Social Anxiety. Any known and proven herbal or vitamin remedies ?

Question

I really need to cure my Social Anxiety. I really have trouble carrying out a conversation with people and I can not stand to be with any group of people. Are there any supplements vitamins herbs or anything that is proven to help with this illness other than prescription medication? I really hope there is something out there.

Answer 1

Coping With Anxiety - Stress Response
Coping with anxiety begins with an understanding of the body's stress response. The body undergoes three stages of stress. These stages are as follows:

Fight or Flight: During this stage, the body perceives threatened danger. A surge of energy overtakes the body, enabling a person to fight off the threat or flee from the danger at hand.

Resistance: This stage occurs when danger remains beyond the fight or flight period. The body secretes several hormones in order to mobilize the body during long-term stress.

Exhaustion: If the body successfully completes the first two stages, it will enter a third stage, exhaustion. This is a time when the fatigued body replenishes itself.

Coping With Anxiety - When Does Stress Become a Problem?
Coping with anxiety is a necessity in our modern fast-paced world. Busy schedules, intensified by traffic jams, money problems, and relational difficulties keep many people in chronic states of stress.

Stress becomes a problem when a person undergoes a sense of prolonged danger. During the fight or flight and resistance stages, the body produces many helpful hormones. However, excessive amounts of these same substances can cause damaging effects to the body. For instance, adrenaline helps with energy production during stressful periods. Prolonged use of adrenaline by the body, however, leads to a weakening of the heart. Cortisol and vasopressin, both released during the resistance stage, raise blood pressure and blood sugar levels and may narrow artery walls by increasing blood platelets.

During prolonged stress, the body rarely has time to replenish itself. The body remains in a cycle of fighting, fleeing, and resisting, with little or no time to rest. This affects the body's sleep cycle, only increasing the body's fatigue and decreasing full restoration.

Coping With Anxiety - Symptoms
Coping with anxiety begins with the understanding of the symptoms of excess stress. These symptoms include: exhaustion, sleep problems, tension headaches, constant worry, dark circles under the eyes, bowel disturbances, lowered immune function, irritability or angry outbursts, lack of concentration, and so on.

If you think you are experiencing the symptoms of anxiety, check with your health professional. He or she can diagnose anxiety by evaluating your medical and personal history. Dealing with anxiety is easier when you have help.

Coping With Anxiety - Steps to a Worry-free Existence
Coping with anxiety entails that a person actively engage in positive changes. There are steps that one can take to encounter safety from a worrisome world.

Coping with stress and anxiety includes the following steps:

* Laugh: Don't take your life so seriously. A sense of humor helps overcome worry by distracting the mind. Laughter may also produce endorphins, which help ease pain and offer a sense of relaxation and joy. Tell a joke, watch a comedy, and laugh when disaster strikes. You'll feel better with a smile on your face.


* Make plans: Worrying solves nothing. It cannot change situations or outcomes. The only way change comes about is through action. Instead of worrying, empower yourself by acting toward change. Worried about money? Create and implement a budget or seek professional financial counsel. Productivity creates an atmosphere of positive change that worry cannot achieve and makes overcoming anxiety possible.


* Herbs: There are several herbs one may use to help alleviate feelings of stress. Among them, Kava stands out. Kava enables the body to relax physically and mentally. Those with liver problems or Parkinson's disease should not use Kava. Adaptogenic herbs, such as the ginsengs and milk thistle are good herbs to consider. Adaptogens, or nerve tonics, help strengthen the body's resistance to stress. As always, follow the directions on the bottle and check with your doctor before beginning any herbal routine.


* Seek professional help: Having someone with whom you can discuss your worries may help lessen anxiety. A good counselor will listen attentively, enabling you to discover your underlying concerns. Together, you can create productive means of handling stress, so that you may heal emotionally and physically.

