We all struggle with bouts of depression and anxiety. Our lives are much more chaotic and stressful these days compared to previous generations. We work more, sleep less, stress about everything and the fact that a Starbuck’s is on every corner makes caffeine a major part of our lives. In my case, given the nature of preparedness, it’s kind of difficult to escape the feelings of impending doom (at least for me).
In all honesty, there are times when I go through funks – I’m anxious, depressed and have no energy. But lately the funks are lasting longer, and I have more symptoms that I’m dealing with. Last month, while lying in bed (because I had insomnia), I took an online quiz [amazon asin=B0015P54R8&template=*lrc ad (left)]on whether I worry too much. I had almost every symptom for generalized anxiety disorder.
- Joint and muscular issues
- Problems sleeping
- Tingles in fingers and toes
- Indulging in bad habits or self destructive behaviors
- Anxiousness[amazon asin=B0032BH76O&template=*lrc ad (right)]
- Moodswings
- Slugishness
- Digestion issues
- Too much caffeine
- Not enough vegetables and fruits
- Overall feeling of impending doom
- No longer wanting to do things that I enjoy
[amazon asin=B0009F3RW4&template=*lrc ad (left)]I know that many of you don’t know me personally, but I’m a pretty upbeat and positive person. When I finally looked in the mirror and realized that I allowed my self-destructive behaviors and thoughts to take over – again, something had to be done. I finally started being true to myself and saw that these feelings and behaviors are causing my health to dimish. It got so bad that I had started calling myself “Tess the Mess”! Shortly after this was my wake up call and I made the decision to be my own best friend and make some hard changes. “Tess the Mess” was going away.
10 Things To Turn the Boat Around
I knew that change was necessary and I prefer to do things naturally rather than getting a prescription for synthetic drugs for anxiety disorders. I know this takes a little longer to see results, but I wanted to be as gentle on my body and mind as possible.[amazon asin=B004K1KU78&template=*lrc ad (right)]
- Drop the bad habits – You know the bad habits and self destructive behaviors that cause your body harm. It could be smoking, emotionally eating, drinking alcohol, the list goes on and on. We know that these are bad habits that need to stop.
- Maca Powder – A friend recommended that I take this natural supplement for an overall health boost. I add it to my smoothies and yogurt and it’s great. There are no known side effects to this, so I feel like I’m taking a great natural approach to my well being. Read more about maca powder.
- Take your vitamins – Here’s the deal – I hate taking pills. I’m really good about making fruit and veggie smoothies to get [amazon asin=B002BSH3DQ&template=*lrc ad (left)]natural vitamins and also eat lots of salads, but I know that taking a supplement here and there helps too. I suffer from joint issues caused by a previous accident, so taking supplements to aid in joint care would be beneficial to me in this respect.
- Drink lots of water – I’m guilty of not drinking enough water during the day. Even though I know that water helps the body regulate itself and run more smoothly, I can’t seem to drink enough. To remedy this, I bought the biggest water bottle that I could find and filled it up three times a day. I also have a spoonful of chia seeds with my water to help ensure my body stayed hydrated. This also gave me a natural energy boost and made such a difference!
- Herbal tinctures – Anxiousness tends to creep up on me and having herbal tinctures for stress and decompressing helped tremendously. It helped me take the edge off.
