As college students and young adults moving into the fast paced world of work, high stress levels and bouts of anxiety are nothing new to most of us.
As someone who suffers from anxiety myself, I know just how miserable and mentally exhausting these moments can be. You’re stressed, your peace of mind is shot, and you are most definitely on the brink of a full blown anxiety attack… I get it. The physical symptoms we experience due to stress and anxiety are no joke either. Heart palpitations, chest pains, nausea, and dizziness are all very familiar to sufferers. Don’t count yourself out if you don’t suffer from a diagnosed anxiety disorder either because high levels of prolonged stress can cause these symptoms too. Not to mention, in the midst of an anxiety attack, do yourself a favor and never look these symptoms up on Google. Within seconds you’ll come to the conclusion you have some life threatening disease but please, relax. Yes, anxiety attacks can become intense and you probably feel like you’re dying, but I promise it is nothing more than rising cortisol levels.
Going through these attacks myself has motivated me to find natural methods to calm myself, my mind and my body during these horrid moments. I’m not here to tell you that any product can completely cure these feelings and symptoms. As we know, mental health is a serious health concern. A lot of individuals have signs and symptoms that must be treated more seriously. If you experience symptoms that you know you can’t control yourself, you are not alone… ask for help and don’t you dare feel badly about it. As for others with more mild symptoms and very sporadic attacks, you may be able to help yourself through natural methods. I don’t deal with anxiety on a daily basis or on a level in which I don’t feel as though I can’t work to fix it myself, although I have had times where I doubted this. Personally, I deal with bouts of anxiety at very random times, sometimes for no reason and other times it is clearly induced by stress from school or other things going on. My cortisol levels rise and next thing I know my mind has gone into a state of constant worry and panic.
If you’re not familiar with cortisol or what function it plays in our body, I will give you some insight. Cortisol is a stress hormone and when we let these levels get too high, our bodies respond negatively by going into a plight of fear and panic. When these hormones are released at high levels for too long it can be extremely hard to get them down, especially once the physical symptoms kick in. Like I said before, I don’t know of any magical supplement that cures high stress and anxiety for anyone and everyone instantly, but I have found something that calms me in the midst of rising cortisol levels. If you’re looking to try a more natural approach, keep reading.
Four months ago I was going through a really difficult, stressful time and was ready to try just about anything to relieve my mind and my body. I started looking for natural supplements like vitamins that could help balance and control the hormone levels that were causing me to feel the way I was. By looking through blogs and reviews online, I came across OLLY Goodbye Stress vitamins, not to mention the cute and aesthetically pleasing Instagram page had me headed to Target fifteen minutes later to make the purchase. Truthfully though, it wasn’t just the cute Instagram feed that got me to make the purchase. I went to OLLY’s website to do some research on the vitamins and the all-natural ingredients really stuck out to me. The brand uses these three main ingredients to target our hormones directly causing the problem.
GABA: A neurotransmitter associated with calming of the brain. Relaxation properties that are present in the neurotransmitter can help keep our mood balanced and turn the worrisome thoughts off. OLLY says this ingredient is fast acting and can work within 30-60 minutes of taking the vitamin.
L-Theanine: This is actually a very popular ingredient found in green tea, so for all the tea drinkers reading this, keep drinking! It is a naturally occurring amino acid that stimulates the production of GABA, these two are an amazing pair.
Lemon Balm: A perennial herb that contains rosmarinic acid, believed to treat cease stress for centuries.
The Results: I’ve been taking these vitamins for months now. From the second I feel that first initial feeling of anxiety creeping in, I pop two of these vitamins a day and I’m telling you almost instantly I feel more calm and my mind is at peace. Whether you’re stressed about your Spanish midterm in the next week or you’re on the verge of a full blown anxiety attack, try these out along with some rest and find your way back to yourself. If you find going the natural route through supplements and vitamins does not work for you, don’t feel bad. Schedule an appointment with your primary doctor and they can find a better route for you. These times don’t have to last forever friends, stay calm.Â
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