Holistic Approaches for Dealing with Stress and Anxiety

                                                                - by Charles Cochrane, The Silver Willow

 

During my 13 years of being a holistic practitioner, I have had numerous encounters with clients seeking alternative ways to deal with stress and anxiety. The following are a few of the tried and true ways to deal with stress that I highly recommend. Meditating and breathing are essential for stress and anxiety relief. Even if you have no experience with meditating just taking a few deep breaths will lower your blood pressure and take the edge off. The easiest way to meditate is to simply get comfortable, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. A few slow deep breaths can go along way to bring you the peace you need. You may consider aromatherapy to ground you, relax you and possibly derail an anxiety reaction. Patchouli oil's earthy smell will ground and center you. Lavender oil has a relaxing and calming effect. Sandalwood oil will center you and aid in meditative work. Ylang ylang oil helps lift your spirits and may even help with depression. If aromatherapy is not your thing, the use of herbs can be very useful. A soothing cup of camomile tea may just do the trick. add a little lavender for an added punch. Herbs with more of a sedative effect include passion flower, valerian, and skullcap.These herbs are better used at bedtime for a peaceful nights sleep with the added benefit of no adverse side effects. Natural stones and minerals are another effective method of dealing with stress and anxiety. For instance, lepidolite is a great stone to help you calm down quickly. Amazonite has a gentle energy to calm you down when you hold it. Also, hematite, flourite and blood stone are great to ground and center yourself and may help with panic attacks. You can either carry these stones with you or wear them as jewelry. For questions or additional information call The Celtic Cricket at The Silver Willow.

 

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