HERBS for STRESS & ANXIETY : How to Make and Use Herbal Remedies to Strengthen the Nervous System by Rosemary Gladstar

STRESS & ANXIETY

Do you recall the last time you felt really peaceful? When you felt truly, profoundly calm and content? When you woke up smiling and the world smiled back? Can you say that you have ample time for social events, get everything done in a day that you wanted to, and feel like your “to do” list is under control? Do you sleep deeply and soundly, so that waking up is a joy, not a chore?

If you’re like most of us, these feelings are pleasant but fleeting experiences — or even distant memories. Far too many of us live in a state of recurrent or chronic stress and anxiety. We’re overscheduled with work and family obligations, oversaturated with information, overwhelmed with social and personal expectations — in short, overloaded. The natural response to that overload is stress and anxiety. And for many of us, chronic stress and anxiety lead down a precipitous path to depletion, chronic fatigue, illness, and depression.

Stress can be anything from the lash of a whip to a passionate kiss.
— Hans Selye

People have always experienced stress and anxiety. These important biological responses are warning signals designed to alert us of possible danger — that “fight or flight” response so essential to survival. However, we have only to look at the staggering number of nervous system disorders in our population today to sense the magnitude of the problem of living under a constant onslaught of stress and anxiety.

Modern medicine offers a variety of treatments for the symptoms of excessive stress and anxiety, which range from depression and insomnia to muscle tension, cardiac irregularities, and gastrointestinal distress. However, it places little emphasis on the need to build a strong and resilient nervous system. It may not always be possible to make our lives or the world around us less stressful, but we can create greater peace and inner calm by changing how we respond to stress. Herbs, exercise, healthy eating habits, meditation, and cultivating healthy relationships can all fortify our nervous system and help correct any under-lying imbalances.

As gentle, effective therapies, these practices are well suited to relieving the symptoms of stress and anxiety and building a more resilient, adaptable nervous system. And when a serious, chronic disorder necessitates pharmaceutical intervention, these natural therapies can play an important adjunct role in helping restore balance and harmony.

This book outlines the simple steps I’ve found to be helpful in relieving stress not only in my own life, but in the lives of hundreds of other people as well. Stress is a fact of life, neither good nor bad; it’s how we respond to it that matters. And how we respond to stress is vitally dependent on the health and resiliency of our nervous system. Greater joy is the goal!

Contents

Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction

• Chapter One: Understanding the Nervous System
• Chapter Two: Natural Remedies for Stress and Anxiety
• Chapter Three: Strengthening the Nervous System
• Chapter Four: The Herbal Home Medicine Chest
• Chapter Five: Making and Using Herbal Remedies

Recommended Reading
Resources
Other Storey Titles You Will Enjoy
Share Your Experience!

Language: English
Pages: 105