Chamomile and lavender are the most common and safest herbs to drink as tea, roll on your skin, etc. especially in combination. Other common ingredients in relaxation teas (or just by themselves in caplets, etc.) are skullcap; hops (yes, like in beer); hibiscus, for Vitamin C and taste also; poppy seed (warning, do not add to your tea if you are facing a drug test anytime soon b/c opium is made of poppies and if you drank the stuff every day, poppy seed could cause a false positive); valerian (smells like old socks, does not taste good, but will get the job done); and sometimes kava kava.
WARNING. Lots of products are in the category of “must be safe because it is a natural plant product.” I mean so is pot, but if you accidentally eat five loaded brownies, you will have the panic attack OF. YOUR. LIFE. if you are already feeling anxious. (And so is poison ivy. Et cetera) PLEASE TO FUCK look these herbs up online to check for possible interaction with any meds you may already be taking. St. John’s Wort is a natural serotonin booster, for example, and lots of people with mild depression take it for that, but it WILL fuck with the birth control pill if you take that. Few things IME are as anxiety-making as a pregnancy scare.
Several brands of tea make a combination chamomile-lavender. There are aromatherapy rollerballs of that combo and also of eucalyptus-mint. (Please don’t drink eucalyptus as a tea. Great for koalas. Poisonous to humans.) Some people swear by catnip tea, which has a pleasant minty scent and is relaxing to humans. Just please definitely spend some time with your BFF Google to learn about potential side fx and interactions. Most of the above herbs are 100% safe for a hot bath – try wrapping in cheesecloth or a coffee filter to make a huge “tea bag” if you don’t want to spend a week picking plant matter out of your drain.
Also look up the “square breathing” technique. There are fancy descriptions but basically you make yourself breathe in for four counts, hold your breath for four, exhale for four, hold for four, rinse and repeat. If you force your breath to go slowly, your heart rate also drops, is the theory, and then your internal “alarm” shuts off in a little bit.
When you feel yourself getting edgy, make yourself notice sensory things in your environment. Say to yourself, “I taste my juice. I feel my soft scarf against my face. I smell someone’s perfume. I hear a little kid laughing.” Etc. (Try not to make it a caffeine beverage right now unless you 100% need that to stay awake. It can worsen your anxiety.)
Also please know that a LOT of people are anxious right now about various things including final exams and Christmas. This is a super, super common problem to have, especially for people who just have that brain chemistry. Like me.
Do fun stuff. Color. Get some bubble gum and blow bubbles if that’s your thing. Get a mani-pedi maybe if you can afford that, or a hand or foot massage. Read whatever your comfort reading is – the stories in Winnie the Pooh books are super short and wholesome af if you just cannot handle Harry Potter that day. Watch cartoons. (Maybe skip A Charlie Brown Christmas because it’s kind of emo for a Christmas special.) Whatever your jam is. Wear soft and fluffy things. Hell, if you have a keychain plushie that’s soothing to squeeze, or just a small one you can carry in your purse, no shame in that game. Fidget spinner, whatever helps.
And know you’re not alone. Seriously PM me if you catch me on and you need someone with the same problem.
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