Tagged: Fear

My story: Anxiety

“I had heard people talk about feeling anxious and thought it sounded a bit feeble, as though they were being weak”

Then, I found myself in a situation where my adrenaline was surging as though I were about to be run over by a car, that instant, all day and every day for months. This was a lot more than being a ‘bit worried’ about something.

I couldn’t understand what was happening to me. I couldn’t understand why this thing had landed upon me. I had no idea what to do about it. And, this was with a BSc (Hons) degree in herbal medicine! I felt utterly under the control of this physiological happening and it was terrifying.

I lost a ton of weight as food looked like mud, tasted worse and the smell of it triggered nausea in me. I feared that I had broken part of my body’s functioning. It was desparate. I was desparate. And, nothing I did, or tried to get help with, helped me in any way. The first time, I am not sure how it went away but, eventually, it did and I became me again.

Recently, I have had a 5-day spell of the same feelings. I felt horrified when it kicked off, remembering that it went on for months. I had knots in my stomach, my scalp was prickling and cold, my body was gripped with vice-like tension and my stomach lurched at every thought which was anything other than as benign as ‘I’ll go and wash my hands’. My guts were gurgling. Food threatened to come back up. Anything smelly made me want to vomit. My stomach felt like it was in my mouth all the time and the area of my chest around my heart chakra was prickly and it felt prickly down my arm too.

Being a well-resourced person, I upped my Magnesium dosages which felt good. I had a shiatsu appointment to clear some of the energy and tension. I made up a Bach Flower Remedies combination which was very holding and supportive. I put together herbs to calm my nervous system, nourish my adrenal glands and bring me a sense of being loved. They all helped massively and got me through the day, enabled me to function. BUT, I was still in the grip of this frequently surging adrenaline-anxiety and its symptoms. I could bring them down but not ‘get rid of them’. I couldn’t seem to stop them being triggered. I couldn’t find a place of personal safety which allowed my body to stand down. To stop preparing me to fight or flee for my life. And, I was exhausted. It is exhausting feeling as though you are constantly in peril.

So, what did I do? I used EFT-tapping. I worked with a colleague and we tapped together on the feelings in my body, the things I thought might be at the root of it.

And, we got there! I had that moment of clear revelation when you know you’ve hit the nail on the head. It took one hour. Just one hour. It’s not always that quick but sometimes, it really is.

I won’t go into the deeper details but suffice to say, it was linked to an event in my past which was so powerful that it made me feel incapable of making decisions for myself. That I needed approval for everything to be sure of not getting it wrong and that this single episode in my past had such a grip on my subconscious that it had the power to leave me a quivering mess. And, I really felt a mess. Such an incomprehensibly out of control mess.

The beauty of EFT-tapping is that alongside finding this very core event (which triggered the unconscious belief that I was not capable of making good/right decisions for myself), I could tap on the feelings, the sensations in my body and release them. Some things didn’t go right away and the day after I was left with some residual bodily sensations. But, most importantly, when I awoke, I wasn’t frightened, I wasn’t cowed, I felt elated. I felt that sense of freedom that comes when you are unshackled from an invisible weight which has held you down for decades. Held me down.

I love how powerful EFT-tapping is.

If you would like to work on the things which are holding you down, keeping your body in a stuck place, get in touch.

Fear in times of uncertainty

It’s one of the hardest things to manage. Fear. When we don’t know what’s around the corner or even where the next corner is going to be.

We are living times of previously unthought of difficulty. You may have lost people you love, your business may look rocky or you’re on your own at home, you may be nursing the sick and be frightened for the welfare of your loved ones.

Human beings are resourceful and I truly believe we will find our way through this. Right now, though, it gives us time to reflect and be with ourselves – perhaps a little too much.

During times of challenge, the Bach Flower Remedies can be a source of great comfort and relief. I studied them in 2003 and have used them myself and for my patients for years. Most recently I have found that subtle action to be very powerful. Issues which have been affecting my daily relationships and general wellbeing are just melting away.

Some of the remedies I expect to turn to right now are:

  • Walnut – for change
  • Honeysuckle – for relinquishing our hold on the past
  • Mimulus – for fear of known things
  • Apsen – for fear of the unknown
  • Elm – for feeling overwhelmed
  • Star of Bethlehem – for shock
  • Mustard – for feelings of gloom
  • Gentian – for feelings of despondency

And others which might be around loneliness and feelings of isolation.

If you feel that any of these and/or other emotions are troubling you right now, I am offering short consultations and a remedy to be posted out to you.

Ordinarily, I charge £65 for an hour and the remedies are £5. To bring relief to my community, I am offering a consultation for 20mins online via Zoom and the charge (including the remedy and the postage) is £25.

Email me to sign up: HertsHerbalist@hotmail.com

If you are self-employed/unemployed and struggling then I will give you my time for a donation and charge £8 for the remedy and postage.

The remedy will last for around a month.

Dr Bach felt that combining up to 7 different remedies in one mix was optimum. This means we can address 7 different areas of concern. Have a think about your primary concerns right now. We will work it out together but you might also like to have a look for yourself. I suggest this resource: https://www.healingherbs.co.uk/choosing-and-using/essence-selector/

What is entirely unique about the way I work with the remedies is that I often make the remedies up in Rose water or Orange blossom water. I use these other flowers as they bring an extra comfort to the remedy. The aromatic waters are very high quality remedies from the Avicenna, the herbal supplier known to produce the best aromatics. The rose water is like being surrounded by pure, fragrant rose petals. It’s glorious!

Sign up for this great offer by sending an email to: HertsHerbalist@hotmail.com and include a phone number that I can contact you on.

I look foward to helping support you through this.

With love,

Lucy, your local herbalist