Category: Anxiety

^{I’m just a girl that went on a journey to heal herself naturally from debilitating anxiety, panic attacks and episodes of DPDR. Now I share here all the things I did that helped me heal.}

If you’re not familiar with grounding/earthing, let me explain. Simply put it is the act of placing bare skin in contact with the earth.

_{Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission if clicked at no extra charge to you.}

Yep, like literally just taking off your shoes and walking around in the grass or splashing in a creek or just touching a tree.

It has strong hippie vibes, I know, but there is actual scientific evidence to back up why this practice is beneficial for stress and anxiety as well as regulating the nervous system.

How Earthing Actually works

The earth is a large negatively charged ball of rock basically. The earth is full of free electrons that are negatively charged.

When the human body is in contact with the earth, we basically exchange energy with the earth. This allows us to become negatively charged as well. This reduces electrical imbalances in the body and oxidative stress that causes chronic inflammation and a multitude of diseases.

Benefits of Earthing

Earthing has plenty of benefits but I’m only going to touch on the ones that support mental and nervous system health.

so how can earthing/grounding help with anxiety?

Sleep

By improving sleep earthing can help normalize and regulate serotonin levels as it decreases cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. Higher cortisol levels increase the fight or flight response of the nervous system.

Pain

Earthing helps to down regulate pain, which can exacerbate anxiety and stress.

Relaxes the Muscles

Grounding decreases muscle tension, another issue that can increase anxiety and stress. Stress creates more tension in the muscles, it’s a vicious cycle. Earthing can help breath this cycle.

Nervous system regulating

Studies have proven that grounding can shift the nervous system from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system.

Studies done on earthing patients indicate decreased inflammation and increased activity of the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system.

Grounding/Earthing is a really quick and effective way to help ground you and bring you into the present moment.

Detoxification

Grounding or earthing supports the bodies detox pathways and immune system. A body that is overloaded with toxins can cause irritation to the nervous system therefore worsening anxiety and stress.

My Experience

Grounding/Earthing was super helpful for me when I was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. I would go outside and sit with my feet in the grass to help ground me and bring me back to the present moment. This is still something I use today when I’m feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. I like to find a comfortable chair with a book to read while my feet rest on the earth.

Learn More

I always recommend that you do your own research. If you are experiencing anxiety, panic and/or episodes of DPDR and you want to heal yourself using alternative therapies it’s time to take your health back into your own hands. This book has everything you need to know about earthing and grounding and its many health benefits: Earthing. The most important health discovery ever.

_{Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.}

Related Content:

• Grounding/Earthing: How it’s helpful for anxiety and nervous system regulation
• Existential OCD Intrusive Thoughts can be Scary Symptoms of DPDR
• Use This Mantra to Ground You During a Panic Attack
• 2 Essential oils for Anxiety, Panic and DPDR.
• Movement is Medicine: Breaking free from anxiety by moving the body

have you heard the term that movement is medicine? Movement and exercise can be incredibly powerful tools to utilize when recovering and healing from any mental health conditions. These include anxiety, panic and DPDR.

Exercise releases Endorphins

Serotonin is considered the feel-good neurotransmitter. Lower levels of serotonin can cause symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive worry, increased self-guilt and shame, trouble sleeping, mood swings, increased sensitivity to pain and cravings for sweet and salty foods.

Dopamine is another feel good chemical in the brain that is released when exercising. Dopamine acts on different areas of the brain to give you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation.

Dopamine levels also play roles in sleep and facilitating healthy responses to stress. Symptoms of low dopamine include Lack of motivation, fatigue, inability to concentrate, mood swings, inability to feel pleasure from activities that used to bring you joy, depression, decreased sex drive and sleep disturbances.

Somatic Practices

Somatic practices are a form of body work that emphasizes internal physical perception and experience. Basically, somatic practices bring your awareness to the sensations inside and outside of your body.

Since things like anxiety, depression and trauma can cause disruptions in the mind body connection, somatic practices aim to bring that connection back. This brings healing and restoration to the nervous system, which is the goal when healing from anxiety.

Some forms of movement and exercise are also somatic practices. when we move the body, we allow the releases of stagnant stuck energy to move and be released. The best practice to do this is through mindful movement.

