a quick fix if you are feeling like a 'coiled spring' (and I do have some of this which I keep forgetting to use) - 'Rescue Remedy', you can buy this in a dropper bottle or pastilles (a new one on me - again)

If you feel a stress attack is imminent - breathe! By this I mean deep breathing - and again, I go into detail on this in my book. I have found though that it is a waste of time trying to do a deep breathing exercise when you are stressed, anxious or panicky as it is like 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted'.

I got really stressed racing to my doctor's appointment as there were various hold-ups on the way. My chest was knocking and I sat there for 10mins solid doing deep breathing exercises. This was not helped by the fact that despite me being his first appointment of the afternoon I was still kept waiting for over 10 mins. It took me some time to 'still my beating chest'. It's not even as though he tried to help me, just sat there waiting for me to calm down.

So - take a few minutes to inhale, slowly and deeply from the bottom of the rib cage, then equally slowly - breathe out. The out breath is when muscles relax, so when exhaling, imagine tension leaving with it. Repeat three times then breathe normally. You can do this anytime and anywhere.

I wonder if you are like me and have prolonged tension. You get a pain in the neck, shoulders, jaw. back or gut. Try to relax the muscles, take ten minutes to lie flat in comfy clothing, with eyes closed. Begin by breathing slowly in and out. Then starting at the feet, tense to the count of ten - then relax, allowing the muscles to become limp. Work your way one by one up the body's muscles, not forgetting the jaw, and finish with your forehead and scalp. Once relaxed, enjoy a few moments before slowly opening your eyes.

Chill-out heaven - try it for yourself and see.

Hangover cure - if you must drink, but you know it's not good for you! - check out my post 'Depression and Alcohol' (15 Feb).

Our grannies swore by onions! and they were right. Onions speed up the removal of toxins (including alchohol - which is a toxin by the way) - from the liver. Try fresh onion soup for lunch after a night of overindulgence. It is also well known for easing coughs and colds.

So, don't stress - there are lots of things you can do to help yourself.

Don't forget you can click the link to sign up to get notifications of updates to my blog straight into your inbox. It will not cost you anything and you will not be spammed. You won't want to miss the link to my book 'The Truth About Depression and How You Can Beat It' as soon as it goes 'live'.

'til next time

Bonnie

'The Truth About Depression and How You Can Beat It'.

Are you planning to, or have you written your own book. I can highly recommend my own publishers, click on the link below:

Panic Attacks - You Will Not Have a Heart Attack

You do not have to be scared out of your wits, as I was

You can read all about my true emotional journey, in my book and can read of the contents on my blog post. My chapter 'Discover the signs of an anxiety/panic attack' tells what happened to me and how I learned of the signs and what I personally did to help myself. Meanwhile, I have been researching the subject further to help you, whilst you are awaiting publication of my true story 'The Truth About Depression and How You Can Beat It'.

The passages below (which I cannot take credit for!) was on a site I discovered and goes into the subject more comprehensively. My story was written especially to help you and my further wish is to bring even more information to you. It was sadly lacking in my case and I really do not want you to go through all that I had to. When you get to read my book I think you will find it absolutely incredible, if nothing else - because of the total lack of any proper help - that was not forthcoming to me. I had to fight for any little bit of assistance that I could.

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Ever Wondered What Exactly Is Happening In Your Brain When You Have A Panic Attack?
The University College London have recently published findings in the journal Science (2007), demonstrating that when people experience extreme anxiety or panic, the activity in their brain moves from the front of their brain to the mid brain. This was demonstrated by scans showing higher blood flow to the section of the brain that was most active. The front of the brain (prefrontal cortex) is where decision making and rationalization takes place. The midbrain (periaqueductal grey area) is where survival mechanisms such as fight or flight originate from.

You are probably well aware that a panic attack is a 'fight or flight' response to a perceived threat. The reason the human brain responds like this goes back to our prehistoric past where humans needed their bodies to respond quickly to a perceived physical threat. What this new research is telling us, is that people's mental activity during a panic attack is suddenly moving to the mid brain, resulting in the heightened state of fear and panic. In short, a separate part of your brain becomes more active during a panic attack. The problem, as you well know, is that once the panic attack begins and that heightened state of fear starts, it is very difficult to calm yourself down. In order to restore calm you therefore need the brains mental activity to change.

This is the reason why deep breathing is so ineffective in helping people control a panic attack. All deep breathing does is try and restore calm to the body. Trying to mentally calm the body is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. Your brain is the control center and that is where the change needs to happen. During a panic attack your brain has moved into panic mode and in order to really restore order you need to learn how to switch your mental activity back to the rational part of your brain.

If you visit a doctor or psychiatrist you are almost always going to be given a prescription for medication simply because they are short on time and believe it to be the fastest solution to your anxiety problem. I am not judging these professions, many do an excellent job but are sadly too short on time to investigate the issue further and try a different drug free approach with you. (Bonnie says: my book thoroughly endorses this because it is exactly what happened to me! - I even tell you what helped me and further alternative ways in which you can help yourself)

Fact: A Panic Attack Will Not Harm You

I know when you are in the middle of a panic attack it feels like this terrifying experience is so intense, it might just kill you! You feel an array of unusual bodily sensation from dizziness, rapid heart beat to tingles (paresthesias) right through your body. You fear you may have a heart attack or that the anxiety will push you over the edge mentally.

I want to reassure you that even though the sensations can be terrifying, they will not cause you harm. There is very good medical studies to back this up. In fact panic attacks are not too dissimilar from a good aerobic exercise workout. The fear is powered by an overreaction to bodily sensations.

Please Don't Let Your Anxiety Fool You Into Thinking Your Case Is Unique and Not Curable
That is simply not true. There are no lost causes -no matter how long you have been suffering from anxiety. You must not simply go on coping with this condition. You must embrace the opportunity now to change all of that today. It is so very important to remove these self imposed limitations and get rid of the anxiety that is holding your life back from its true potential. Only you can make the move towards this freedom.

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I had a lot of panic attacks and at first I did not even know what was going on. I only found out through a book that what I was having was, in-fact panic attacks. My own book shows you that there are many other symptoms also which I certainly was not aware of, made even more confusing by the fact that anxiety/panic/depression/stress - all have some symptoms the same. Three chapters of my book go into each and you will get to compartmentalize your own symptoms and know the best treatment to suit you.

Please check out and enjoy my other posts - I will keep you updated as to when my book is going to be launched. It will be in both physical (which will not be long as it is just about to be submitted to a publisher) and PDF format (I am currently in the middle of building a website to promote this) It is a complete one off because each chapter is interspersed with what was going on in my life and how I struggled on a day to day basis - just to get through each day.

Please also feel free to send me your comments as I love hearing from you:

howtobeatdepression@googlemail.com

Are you planning to, or have you already, written your own book? If so, I can highly recommend my own publishers. click on the link below for details:

Bonnie

'The Truth About Depression and How You Can Beat It'