★★★★★
TLDR: Stress B-Complex that includes Zinc, Avoid stress & emotional distress like the plague(especially when the situation doesnt directly involve you), get outside in the sunlight, and welcome happiness and peace into your life every chance you get.
I beat a terrible case of anxiety without the use of pharma drugs. And by terrible, I mean absolutely terrible. I had never dealt with it before, but it hit me like a freight train out of nowhere. One night at work, I had a massive panic attack, thinking I was having a heart attack I rushed to the ER only for them to find nothing. I developed a fear of going to work as I worked alone, and I was scared to be alone. I was in constant fear that "something" (anxiety, panic attack, heart attack) was going to get me or "something" was going to happen. Constant insane tension. I had multiple panic attacks over the course of a few weeks and ended up in the ER on multiple occasions only for them to find nothing.
After a trip to my regular doctor he prescribed me some meds, which I refused for obvious reasons. However while I was there he gave me some excellent advice: "You are like chicken, be like duck." He explained that stress is like water. I was like a chicken because my "feathers" absorbed the water. And I needed to be shedding the water like the feathers of a duck. Eventually as you "absorb" water, the weight of it adds up and you will eventually begin to be crushed under the weight of it. This is when you run into anxiety and panic attacks. So, I took his advice and stopped allowing myself to take on stress that I didnt need to take on. I stopped allowing myself to get emotionally involved in other peoples problems or to be disturbed on any level. This doesnt mean I became heartless, unhelpful, or uncaring, it just means that I refused to allow things to needlessly cause me stress, especially when it wasnt my problem to begin with. If someone came to me with some drama or a problem, I didnt take it to heart and dwell on it. I would converse with them and offer my advice and condolences, etc. But thats where the problem would stop for me. As a matter of my own health, I would seek to get my mind into a place of peace and happiness as soon as possible and keep it there. Whether that was through a hobby, watching funny videos, having fun with a friend or family member, etc.
Through some research, I had read something about Zinc being crucial for helping you deal with stress. Its been a long while since I read up on it, and I'll probably butcher the recap, but something along the lines of, when you stress/worry, your body burns through your stores of Zinc, and when it runs out you get that anxious tense feeling we call anxiety. Anyways, again, full disclaimer, dont quote me on that, this was all years ago.
However, there are a lot of vitamins and minerals that contribute to dealing with stress/anxiety. Magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, copper, B vitamins.. the list goes on. I have good reason to believe in my case, Zinc made the difference.
I found a supplement, its a Stress B - Complex that includes Zinc. This for whatever reason works for me 100%. It doesnt include every vitamin or mineral that can help manage stress/anxiety, but this one works for me. I personally think the Zinc is what made a difference for me. As I was taking another B-Complex that didnt include Zinc and it didnt work.
Also, sunlight and the outdoors. In addition to the mental diet and the supplements, I found that getting myself outdoors helped a lot. Due to work, I was a night owl. I hardly every got out during the day. I made it a point to get out, take walks, go fishing, attending family get togethers and things like that.
All together my terrible run in with anxiety, lasted probably a month or less before I got a serious handle on it. In the years since, I've had it try to come back but I'm more than well enough equipped to handle it. Usually it happens during times I'm dealing with something stressful and all I need to do is step back from the stress and take my Stress B-Complex for a few days to knock it out again.
I'd give the brand of the supplement, but I dont know if giving exact brands is allowed here. I will say its usually readily available at Wal Mart. Brown bottle, with a yellow lid and label.