Yoga is a great mindful movement and somatic practice. Yoga brings awareness to the breath and to the body, without judgement, and creates a safe space for the practitioner to learn and explore how their feelings and emotions feel and impact the body.

Yoga is a great integrative practice for anxiety, depression and those who have experienced or went through traumatic events.

Good Physical Health= A Healthy Mind

Movement and exercise also boost the body’s immune system. proper immune system function is important for a healthy nervous system and a healthy nervous system = good mental health.

Exercise, especially somatic shaking stimulates and supports the lymphatic system. A major component of the immune system. When the body’s lymph fluid is moving and flowing like it is supposed the body is able to detox toxins that can exacerbate anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

Exercise especially yoga supports the digestive system. regular movement and exercise stimulate the muscles in the GI tract increasing gut motility, decreasing the number of bad bacteria in the gut and increasing the number of good bacteria. Gut health is imperative to mental health. read more about that here.

Mindful Movement

yoga is a great practice that encompasses all of the above, its not only a great somatic practice but also a form of moving meditation that quiets the mind and releases stress from the body. Yoga is also great for the digestive, immune and lymphatic systems of the body.

Click here to check out 6 yoga poses for anxiety.

_{Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.}

Related Content:

• Grounding/Earthing: How it’s helpful for anxiety and nervous system regulation
• Existential OCD Intrusive Thoughts can be Scary Symptoms of DPDR
• Use This Mantra to Ground You During a Panic Attack
• 2 Essential oils for Anxiety, Panic and DPDR.
• Movement is Medicine: Breaking free from anxiety by moving the body

Magnesium is a very important mineral for the human body, in fact it is involved in OVER 600 enzymatic processes in the body. It’s HUGEly important to say the least.

_{Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission if clicked at no extra charge to you.}

So whets the big deal? don’t we get enough in our diets? unfortunately no. this is because our soil has been over farmed for decades without being replenished with magnesium. Since its missing from our soil, its missing from our foods.

Magnesium is important for heart health, bone health, nervous system function, gut health, hormone balance etc. I’m sure you get the point. Magnesium plays a role in every body system.

I talk mostly about magnesium for mental health. Click here to read about why you should be supplementing with magnesium if you have anxiety.

In this post I want to discuss what you need to know before supplementing, especially if you are taking it for anxiety and mental health.

You Might Feel Worse Before you Feel Better

What a bummer right?

I know its not fair and frankly it sucks.

When you have been deficient in magnesium for a long time, and you start adding it back in by supplementation your body can go a little crazy. Why? Because it has been without it for so long. Your body is basically like yay! magnesium, let’s put this to work all over the body and then the body goes into overdrive using the magnesium.

This can cause slower healing, not seeing results as quickly as you had hoped.

That’s what happened to me, but I’m so glad I stuck it out.

Magnesium supplementation can also cause detox symptoms.

Detox Symptoms

Magnesium supplementation can cause detox symptoms. Magnesium is a powerful detoxifier of the body and without it the normal detoxing processes of the body can be disrupted, backing up toxins into the body.

As we increase magnesium we also increase the detoxification processes which can cause detox symptoms that include:

• Headaches
• GI upset
• Flu like symptoms
• insomnia
• body aches
• mood swings
• irritability

Start Out Low and Slow

This is especially important if you are taking magnesium for anxiety. When you are already anxious and you’re taking something that is going to alter how you feel, you could end up being anxious over that.

The slower you start out the better you will feel. The slower you start out the less likely you are to experience the detox symptoms listed above. I reccomend no more than 100mg/day for the first couple a weeks and increase as tolerated.

It’s Going to Take Time

You will gradually feel better as time goes on, but it won’t make all your symptoms go away or heal a deficiency in a week, It can take months to a year. It really depends on how deficient you are.

Stick with it. I promise you won’t regret it. Magnesium has been a major factor in my healing journey. From burnout and adrenal fatigue to my severe anxiety and DPDR. It has helped in all of those areas. It’s now been a year and I feel so much better.

Check out this book, it was life changing for me:

Let me know If you’ve tried magnesium and if its helped you.

I wish you healing my friend.

