Today's topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I recommend three quick ways to ease your menopause anxiety.
I've been doing these weekly blogs for some years now and one of the things I've found is that anxiety is number 2 in the top 10 list of menopause symptoms. The majority of women will experience it at some time during their menopause.
The problem with anxiety is that it is not just the anxiety itself that is troublesome, anxiety can also trigger other symptoms, making everything worse.
Along with the anxiety, women can also experience things like palpitation, nervousness, agitation, even panic attacks, and also anger. So, it's not just a case of having one symptom, but sometimes, other symptoms can make everything a lot worse.
Anxiety triggers
One thing I always recommend is try to pinpoint your anxiety triggers. There can be several things that can trigger anxiety and these other symptoms.
So, if you're suffering anxiety, then keep a little diary for a couple of weeks to see where the anxiety or these other symptoms are coming in. Note down any situations, times, and places where you start to feel anxious or when you experience the other symptoms I mentioned above.
It can be something really simple. It could be dehydration. It could be days where you're getting that little bit of extra stress. It can also be things like low blood sugar levels, missing meals. It could also be that extra cup of coffee or sugary foods, so all of these can affect your nervous system and that will then lead to anxiety and these other symptoms, too.
And very often, especially if you get these symptoms at the same time every day, that can indicate that something is triggering them.
3 things I recommend to calm menopause anxiety quickly
As well as identifying your triggers and avoiding them, there are lots of things you can do to help ease anxiety at this time, but there are 3 specific things I always recommend to help calm anxiety quickly. These are:
1. Water
Honestly, drinking water is one of the simplest things to do for anxiety and it can make a huge difference. Dehydration can have a hugely detrimental impact on your nervous system, making all of these symptoms worse. So, remember plain water, over and above your other drinks. And this can work within a couple of days to ease a lot of these symptoms.
Extra Tip: Run cold water over your wrists or splash cold water on your face, this helps bring down your heart rate, and can help make you feel calmer when you are extra anxious.
2. Herbs
Herbs can be great. A lot of them are very gentle but can work extremely well for the symptoms of anxiety. You could look at our Passiflora Complex tablets. These contain soothing herbs, including Passiflora, Valerian, and Lemon balm. And these herbs are all known to help with anxiety.
The tablets also contain magnesium, which helps support the nervous system, as well as being great for all sorts of menopause symptoms, and zinc, which is known to help with cognitive function.
If you're really busy, if you're on the go, and if you just sometimes think, "I need something on the spot," then we also have our Passiflora Complex Spray. This is a handy spray that you can keep in your bag along with you every day.
You can look at other herbs, too, such as Avena sativa. We have our licensed AvenaCalm which contains this herb and helps to relieve the symptoms of mild stress and mild anxiety. And you can look at things like a single magnesium supplement or even a vitamin B complex.
3. Deep breathing
Again, so many women come back and tell me that even after practicing deep breathing for a few days, their anxiety has lessened.
So, this is one that's going to take just a few minutes of your time daily.
You can look at the 4x4 (also known as square breathing) technique. There are several breathing exercises that can work really well. If you're not sure, then go on to YouTube and you'll find plenty. But a really good one is the 4x4.
It's really simple, just breathe in slowly for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, and so on.
And you only need to do that for a few rounds. Practice that two or three times a day until you can jump into it really quickly. And the minute you find that you're being overwhelmed with anxiety, or you can feel the palpitations or the nervousness coming on, you go straight into the deep breathing, and this can work extremely well.
Guided Box Breathing (4x4)
Here is a guided video which I found on YouTube, that can help you learn this calming breathing technique. It's so good that even soldiers are taught to use this technique in combat to help stay calm:
So, I hope you found these tips helpful. They're quick, easy, handy ones for everybody who's really got a busy lifestyle at the moment. If any of you have got other tips that have helped you with your anxiety or stress, then please share them because we would love to know.
Key points to take away from this blog:
- Try to identify your anxiety triggers to help avoid them or lessen their impact – keep a diary for a few weeks to help identify patterns
- Drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration is one of the simplest things you can do to help lessen anxiety
- There are several herbs and minerals that can help ease anxiety and support your nervous system such as Passiflora, Avena sativa and Magnesium
- Deep breathing can not only help you manage anxiety daily, it can also help to ease anxiety attacks quickly.
Until next week, take care
* Magnesium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system
** Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function and the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
