Anxiety is one of those kinds of things that is hard to define and hard to pinpoint the cause of, but nevertheless it is something which can seriously affect your life. Here I talk about some of the natural remedies for anxiety.

Probably the king of natural herbal remedies is St. John’s Wort. It is a safe herbal remedy which can be purchased over the counter in many countries. It comes from the Hypericum Perforatum plant — a yellow-flowering herb which grows wildly in many meadows throughout the world.

St. John’s Wort is a very popular remedy, and is know as the “happiness herb”. Many people find that it greatly improves their mood, calms them down, and even improves their sleep and dreaming. It also has very few side effects, and many people even report having no side-effects at all.

Another herb worth considering is Valerian. Its plant name is Valeriana officinalis, which has pink sweet-smelling flowers and grows in the northern hemisphere from June to September. It is often referred to as nature’s valium, because it acts in a similar way but without the same side-effects.

Another natural approach you can take is Yoga. Yoga gently stretches, exercises and tones the body whilst simultaneously calming the mind. When you do yoga poses, you move into them slowly, in time with your breathing, and hold them for a certain number breaths. Many people find this to be the most calming form of exercise available. Consider joining a local yoga class, or purchasing one of the many instructional DVD’s or books available.

Controlling panic attacks is high on the priority list of anyone who suffers from these devastating episodes.? Quite often, people resort to drugs looking for the immediate, even though temporary, relief from the traumatic symptoms they endure.? Not only do the drugs only provide temporary relief, they can conceivably have other negative side effects which need to be considered.

Another method that people employ in controlling?anxiety is hypnosis. Unfortunately, hypnosis is known to have very little effect on most?anxiety sufferers. Merely giving suggestions to the human psyche has proven to be totally inadequate for this purpose.

Another common method of controlling panic attacks that people experiment with is therapeutic counseling. This method is long in duration because it requires people to uncover and analyze their emotional past and present in order to deal with the attacks. Because this is time consuming, it wears down the person looking for quick, lasting relief from?panic and anxiety attacks.

There is no doubt that the symptoms accompanying?these attacks are devastating, and once experienced become an ongoing source of anxiety. The mere thought of the situation originally experienced, the memories of helpless, hopeless feelings and terror, can bring on another?attack.? And the cycle continues.

The main cause of panic attacks is intense anxiety.?Most attacks can start with the mere anticipation of threat or danger, whether real or imagined. As the attack comes on, it manifests itself through bodily responses such as dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations and shortness of breath. In controlling panic attacks the root cause must be given attention instead of the symptoms. When root causes are satisfactorily dealt with, the symptoms will disappear.

A lot of people have high expectations for themselves and when we fall short, as we are all bound to do, we beat ourselves up about it and are extra hard on ourselves.

Our world is full of overachievers and that can be good but it can also exact a tremendous toll on our mental health. No one is perfect, no one can do everything and no one can please everyone.

These are nice goals but impossible to achieve and if you believe they can be achieved that mistaken belief is contributing to your anxiety. Success is not everything and many of us need to remind ourselves of that.

Many overachievers also have trouble with the word no. In an effort to please everyone and do everything, they don t say no to unreasonable demands or impossible timetables to complete assignments. They simply say yes and work themselves to the bone to try to keep their word.

They become exhausted, stressed and under enormous strain and when they fail to meet their bosses expectations and he or she is disappointed, they are crushed, mortified and in abject despair. Does any of this sound familiar

This type of situation can lead to social phobia, where you have problems dealing with crowds, authority figures and social interactions. This phobia also has the ability to easily snowball to the point where you are avoiding any type of crowded place, even the grocery store because it sparks panic or anxiety.

Our society is so goal and achievement oriented that too many of us get lost or trampled by the climb to the top. If you feel like you are responsible for everyone around you, if you have to take care of everything, if you have to do everything, then it s time to take a breath.

Slow down, set boundaries for yourself, have others set realistic demands for your performance and stop saying yes to everyone and start taking care of yourself. It will help to come up with some affirming or positive thoughts as you work through the day encountering these stress provoking situations.

Here are some examples of affirming or positive statements that you can use throughout the day. They help you with self esteem, interpersonal interactions and your own harsh critiques.

It s important to create your own statements as well, depending on your particular circumstances.

1. I am beautiful and capable

2. I have accomplished a lot today

3. I can say no and people will still like me

4. I can manage my workload

5. I work hard and get things done

These are encouraging statements that help your inner self feel more self assured, more nurtured and more in control. These are just generic statements; you can craft your own statements so they specifically address your needs.

Simply repeating these statements whenever you feel an uncomfortable surge of adrenalin coming on will help you temper your anxiety.

Anxiety and panic attacks are just reactions to uncomfortable stimuli. Reduce the discomfort and ease your mind and live your life unaffected by your anxiety.