_{Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.}

Related content:

• Grounding/Earthing: How it’s helpful for anxiety and nervous system regulation
• Existential OCD Intrusive Thoughts can be Scary Symptoms of DPDR
• Use This Mantra to Ground You During a Panic Attack
• 2 Essential oils for Anxiety, Panic and DPDR.
• Movement is Medicine: Breaking free from anxiety by moving the body

When we are activated and feel anxious, stressed, experience panic attacks or symptoms of DPDR it is almost always a communication from the body. By communication I mean that the body is trying to bring your awareness to something that it may need, most likely because you didn’t pick up on the other cues the body was giving you.

By taking the time to tune into your body and listening to what it’s trying to convey to you, you will not only strengthen your relationship with your body but will also build your intuitiveness around your needs and desires. This is majorly important when healing from anxiety and panic. When you take care of your body, your body takes care of you.

Asking yourself these 4 simple questions below can help you begin to cultivate a healthier relationship with your body. This practice is also great for learning how to listen to your body’s cues. When you strengthen the relationship between the mind and body, overtime this begins to regulate the nervous system. Building and fostering a regulated nervous system is one of the most important aspects to healing anxiety, panic and DPDR.

Are you Hungry of Thirsty?

When was the last time you drank some water? What have you eaten today?

I know for me (I’m pretty sure I am neurodivergent to some degree) I don’t really get (or I don’t notice) the normal hunger and thirst cues from my body. I usually only realize it’s time to eat when I start to feel a little anxious, irritable or super angry. Although I’m getting better at learning my body’s cues, this is still an important practice I continue to use.

This is a really good question to ask first when you are feeling anxious, panicky, angry or frustrated. The term Hangry didn’t come from nowhere. Have you ever felt irritable when you’re hungry? Did you know that symptoms of low blood sugar can mimic the symptoms of anxiety? Read more about that here.

Do you need a Bathroom Break?

This sounds kind of dumb but hear me out.

As a prospected neurodivergent human being I have the tendency to hold my bladder when I’m busy completing tasks.

one reason I think I do this is because I’m afraid that if I get off task for even a short bathroom break, I will lose my momentum. Obviously, this can be a learning curve for some in the neurospicy world, but your body and nervous system really feel loved and cared for when you go to the bathroom when you need to.

If you ignore the body’s cues to use the restroom, you’re basically telling your body that its most basic needs aren’t important, and this further perpetuates a dysregulated nervous system. Dysregulation in the nervous system can cause symptoms of anxiety and stress.

Are you Tired?

lack of sleep and quality of sleep greatly impacts our moods. Sleep is where the body resets and rejuvenates.

sleep is also where our mind and body resets from the day but even processes traumatic events. This is really important for the health of the nervous system, and as we have already discussed, the nervous systems function is directly related to symptoms of anxiety, panic and DPDR.

Although sleep is crucial for mental health another aspect of a healthy nervous system and mental clarity is rest. Simply resting and reading a book, finding time to slow down and be present with your kids or family is also great for healing and restoration your body and nervous system.

Are you overstimulated?

Overstimulation can lead to stress, anxiety and burnout. Asking this question can help you determine if you are overextending yourself to the point that it is negatively affecting your mental health.

Do you need to take a step back with extra work obligations? What about things you have volunteered for? are you overwhelmed at home? How can you change the dynamic of different areas of your life where you feel overwhelmed and overextended?

And maybe for you it doesn’t look like taking a break from any of your obligations. Maybe you’re not spending enough time doing things that make you feel good and bring you joy, like a special interest, hobby or sport. Maybe your body is telling you to engage more in the things that bring you fulfillment! Things that make you feel alive, excited and grounded in meaning and purpose. The kinda things that make you feel excited to get out of the bed in the mornings.

It’s gonna be ok

Navigating life with anxiety or a panic disorder can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be hard forever. There are tools and there is help. Healing is very much possible. Taking small and simple steps, adjusting your lifestyle and mindset to cultivate a feeling a safety in your body and nervous system will always be a great place to start and a landing pad to fall back on when times get tough.

Related content

Best Way to Beat Anxiety: Remove the Fear of the Fear Best Way to Beat Anxiety: Remove the Fear of the Fear – SoulMedicinals

DPDR and Anxiety: How to Break Free – SoulMedicinals

Why Blood Sugar Balance is so Important to Healing Anxiety – SoulMedicinals

What Adrenal Fatigue Is and ways to Heal It – SoulMedicinals

Reading List for Anxiety, Panic and DPDR – SoulMedicinals

The number one best way to beat your anxiety and panic attacks is to beat the fear of the fear.

