
Anxiety used to be a thing that happened to other people. But then a few years ago, it started happening to me. Monthly. I had no tools in my tool belt to deal with it. I was a stranger in a foreign land, looking for intelligible signposts. It turns out, anxiety can be a monthly symptom of perimenopause, the 2-8 year phase in a woman’s life when her body’s hormonal levels shift. I didn’t want to think I was in perimenopause, but let’s face it. I’m in my late 40s. I am the age that I am!
So what am I to do? How am I to handle my cyclical anxiety when I’ve never had it before? Being the geek that I am, I did research! Below, you’ll find a list of the 5 types of therapy that can be useful for dealing with it, along with a handful of supplements I affectionately refer to as “My Anti-Anxiety Cocktail.”
The Most Useful Types of Therapy
One of the most pervasive problems in modern society, anxiety disorders affect millions of people worldwide. In many cases, the issue has a profound impact on the sufferer’s life.
The question is, what can be done about it? These disorders are often treated with a combination of medication and therapy, and this article will focus on the latter. Below, you’ll learn about five of the most effective therapies for releasing your mind from the grasp of anxiety.
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT for short) is widely considered one of the most effective treatments for anxiety. During your CBT treatment, a therapist works to identify the patterns of thinking you exhibit, how those patterns influence your behavior, and how the two closely intersect to exacerbate the problem you’re facing.
It helps you gain a more thorough understanding of where your anxiety comes from, and most importantly, the behaviors you’re currently engaging in that make it worse.
Over time, the thinking patterns and behaviors are restructured into something much more conducive to a happier state of being. CBT is something of an umbrella term encompassing many smaller types of therapy, whether it be those to treat OCD, social anxiety, panic disorder, and more.
2. Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Internal Family Systems is an interesting type of therapy that works by viewing the mind as several parts, each with their own role to play so far as how the individual is experiencing their anxious state.
IFS therapy was originally developed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, who believed that all humans experience an innate sense of ‘Self’ at the center of their being, and that this Self – if honed – has the capacity to venture into the other component areas of the mind to initiate deep healing.
It seeks to delve into past trauma and the knock-on effects – how previous events in your life may be responsible for a large amount of the anxiety you feel today. The main aim is to provide a compassion-focused framework for building you back up when you’re at your lowest.
3. Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is very much what it sounds like – the practice of intentionally exposing yourself to the source of the anxiety in order to build habituation to it so that it’s no longer stressful.
This type of therapy is frequently used for those who have specific phobias and people going through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); the exposures are slowly built up over time from within a controlled environment, with your anxiety around a given topic subsiding as you become more accustomed.
Exposure therapy isn’t to be confused with Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, which is a type of therapy used to treat the compulsive behaviors associated with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
4. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a type of therapy that has the ancient practices of mindfulness and meditation at its core. MBSR works by gradually teaching you to place focus on the present moment, allowing your thoughts to pass in and out of your mind without judgment.
It’s an antidote to compulsive rumination – if you’ve ever had experience trying to ‘solve’ a problem by mulling it over for hours on end, the mindful approach of MBSR may be very beneficial for you. It’s about breaking a cycle, as rumination only fuels more rumination because your brain can always come up with more ‘what ifs’ and further problems to solve.
5. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) combines many of the techniques from both CBT and mindfulness-based therapies in order to teach you how to manage your own stress when times get tough. It’s designed to stop occasions where you feel like you’re spiraling out of control.
A DBT therapist will teach you how to experience intense emotions without immediately resorting to a response that ultimately makes your situation worse. Through combining CBT and mindfulness, you’re taught to observe the thoughts and emotions for what they are – stuff your brain does to which you have the choice whether to engage negatively or positively.
It’s all about changing the relationship you have with anxiety, as so many anxious situations are brought about not due to the anxious thoughts themselves, but the person’s reaction to them.
Of the five types of therapy, this is the one I found most accessible and useful for me. I especially enjoyed making my way through the Dialectical BehaviorTherapy Skills Workbook for Anxiety. If you’re struggling with anxiety, it can probably help you, too!
My Anti-Anxiety Cocktail of Supplements
I take a dose of these every day. And on the days of my cycle that I’m especially anxious, I take a second or even third dose. They help! When I forget to take them (or am just too lazy to do so), I can always tell.
Now, you don’t have to stick to these particular brands (or even buy from the links below). The idea is to get these nutrients into your body because most of them are depleted during stress responses, and replenishing them can go a long way to curbing anxiety. So long as you’re buying from a reputable brand you trust, you’re probably golden.
Also, you may balk at buying all of them at once. The good news is that you only ever have to buy all of them together the first time. Some of these are supplies that will last you for many months, so your actual monthly expense will be significantly lower!
And as always when we’re talking about supplements, I know it’s clear that in an ideal world where we’re all eating bountiful amounts of the most perfect biodynamic and organic foods fresh from the farm or ranch or sea, they wouldn’t be necessary. But unfortunately, in this day and age, diet can only take us so far. Supplements have become more and more of a necessity given the compromises in our lives.
So, without further ado, THE LIST:
Helps promote relaxation and a sense of calm without causing drowsiness or loss of focus. Promotes cognitive and memory functions.
2. L-Tyrosine 500mg
Amino acid that plays an important role in the production of neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. When your body is stressed it depletes this nutrient. Taking it helps us handle stress better.
3. L-Tryptophan 500 mg
L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid; therefore, it is not synthesized by the body and must be obtained from the diet. It is critical for the production of serotonin and melatonin, which help to support a positive mood, healthy sleep patterns, and proper immune system function. While some people recommend taking 5-HTP in L-Tryptophan’s place because it’s faster-working, I’ve read that it’s not as good for regular, long-term use because it can out-compete some of the other nutrients in our brain and actually make us more depressed or anxious if we take it every day.
4. L-Phenylalanine 500 mg
Readily converted into the amino acid tyrosine, forming part of the structure of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, making it important for the maintenance of a healthy nervous system. Works in synthesis with the other supplements.
5. GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) 500 mg + B-6
GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is a non-essential amino acid found mainly in the human brain and eyes. It is considered an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which means it regulates brain and nerve cell activity by inhibiting the number of neurons firing in the brain. GABA is referred to as the “brain’s natural calming agent”. By inhibiting over-stimulation of the brain, GABA may help promote relaxation and ease nervous tension. Helps promote healthy vision.
6. Probiotic-10, 100 Billion, with 10 Probiotic Strains
Offers a balanced spectrum of live organisms consisting of acid-resistant probiotic bacterial strains that are known to naturally colonize the human GI tract. Probiotic bacteria are critical for healthy digestion, help maintain the integrity of the intestinal lining, support proper intestinal motility and participate in the detoxification process. Because research has shown that anxiety may be caused by the gut, I’ve included a regular probiotic as part of my anti-anxiety supplements.
7. Lithium Orotate 5mg
Promotes mental wellness and focus, promotes improved cognitive and memory function, and promotes calmness. It’s generally just a magical mood stabilization supplement.
8. 100 mg PS 100 (Phosphatidylserine)
If I only took one pill for anxiet, Phosphatidylserine (PS) would be it. It’s a natural phospholipid that is a structural component of cell membranes. It is an important phospholipid present in the brain and supports brain health. The cell membrane support makes EVERYTHING work better.
9. Vitamin D3 and K2 Drops
Liquid sunshine. Known to enhance moods.
10. NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) – 600 mg
NAC is an amino acid that is involved in replenishing levels of the intracellular antioxidant glutathione (GSH). Through lowering oxidative stress and modifying neurotransmitter networks, NAC has been shown to lessen the symptoms of anxiety.
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