please share your natural anxiety/stress treaments...

[MommyofHero]

ever since i have nurtured and explored and freed my spiritual self, i have noticed that i have much better control of my emotions.

recently though, i've been dealing with some familial issues, and the other day i had what i think was a mild anxiety attack. it surprised me that i allowed the stress to affect me so much.

so i ask you wonderful ladies to please share which natural anxiety treatments work the best for you. (i don't take the synthetic drug route anymore when it comes to mental health.)

any herbs that work for you? (besides marijuana, of course! )
certain exercises? massage techniques? meditation practices? music?
aromatherapy? what is your favorite fragrance?
etc.

share whatever works for you!! i could use some new ideas

[Oubliette8]

I've found several things that work for me. First, many folks swear by Rescue Remedy, which is flower essences. I used the spray for awhile. I'm a little unsure if it actually worked, but it made me feel better just to DO something that I thought would help my anxiety.

One big thing that I've found has really helped is cutting caffeine out of my diet. I never drank very much of it to begin with (only a handful of times a week) and when my therapist suggested it, I thought he was crazy. I gave it a try though, and after cutting out caffeine completely my anxiety has become much more manegable. He actually suggested cutting out caffein AND chocolate, but well, I just couldn't go without my chocolate .

I've also started taking a multivitamin. I actually take it for a different issue, but I've since learned that certain vitamin imbalances or deficiencies can contribute to anxiety, and I think it does help some.

The final thing that has helped me is hypnosis. My therapist is trained in hypnotherapy and he has made me a few personalized relaxation tapes. I listen to them when I get anxious or stressed out and they help take the edge off it so I feel I can face my day again. Before I had tapes, I used to listen to Enya to help me relax, and it had a similar effect.

I also no longer take synthetic drugs for mental health, so I'll be eager to see what else is suggested. Hope you find some suggestions that work for you. -Oubliette

[TinyFrog]

Practicing yoga helps me. More so if I go take a class but it also helps to do it on my own too.

Sometimes lavender or chamomile tea help.

[mnm4242]

I agree with what the others have suggested and I wanted to add:

Breathing

Sit down, close your eyes and just focus on breathing.