Chatting about Anxiety

What a year this week has been. How about you grab a cup of tea, coffee, glass of wine, and let’s chat about anxiety.

The first thing I want to say is there is, no right or wrong way to deal with anxiety, as long as you are dealing with it. Whether that’s through meditation, counseling, yoga, prescription medications, herbal products or a combination of all of these!

I’ve shared before that I have complex PTSD and anxiety that feels beyond my own control, due to a rough first marriage. I’ve also shared how I go through nightmare stages where I don’t sleep much, well actually at all until my body just sort of shuts down. I’m less able to deal with minor triggers and that’s what happened this past Wednesday.

After a few weeks of crazy triggers and then the beginning of the “nightmare/no sleep stage”, my body had had enough. On my drive home from the shop on Wednesday I had a whopper of a panic attack. Shaking, shortness of breath, sweating, hard time swallowing, and raw fear. When it hit I was driving past a union clinic that my husband is a part of. I did a U-turn, forced myself into the elevator, walked in the office and just stood there shaking. I told the young lady behind the desk that I didn’t have an appointment and was wondering if I could see a doctor because I was having a really bad panic attack and was having a hard time getting it under control. Although this wasn’t a walk-in clinic, I was taken back immediately and was able to sit with an AMAZING doctor who listened, helped me to manage my anxiety and had me get a hold of Jeff so he could take me home. I also left with a prescription to help me sleep.

I feel it’s SO important to share this because as an herbalist and someone who believes in natural healing (and the fact that sleeping meds are a HUGE trigger, but that’s another tea talk) I’m also a firm believer that there is always a time and place for western medicine, even if it’s just for a short time. I haven’t had a good night's sleep in years. YEARS. Wednesday night I slept almost 10 hours and another 8 on Thursday night. I was able to focus better and was able to help myself herbally through anxiety issues.

I’m working, and yes it’s work, I'm coming up with new tools to make sure that I’m getting more than 6 hours of sleep a night. Without sleep we don’t function at our best, right? We are unfocused, tired, our tempers are a little short (not that I know ANYTHING about that ), drinking more coffee, not eating the best, the list goes on.

I want to stress to you, Blessed Ones, that there should NEVER be any shame in getting help or having to take prescription medications to help with your mental health. I love being able to help with our natural products and use them myself to help get through anxiety issues. But it’s so incredibly important that we listen to our bodies and know when we need to reach out for help to get us back on track emotionally and physically.

I share my journey with you because I want you to know that I know what you’re going through. I want you to know that our doors are always open and a safe place for you to talk, cry, get a hug, a cup of tea, to talk about herbal options and if needed a loving, gentle nudge to get you to a doctor who can help you on the road to healing. There is never judgment, just a desire to help you feel your best physically, mentally and spiritually no matter the route you have to take to get there. Praying you have a peaceful evening, a good night's sleep and know that our doors are always open to you.

All my love, Blessed Ones Susie