PTSD, Anxiety, Stress and Herbs

Happy Wednesday! I am officially in my new home office and let me tell you!! It has been amazing! I am so excited on this journey.

So, let's start talking some real stuff now. PTSD, anxiety, stress etc etc. Who hasn't experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event that has caused us intense fear, helplessness, or even horror? Events that can leave us with repeated distressing memories or dreams, flashbacks, triggers, avoiding our thoughts and feelings or any conversations concerning it, blocking it out mentally, becoming detached from others, problems sleeping, concentration, feeling the need to be on guard all the time, exaggerated startle responses, and the list can go on.

I won't lie, I have many of these above symptoms. I have had some very dark times in my life. I do much to manage these feelings so I thought I would dig into this topic and share things that I do. I have touched on the importance of magnesium in my prior blogs. I will stress the importance of magnesium and even epsom salt baths, and I am extra with the epsom salt baths, put a whole bag in the tub and soak a minimum of 45 minutes- set a timer. Magnesium is a super key mineral to add to our life, another important one is a fish oil, calcium and vitamin D. Super key.

Now, let's talk herbs. Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that can act as a sedative and nerve tonic. Bilberry prevents destruction, mutation, and premature death of cells throughout the body. Milk Thistle cleanses and protects the liver, and has antioxidant properties. Chamomile is a gentle relaxant. It is a good nerve tonic, soothing to the digestive tract, and a pleasant sleep aid. Dong quai support the kidney, adrenal glands, and the central nervous system. These organs are among the most susceptible to the effects of stress. Holy basil appears to lower stress and cortisol levels. Hops helps to ease nervousness, restlessness, and stress. It also decreases the desire for alcohol. Passion flower is calming and a potent addition to any anti stress formula. Siberian ginseng helps the body cope with stress. Skullcap is good for nervous disorders. It relieves headaches and aids in sleep. Valerian keeps the nervous system from being overwhelmed. It also is a powerful sleep aid when taken at bedtime and helps ease stress-related headaches. A side note, if you are taking any pharmaceutical drugs prescribed by a doctor, it is so important to check with the doctor that prescribed them if you can add herbs to your regimen with those medications. There are some of these herbs that do not mix with pharmaceutical drugs.

Let's talk diet now. It is a good idea to eat a diet of 50 to 75 percent raw foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables. It is also important to make sure they are not sprayed with chemicals and make sure you use a vegetable cleaner with filtered water as well. The less chemical exposure, the better. Avoiding processed foods which create stress on the our bodies such as artificial sweeteners, processed sugar, carbonated soft drinks, fried foods, junk foods, white flour products, foods containing preservatives- label reading is important, being aware of what is in our foods. It is a good idea to watch caffeine intake, which can interrupt sleep and create nervousness. It is also a good idea to avoid alcohol, tobacco and other mood-altering drugs.

Exercise is the most underused anti depressant and de stressor. Getting physical activity can help clear our minds and manage our stress.

It is a good idea to get enough sleep at night and create a sanctuary in our bedrooms. Get the tv out of your room. If you can get the phones out of your room at night, and if that isn't possible get a radiation cover for your phone and use blue light glasses if you do use your phone, ipad or laptop. It really is best to use your room solely for sleeping. Get some plants in your room and a salt lamp. Use chemical free laundry detergents for your bedding and wash them regularly. Have a diffuser in your room. I will add later to this post what oils are best for PTSD, anxiety etc. Before bed, do some mindful meditation, deep breathing.

Dry brushing is also a good practice to get the lymph system moving. Sometimes old trauma can get stuck in our bodies. Massages are also great for that and cranial sacral massage therapy is fantastic to get that trauma out of our bodies. Also, a therapist who specializes in trauma is great! I have a great one if you need her info!

It can also be good to look into heavy metal intoxication. Heavy metal poisoning can mimic the symptoms of stress, anxiety and trauma. A hair analysis can reveal heavy metal poisoning. If there is metals detected, a heavy metal detox is beneficial.

I said I would include essential oils best for trauma, PTSD, anxiety and stress- as these can have similar symptoms. But first, please make sure you are getting quality oils. I get mine from either mountain rose herbs or I have an account and link to get Young Living oils if you would like that link. These are my suggestions for oils to use for diffusing: clove, helichrysum, jasmine, (which a jasmine plant in the bedroom is a great idea.) yarrow, frankincense, idaho blue spruce, sandalwood, rose, cedarwood. If you like blends, here are a few suggestions for blends: peace and calming, trauma life, forgiveness, release, valor, joy, hope, and sacred mountain.

Hopefully all of this was helpful. I hope this evening finds you well. It was super windy here today. I am enjoying being in my new home office. I hope all my guests love it as well. It is a whole new vibe here. Happy Wednesday to you, or as Pooh says, Happy Windsday!