But before I get into how to remove the fear of the fear there are some things you need to know:

^{Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission if clicked at no extra charge to you.}

Supporting your body is HUGE in healing anxiety. Have you addressed vitamin and mineral deficiencies? like B12: Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anxiety: What You Need to Know. – SoulMedicinals.

Are you supplementing with Magnesium? if not you should be. Read about that here: Magnesium deficiency and Anxiety: 4 Reasons your Body Needs It – SoulMedicinals

Gut health is also important. read here: Does A Heathy Gut = A Healthy Mind? – SoulMedicinals

Balancing your blood sugar is also crucial for healing anxiety, panic and DPDR. Why Blood Sugar Balance is so Important to Healing Anxiety – SoulMedicinals

Anxiety and panic are usually symptoms of a larger issue in the body. When we fail to listen to the body when it whispers and speaks to us, it will eventually start to scream. This scream from the body is meant to get our attention, our attention to a bigger issue or problem going on in the body. Sometimes this scream can come in the form of anxiety and panic. This is why it is important to note some of the examples above. Supporting your body by trying to find the root cause will serve you in the long run.

Trauma can also cause the fight or flight response to get thwarted causing a person to become stuck in the stress response and cycle. Thats Why I love Yoga as a somatic practice to work with not only the mind but the body. Check out this post Yoga for Anxiety: 6 poses to try today – SoulMedicinals.

Also, if you are struggling with DPDR, Check out my 4 part anxiety and DPDR series where I talk about my story, what it is, what causes it and ways to start healing!

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Now on to how to beat the fear of the fear!

How to lose the fear of the FEAR

Have you ever had a panic attack and when it was over constantly feared having another one? terrified to experience the racing heart, sweaty palms, shortness of breath and feelings of despair again? The fear of having another panic attack literally consumes your world that you do everything you possibly can to keep from experiencing it again only for the stress and worry to catapult you right back into another panic attack? and then bam before you know it your stuck in the panic loop and you have no clue how to escape?

Yea, me too.

It was intense, and it felt like there was no way out. So, I understand what you’re feeling and experiencing.

But there is a way out, it’s not necessarily easy but this way out brings lasting change. This way out literally breaks the grip that fear has on you and sets you free.

And it is literally learning to let go of the fear of your symptoms, The fear of having another panic attack, The fear of DPDR (derealization/depersonalization) symptoms. It’s learning new ways to handle anxiety and changing your conceptions and perceptions of anxiety and panic.

So, how do you do this exactly?

I’ll get there but first I want you to think of your worst fear imaginable. What scares you the most when you are panicking, anxious or experiencing DPDR. Ok got your worst fear in mind? great.

I’ll share mine with you, my biggest fear was losing my mind, developing some form of psychosis that I wouldn’t be able to recover from and also that I would hyperventilate and pass out.

ok so now that we have named our biggest fear let’s look at it in a different way. Has this fear ever actually come true for you? have you hyperventilated and passed out in public? have you ever lost your mind? has your heart raced so fast that it blew up? I know these seem like real fears in the moment of panic but be realistic has it ever came true?

Chances are NO they have not. You end up panicking and feeling very uncomfortable in the moment but it eventually ends every single time right, the issue with these fears is that they are coming from the analytical mind, and when you are in the fight or flight response of the nervous system the rational thinking part of the brain is cut off to send all the energy to the parts of the brain that are going to keep you alive in an emergent situation. Rational thought is thwarted in the panic response and therefore our thoughts can be extreme and scary because out brains are desperately trying to make sense of why we feel the way we do. This is obviously unhelpful.

So what do we do with these scary and intrusive thoughts and worries about what will happen to us when we experience episodes of anxiety, panic and/of DPDR?

Stay with me… We challenge them. Wait what? Yes we challenge them, we go full force into the situation or the experience or whatever it is that causes us to panic or be anxious and we CHALLENGE THEM.

When you’re confronted by your fear of passing out or your heart racing so hard it gives out, you challenge it by saying ok then, go ahead, go ahead and let me pass out, go ahead and let my heart give out. I’ve been through this experience before and those things have never happened. So, go ahead anxiety make it happen now I’m ready.

