Anxiety is a silent struggle that can only be understood by those of us who have experienced it’s darkness. I struggled with moderate to severe anxiety in 2014 and experienced random bouts of anxiety thereafter until around 2017.
Anxiety looks and feels different for all of us. We each have our own antagonists, perceptions and experiences with anxiety so I am not here to define it for you or offer you a “cure all”.
I am here to share my experience with you about what I have learned in my journey and the things that have helped best support me in disempowering and conquering my anxiety over the years.
How it started and what it looked like
My anxiety started during a dark time in my life. I was in an unhealthy relationship where my freedom was being suppressed. I had lost parts of myself I didn’t realize I was losing. I was very much unaligned with my true self. I was living a life I wasn’t sure I wanted but I felt “trapped”. To this day, the idea of having my freedom suppressed triggers my anxiety and I am consciously aware of that.
The more conscious we become about our triggers the easier it will be to overcome our anxiety.
What did anxiety look like for me? It looked like rapid breathing, tightness in my chest, dizziness, disorientation, severe body shakes, loss of appetite, nausea and depersonalization. Depersonalization was my most severe symptom and it is the scariest, impending feeling I have ever felt. It’s a feeling of being outside of your body, with a complete loss of purpose and without any understanding of who you are.
Nobody can understand one’s private experience with anxiety and that is what makes it even harder to go through. I want to remind you that you are not alone in this. You are not sick or insane, you are human. It’s okay to feel anxiety and even more okay to not understand it. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for feeling what you feel, for having an off day, for needing support. You are okay and all will be okay too.
Secret causes & Antagonists
Over the years as I have studied health and wellness, I came across Anthony Williams, a medical medium and author of several best selling books based on holistic health and healing. Williams has shared detailed information about how heavy metals like mercury and aluminum and various toxins are at the root of our anxiety. Please do check out his blog and podcasts here or do more research on this topic. He promotes cleansing and detoxification in his books. You can find more information about his books and detoxing here.
Also mentioned by him and many other holistic health professionals are the toxins and artificial fragrances that are produced in products most of us use or are exposed to everyday:
- Colognes & Perfumes
- Detergents & Fabric Softeners
- Candles & Traditional Soaps
- Household Cleaners: Specifically BLEACH
- Pesticides & Harsh Chemicals
Why? Because these toxins and fragrances directly attack our vagus and phrenic nerves that regulate our nervous system causing anxiety and panic attacks. This is why purchasing plant based, all natural, fragrance free products is so important and is becoming more popular. You can research the science behind this reasoning and find more information.
Other Antagonists & Triggers
Other antagonist that are not to be ignored: chocolate and caffeine of any kind, even decaf because the caffeine is still present. Why? Because caffeine directly affects our nervous system and greatly increases attacks because caffeine is a neuro agonist. Caffeine from brewed coffee can evaporate in the air and go directly to our lungs and our nerves as well!
One of the most important antagonists, that are often overlooked, are preservatives, artificial flavors and colors especially for us highly sensitive humans. Think a red colored, artificial sugar filled “energy drink”. Most of us don’t want to hear this but — what we eat and drink is affecting our anxiety and panic attack risks. This is personally a huge one for me because I am highly sensitive to all of the above.
Emotional Antagonists and Triggers
There’s more. So many of our antagonists are linked to emotional hardships, traumas or memories and oftentimes we don’t understand what is triggering us.
- Heartache
- Death
- PTSD
- Trauma
- Subconscious memories
- Sudden loss of security or safety
- Violence or assault
- Overwhelming environments
- Shifts in collective energy
- Spiritual awakening
The list continues.. as these are just a few examples.
All of our personal triggers will differ based on the experiences in our life. It is up to us to be conscious and take note of when, where and why our anxiety begins so that we will be able to identify our own triggers. Take note of where you are, what has happened recently, what you have ate, drank and smelled etc
I wish i would have known then – what i know now
I have felt called to share my experiences and this information with you all because I know how much this information could have helped me while I was struggling. I was cleaning my small home with bleach, using traditional soaps and fragrances, consuming artificial flavors and colors without a second thought. I was not being conscious about my diet or my environment and my body was screaming for help.
In my darkest moments with anxiety, I found spirituality and I had experienced my very first spiritual awakening. I started practicing calming activities like meditation, reading and praying. In my new found faith I learned to surrender.
I disempowered my anxiety by befriending it
I started to become conscious of my triggers, I changed my environment and my exposure to toxins, I changed my diet 365 and I started to journal and write as a healthy outlet for my emotions. I started to move my body and I built a relationship with my body to help trust that it would support me and get me through my anxiety when I felt it. I used affirmations such as “I am safe in my body” to develop this trust during my attacks. I began to learn how to work with my anxiety and then I discovered how to conquer it, by taking my power back and disempowering it.
This is a process and it will not look the same for everyone — but we can all do our best to take small steps to work towards our goal. We can all try our best to be conscious of our triggers. We can all try our best to begin listening to our bodies and to develop trust within them. We all have to begin somewhere and starting small is better than not starting at all.
Smile, breathe, and go slowly.
Holistic Support with anxiety
The information contained on the Crescent Moon Tribe website and the resources available are for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, medical or health advice.
I’d like to share some herbal medicines and teas that have helped support me in my journey with anxiety. This is what has best supported me and may not work for everyone. Please consult your doctor before trying any new herbs or teas and check labels for known allergies prior to use.
*Click to view products
Herbs
- Lemon Balm – Soothes nerves
- Melatonin & Valerian Root – Improves sleep
- B-12 – Supports Nervous System
Teas
*Organic recommended with minimal “other” ingredients
Food
- Regular & Sweet Potatoes Plain – Soothes Vagus Nerve
- Bananas – Potassium Supports Nerves
- Spinach – High in Sodium and Trace Minerals
- Papaya – Gentle on Nerves and Antiviral
- Electrolytes – Highly depleted with stress and anxiety
*Organic and fresh recommended
Subscribe to the blog to receive next week’s newsletter
Next week on Wednesday I will be sending November’s Newsletter and I will include my TOP THREE most affective holistic remedies for anxiety not included in this blog article. I will also be sharing some positive guidance reminders, intentions and energetic information about our moon and earth.
I hope this article was able to guide and help you in some way.
Thank you for being here and for being apart of the Tribe.
With love always,
Adriona Gaia
Adriona ,as always……thank you for sharing your personal experience, honor yourself for your courage. This is so very helpful for so many people especially in the midst of covid pandemic. Its an amazing article 👏 ……Tribe members please share this the world needs this support now…thank you 😊 💓
Tammy thank you so much for your insight and your acknowledgment. You are such a beautiful and caring human and we are so blessed to have you as part of our tribe!