Anxiety symptoms are symptoms of stress caused by anxiety (worry, fearful thinking). Any method used to reduce stress helps the body to calm down and become less symptomatic. The less stimulated the body is, the less symptomatic it will be.

While herbal remedies aren't going to address the underlying factors associated with anxiety, they may help to buffer your body from the negative effects of anxiety-caused stress.

How helpful are herbal remedies?

In a poll we recently conducted, participants indicated:

Of those who tried herbal remedies:

• 31.4 % said they experienced no difference
  
• 60 % said they experienced little to great benefit
  
• 1 % said they experienced complete relief
  
• 7.6 % said they made things worse

NOTE: Some herbal remedies may cause great harm if combined with prescription or over-the-counter medications. ALL medications (prescription and over-the-counter) and supplements (herbal, naturopathic, vitamin, mineral) should be discussed with your doctor before use.

Since each person is different, what may work for one person may not for another. We encourage you to use caution and discernment when trying anxiety treatment options.

Ever since my anxiety has elevated, I'm finding it more difficult to deal with everyday life. Can anxiety make it harder to deal with the stresses associated with everyday life?

Yes. Many people find that when their stress (including anxiety-caused stress) is higher than normal, they have a more difficult time dealing with everyday life.

There are a lot of reasons for this. One reason is that an overstimulated body is more sensitive than normal. Therefore, the stimuli we are exposed to have more impact.

There are other reasons for this as well (the Symptoms section in the members area has a more detailed explanation about this symptom). Nevertheless, accepting the increase in sensitivity (without becoming too distressed about how you feel) and working to lower your stress can help to alleviate this symptom.

Stress, and how it negatively affects the body’s normal functioning, is the main cause of this symptom. So better managing your stress will help to reduce stress-related symptoms.

That said, while stress management can be beneficial, it provides only one piece of the overall solution. Understanding anxiety and identifying and successfully addressing the underlying factors associated with it are the most important aspects of lasting recovery.

Once you understand anxiety, and have successfully addressed the underlying factors associated with it, the body no longer experiences high levels of stress. Consequently, regaining and maintaining normal health is much easier.

Understanding anxiety, successfully addressing the underlying factors associated with anxiety, and routinely applying healthy stress management strategies are the keys to lasting normal health. Anything other than this combination only produces superficial or temporary results, if any.

Yes, doing this work requires more effort initially. But once it’s done, it’s done. The goal of recovery is LASTING normal health. Lasting normal health is only attained by doing the right work. There are no shortcuts.