By challenging what you are most afraid of and by speaking it aloud and acknowledging it in this way you actually begin to dissolve the fear, why? Because these things, thoughts and emotions are not real, they are just intrusive thoughts and emotions. your thoughts and fears can’t ACTUALLY hurt you. once you call them out for what they are and call their bluff you can begin to see that your fear is really the only thing keeping you stuck.

When you challenge these thoughts, feelings and emotions you begin to learn how strong and resilient you really are. Nothing in this world will make you feel stronger than conquering your own fear.

So, give it a try, what’s the worst that could happen? you’ll have another panic attack or episode of DPDR? So what? Your now equipped with the knowledge that its truly nothing to fear.

Check out this post on these books for anxiety, panic and DPDR. I recommend all of those books but this one specifically for helping you learn to beat the fear of the fear.

_{Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.}

I’ll leave you with this:

“sometimes the fear wont go away, so you’ll have to do it afraid”

If you are suffering from anxiety and you aren’t focusing on blood sugar balance, what are you even doing?!?

Seriously, balancing your blood sugar levels and keeping it stable throughout the day could massively improve your symptoms! let me explain:

_{Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission if clicked at no extra charge to you.}

Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar can Mimic Anxiety

Yep. Low blood sugar can mimic the Symptoms of anxiety, panic and DPDR.

Gone are the days of drinking a sugar packed coffee and skipping breakfast. The girlies (and guys) in the “healing their anxiety era” are dropping caffeine and getting in plenty of water and wholesome foods in the mornings.

Ditching breakfast and running on sugar and caffeine causes a spike in blood sugar levels. This can have serious negative effects on your health, including mental health. Imbalanced blood sugar symptoms are similar to those of anxiety.

Symptoms of low/imbalanced blood sugar:

1. shakiness
2. brain fog
3. racing heart
4. fatigue
5. headache
6. nausea
7. difficulty concentrating
8. panic

See how it could be hard to tell the difference between low/imbalanced blood sugar and anxiety?

When I started focusing on keeping my blood sugar balanced my anxiety symptoms really started to improve.

Ways to Balance Blood Sugar Levels

Consuming sugar and carbs first thing in the morning can cause a major spike in blood sugar levels, a spike is when it goes up really high. When blood sugar levels go up high, they will inevitably dip down low.

When the level dips or gets low that’s where the symptoms listed above start to come into play. In order to keep from having spikes and then dips in blood sugar, it’s crucial to eat in a way that balances blood sugar levels.

Instead of spikes and dips like in Fg.1, a more balanced level looks more like a wave as in Fg.2

So how do you lose the spikes and dips and create more stable waves?

Eating smaller meals every 2-3 hours.

Eating smaller more frequent meals and or snacks creates a very steady balance with blood sugar by decreasing major spikes and crashes. Waiting to long to eat can cause a dip in levels that can create major cravings for sugar to bring the levels back up. The problem is when carbs and sugar is consumed it causes a spike in blood sugar, and dips in blood sugar usually follow these spikes.

Consuming enough, protein, fiber and healthy fats

Protein works to balance blood sugar because protein is broken down into glucose really slow, so it doesn’t cause spikes in blood sugar. It also blunts the absorption of sugar and carbs so it’s great paired with high carb/sugar foods.

Fiber doesn’t raise blood sugar levels because it is not absorbed by the body. It is found in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes and offers bulk in our diets to help us feel full, provide healthy digestion and balance blood sugar levels by curbing cravings.

Healthy fats like coconut oil, grass fed butter and olive oil help balance blood sugar levels by slowing the digestion of carbohydrates and delaying their absorption into the blood stream.

Key Takeaway

If you’re struggling with anxiety, blood sugar balance is super important to incorporate into your healing journey. The symptoms of anxiety and low blood sugar are very similar and can be hard to tell apart. You can easily achieve a balanced blood sugar by eating smaller more frequent meals every 2-3 hours and incorporating plenty of protein, fiber and healthy fats into your diet!

Balancing my blood sugar was and still is a major contributing factor to my recovery from anxiety, panic and DPDR.

I wish you healing my friend.

_{Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.}

Related Content

Magnesium deficiency and Anxiety: 4 Reasons your Body Needs It – SoulMedicinals

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anxiety: What You Need to Know. – SoulMedicinals

Yoga for Anxiety: 6 poses to try today – SoulMedicinals