Answer 2

My suggestion would be to first determine what is causing anxiety-life stress, interpersonal troubles, housing market crash, or a physical ailment? Either way, I know from experience that chamomile tea works as a herbal remedy. Also, I would try a supplement called GABA (gammabutyric acid) available over the counter at any local drug store or pharmacy. This has a neurotransmitter calming effect. Perhaps also, if older, say over 40, melatonin supplements will help quell anxiety and give a good sleep, if taken before bedtime. But of course, exercise probably is the simplest and best remedy. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Hello! I don't know of any herbal remedies that work, but I do have some great non-med alternative. Personally I found these much more effective than meds (but that's just me):

The following simple steps should significantly reduce or eliminate your social anxiety:

1. Breathe properly! If you control your breathing, you control panic and anxiety. As soon as you notice the signs of anxiety, check your breathing: breathe in slowly through your nose pushing your tummy out (to the count of 5 or so). Breathe out slowly and for a bit longer (to the count of 7 or so) through your mouth. Do not breathe rapidly or shallowly (in the chest area). This will soon restore the balance of oxygen and you will feel a lot better.

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy! CBT is proven to be the most effective thing for panic attacks and social anxiety. It takes a bit of work, but it is super effective. (After 15 years of panic attacks, mine stopped completely). You can speak to your doctor about taking a course or you can take a course for free online at: http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/elear... It has been funded by NHS Scotland and has had great results thus far.

3. Try relaxation exercise tapes (progressive muscular relaxation). They really help if you practise often enough. This site has instructions on how to do it without the tapes (and other useful info): http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resource...

Remember practice makes perfect. I hope you feel better soon. Best of luck to you.

Answer 4

sorry to hear about your anxiety. i also suffer from that and agoraphobia. it's not pleasant.
however, there are a few herbal remedies to help you.
1. aromatherapy candles can trigger a certain part of the brain and certain scents can help certain parts.

2. Bach Flower Remedies- these have to be ordered but go onto Google and if you are curious look up the information on them

3. check out a book that i bought a little while ago called "Simple Path to Relaxation" by Anthea Courtenay. it has so many suggestions on how to help anxiety. i have found it to be very helpful.

i hope this helps you! good luck! i know how you feel so you aren't alone!

Answer 5

You need to approach differently. This is a mental thing, not a physical thing, which means you need to seek out counseling for it. I strongly suggest you find a counselor to discuss how you are feeling and get some tools to enable you to move on to a happier life.

People have social anxieties for a reason and you need to figure out why that is with you. Once you do that, you can deal with it and move on.

Answer 6

Anxiety: Natural Cures

Diet: Assess your diet to reduce excessive consumption of stressor foods such as refined sugars, honey, maple syrup, or cow`s milk products. Consume vegetable soups, broths, and a wide variety of green and yellow vegetables. Add more complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts.

Flower Essences: Flower essences can prove very helpful in managing and helping to eliminate anxiety. Use Aspen for apprehension, foreboding, and fear of unknown origin while Mimulus is for fear of known things, shyness, and timidity. Red chestnut is used for excessive anxiety and over caring for others. Rescue Remedy® (combination formula) is for general stress from anxiety, and Rock Rose is helpful for coping with terror and panic from known fear.

Herbs: Panax ginseng has a tonic effect on the adrenal glands, improving blood flow to the brain and reducing the stress associated with mental/emotional issues. Valerian root, an herbal tranquilizer and muscle relaxant, is another good agent for calming the nervous system. It helps balance mood swings and is not habit forming. Valerian-hops combination formulas are good daytime sedatives because they don`t interfere with reflex actions. Passionflower is another mild sedative that helps reduce anxiety, high blood pressure, nervous tension, and muscle tension, and encourages deep, restful sleep. St. John's wort, a highly popular remedy for depression, has proven effective for anxiety and mood swings as well.

Homeopathy: Aconite, Actaea rac., Drosera, Calc carb., and Sulfur are all useful homeopathic remedies for dealing with anxiety.

Hypnotherapy: Self-hypnosis helps to impart to the mind imagery designed to bring about deep levels of relaxation.

Meditation: Develops the mind`s ability to stop anxiety at its source.

Nutritional Supplementation: The following supplements have all been shown to help reduce feelings of anxiety by calming the nervous system: calcium, magnesium, vitamin B complex, 5-HTP, pantothenic acid, and adrenal and kidney glandulars. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), an amino acid, can also affect mood by increasing levels of the brain neurotransmitter serotonin (a mood regulator).


Hope that helps!

Answer 7

i have social anxiety. what you have to do is get into a social class, and they will teach you tips. if that dosent work, go to your doctor and talk to him about your situation