Anxiety, depression, insomnia, stress, and nervous disorders are running rampant in our country. 40 million people in the US will experience anxiety however, only 4 million will receive treatment. A staggering 65% of Americans are on prescription drugs and out of that number, 43% take medication for depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
In this 3 part series my goal is
• Part 1: to help you have a basic understanding of the nervous system and why yours may not be working correctly,
• Part 2: simple steps you can do to decrease anxiety by utilizing diet and exercise along with relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and self-nurturing.
• Part 3: which herbs can support you and your nervous system.
To best understand why this is happening, we need to understand how the nervous system works and what we can do to help ourselves.
Human bodies work in a similar way to automobiles. When we take good care of our cars by putting in the best fuel, changing the oil, and keeping the filters clean we understand that by keeping up with maintenance, the car will continue to work at its best for a very long time.
The same holds true for human bodies. When we use the best fuel, such as nourishing diet, change our oil, by doing cleanses, and keep our filters clean (kidneys, liver, lungs) that by keeping up with maintenance of ourselves, we too can work at our best for a very long time.
When it comes to the nervous system it is much like the computer programs in our cars. When the circuits become crossed everything goes haywire. Stress is any condition within the body that threatens homeostasis (the body’s ability to maintain a stable state of healthy function). Overworking, lack of sleep, not enough exercise, less than healthy diets, tragedies, births, lack of time and money can put long term stress on our nervous system, causing the circuits to become crossed sending the wrong signals and those signals can be anxiety, depression and insomnia. Fight or flight is our body’s primitive way of reacting to stress. When we are put into a situation that is frightening (like seeing a car accident) fight or flight kicks in, when the threat is gone a working nervous system will go back to normal, but when the system is overworked and not nourished our nervous system will send out a fight or flight response when it may not be needed, and this is what can lead to anxiety in non-threatening situations, resulting in depression and insomnia.
As I mentioned before this will be a 3 part series, you now have a simple understanding of how the nervous system works and why it may not be working correctly. The next part of my series will talk about easy steps on how to improve diet and exercise without having to join a gym or throw away everything in your refrigerator; how meditation, yoga, diet, nutrition and taking a few moments for yourself will help to nourish and support your nervous system to get it working more efficiently. And ultimately, how you can feel less anxious, less depressed, and more rested.
I am currently a student of Western Herbalism at SWIHA in Tempe Az.
To Date I have received a Certification of Completion in:
• Seed Sowing
• Germination
• Growth and Evolution
• Manufacturing and Remedy Production
• Herbal Flowers
• Foundations of American Herbal Studies
• Flower Essence
• Completed classes in:
• Botany
• Holistic Health Nutrition
• Physiology
• Pathology
• Public Speaking
• Life Coaching
