see you, summer.

I’ve been realizing lately how prevalent it is that people are talking about mental health and specifically how anxiety is controlling a lot of people’s lives. Why is it now that people are starting to talk about anxiety? It’s as if only now, in a world with such excess amounts of social media taking over, we’re finally hearing about the numerous people who are struggling with it. It’s a startling matter but also incredibly empowering that so many people are supportive and aware of these struggles that people are going through, no matter how they come about.

It’s got me thinking about the ways we can holistically aid and support this type of emotional wellbeing. I, personally, have dealt very intensely with situational anxiety....



It would typically manifest with a morning of tightness in my chest and feelings of numbness. It would then progress into full blown panic attacks. I do not believe this is something I have been stuck with for the rest of my life, because I firmly believe that these were all situational. But at the time, it did not feel as so. They felt completely out of the blue and I was even more panicked as to where they were coming from.

None of these type of physical reactions are ideal, but if you’ve dealt with this your whole life and it’s not situational, there are a few things that you can do to support your body’s nervous system in these areas!

Under the same umbrella, even when winter comes around, I almost always become a victim of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and my winter routine for supplements always starts with a daily dose of vitamin D to kick it.

In the summer, of course, we almost never have the need for supplementation when we have the giver and breather of D itself up in the sky (depending on how often we are actually outside). Do you know how happy you feel in summer time? It’s contagious, but it’s also not just by chance.

There are receptors in our brain that are for vitamin D, which means that it is somehow affecting our brain and it’s function. Some studies have shown that vitamin D affects the amount of chemicals like serotonin, and how they function in those noggin’s of ours. Because serotonin boosts our mood, this would lead to believe that vitamin D has a great impact on things like anxiety, depression, etc. It has on numerous occasions been proved that when people were found taking vitamin D in large amounts, it improved the symptoms of depression.

Vitamin D. I take anywhere from 4000-8000 IU a day and pump up my dosage when I’m sick.

Cutting down your sugar and caffeine intake whenever you have anxiety is also key. These things will only aggravate your cortisol levels further, adding to stress, thus creating more potential for greater anxiety.

Getting into nature and fresh air is something else that is key, especially for someone like me whose grown up in it. If you have the means, getting out of your current situation, whether it be a few days or a few hours, it will improve your mental health and state of mind.

Not skipping meals is something I have to be extra careful about whilst in a stressful state of mind. As someone who struggles with hypoglycaemia, I have to keep my metabolism burning (feeding wood to the fire is my metaphor) and keep my blood sugar in balance to help control these kind of anxiety attacks. I do this by having more frequent small meals throughout the day! Blood sugar highs and lows are directly related to irritation, mood swings, and more.

I’m fairly obsessed with lavender and the smell, but every night, I use Saje Wellness’ Lavender Relaxing Mist and it really works. I have never had a problem with falling asleep, but I feel myself relax as I spray/inhale. Lavender is a calming herb that acts as a natural stress reliever.

Magnesium Glycinate. (This form is the most easily absorbed). Magnesium has been shown to improve anxiety in studies because of millions being deficient as a result of this mineral being void in a lot of our diets. Magnesium helps keep blood pressure and heart rhythm steady, as well as aiding with stress because the body uses it for relaxation for our muscles. It is key for our nervous systems because it’s used for over three hundred metabolic functions and assists in nerve health.