posted October 30, 2014 04:59 PM            

I started with an OCD nervous habit where I pull my hair out when I was in college. I've secretly suffered from it for 15 years and have gone through everything from hypnosis to behavioral therapy to try and cure it but no luck.

I'm sooooo tired of the subconscious battle and wondering if anyone has had experience like this (nervous habit) that might be able to give me some advice on how to cure myself of this issue...

It's a skeleton in my closet that I REALLY don't want to deal with anymore. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

posted October 30, 2014 11:43 PM              

I have suffered from some pretty severe anxiety in my life. I can offer you some advice that I have both been given through others, found myself, put into practice and has helped a lot.

I was told over and over again that diet was key for my depression/anxiety. Which for my body/needs (including according to my astrology chart) means eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies, separately. Don't eat fruit and veg together it causes fermentation in the stomach and acid blood. And no fruit and dairy together ever. The one exception for the fruit and veg combo is the addition of greens to fruit (ie, spinach, kale, chard, herbs, wild edibles etc), I have begun to drink this in a smoothie, about a cup of greens, a cup of unsweetened almond milk, a pear, an apple, all blended together and a banana cut up into pieces and eaten with a spoon so it doesn't go down quick makes me feel great. There are obviously tons of different green fruit (or vegetable) smoothies one can make but this is just the most delicious ones for me so far. But I also follow food and fruit combining charts as certain fruits don't go together. Also for me means no meat, and now no dairy, no refined sugar (or very little) and no bread or very little, very little beans as well. I eat roasted veg and brown rice for dinner a lot, or eat alternate grains if I want a treat like pancakes (like oat flour). It was hard to switch my diet over the years but I am noticing a massive difference and don't even crave the foods I thought would be so hard to let go of. Baby steps. A couple of great food blogs are www.wholeheartedeats.com and www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com, but be careful with the food combinations as not all these recipes follow proper food combining. Great raw and vegan desserts on these sites too so the sweet tooth can still be filled (I still have an addiction to dark organic chocolate. Oh yes and I only eat organically.) No caffeine is a must when trying to resolve anxiety issues. Caffeine is very detrimental to the body/system. No smoking and little to no alcohol as well.

Other than that there a some other simple remedies that practiced consistently over time will have noticeable effects including things as simple as, deep breathing exercises, relaxing nature walks and hikes, long hot baths (baths are great for restoring the immune system and circulation) and of course herbs and herbal teas.

Some relaxing herbs include, mint, chamomile, catnip, lavender etc. If you go to your local herb store they should have either premade relaxing tea mixes or a relaxing tea recipe. I take a tea from my herb store called tranquil tea that has: chamomile, catnip, lemon balm, linden flowers, passion flowers, wild lettuce, wood betony, and lavender. Another one has: chamomile, peppermint, red clover flowers, anise, fennel, licorice root, cinnamon, whole cloves. When making teas make sure to steep for 15-30 minutes covered (either in teapot or cover the mug) otherwise the volatile oils escape with the steam and the herbal properties are lost. Other herbs that are great for anxiety are St. John's Wort (tincture, capsules or tea), Kava Kava Root (can be found in capsules) or Skullcap (most often taken in tincture, can also be added to teas.) With Skullcap however it is not something you can take daily forever like you can with mint, chamomile, St. Johns etc, it would be more for the more severe anxiety episodes, I think can be taken for about 3 weeks but then would want to take a break or taken once or twice a week.

It's a longer process and these things have to be practiced with regularity but the results are well worth it. I personally believe the simple remedies work the best. That's the name of my favorite local herb store! Simple Remedies. People at herb stores are usually very nice and knowledgeable and will be able to offer you lots of advice if you go and talk to them.

Yoga helps a lot of people too. Swimming is better for some. Gardening is very grounding. There is something called the Bach Flower Essences that have been said to work wonders. And acupuncture can help as well.