[Nature has your back: Herbs to help with anxiety, mental health, insomnia and chilling the f*ck out.]

And no I'm not going to talk about marijuana. At least not today. 

I'm a student and a teacher of herbal medicine so I thought I would share with you what I've learnt. Hopefully they can help you the same way they've helped me. It's also good practice for me in helping to get the message across. 

Firstly a little bit about why I find the world of medicinal herbs so interesting and appealing. Part of the driving force behind me coming off gaming to is reconnect with nature, to come out of a world of the artificial and back to the natural world. I believe the intelligence of nature gave us these herbs because it knew how much mankind would love to get itself into knots. We have so many allies in the natural world and today I would like to share some with you.

*WARNING* Some herbs can have really powerful effects, especially if you're an at risk group (young children, elderly, pregnancy, recovering addicts, pre-existing conditions etc.) or on any medication. If any of these apply to you always seek advice from a medical professional before taking any of these herbs. If you're in good health, 95% of people will be okay with these herbs, but as good practice for myself and others, I always give this warning. This post is just advice, not a medical diagnosis. Do not treat it as such. *WARNING* 

So I'm going to start with just 3 simple herbs - Going from the mildest to stronger. If people are interested  I can share many more but I believe it's always important to start small. I recommend just taking these in a tea when you want a good nights sleep or when your repetitive thought patterns are just a little bit too prominent. I would also advice against adding honey or sugar, as that can lead to increasing your anxiety levels rather than decreasing them.

German Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla) 

Almost everyone knows this little flower. The ancient Egyptians used to dedicate this herb to their gods. It's sold in a variety of places and is very easy to come by. It's also safe for the elderly and young children. It has a mild calming effect and is also good for relieving stomach cramps. A great cure for recovering from a bad nightmare too. When making tea of this, try to keep the steam trapped as the volatile oil (the active ingredient) is believed to escape with high temperatures. 

Lemon balm (Melissa Officinalis)

Easy to recognise with its lemony smell and square stem. This plant grows with great vigor and is very easy to cultivate, even in shady spots. Again it's commercially quite popular and is easy to find around town. A great herb to take when you're feeling overwhelmed with stress, having trouble sleeping or experiencing a general nervous disposition. It also has positive effect on digestion (there's a link between anxiety and stomach problems) and is known where I study in Canada to prove a good help for the Winter blues (seasonal affective disorder.) 

Valerian (Valeriana Officinalis)

 

Where the last two herbs are both quite mild in their sedative effects, Valerian is one of the most potent in the herb world. Think of it as a herbal sleeping pill. I've been taught that it can become addictive, so only ever take this for a maximum of 2 weeks before taking a break. The root is the most commonly used part, although the flowers do have medicinal properties too. One cup of tea is enough to make people drowsy so don't take this during a work break or anything similar, otherwise you risk falling asleep on the job. It also has powerful anti-spasmodic properties (reducing muscle spasms) so it's a great pain reliever for gut/menstrual cramps and for relieving anxiety induced tremors (something I get from time to time.) This one you can buy online or in herbal medicine shops, I doubt you would find this anywhere else. 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Any questions feel free to ask

[Mindful in Montreal]

I've started keeping a dream journal recently and it's so very interesting to see common patterns that arise. It's a pretty simple concept: Record what the dream was and what emotions were prevalent every morning when you wake up. I've noticed my dreams in the last few days are reflecting a lot of anxiety. I give workshops about herbal medicine for my passion. In my dreams there are always the wrong herbs, not enough seats etc. A general sense of being unprepared. 

Taking this deeper than the superficial level, I think my dreams are just reflecting the general anxiety of the human condition. Where am I going in life? What I am doing? Why am I doing this? Is it always this scary?

My previous behaviour would have been to worry about these dreams. Today I'm thankful for them, I welcome anxiety as a guest (but not as a permanent resident) and I'm able not to worry about worrying. Not to tie myself in knots. Just enjoy the wave.

1) I'm grateful for tools and experiences that allow to get a deeper understanding of who I am.

2) I'm grateful for some new medicinal herbs that arrived today - It's time to start a lung detox.

3) The beautiful back garden in my childhood home. 

[Documentary: FED UP]

Have you seen this? It's a very similar message but from an ozzie's point of view. You can watch the full thing on youtube.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vntLlBjOEAU

If anyone can tell how to embed a video that would be great 

[Mindful in Montreal]

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Starting to trust in myself and my own ability more and more.

2) All of these tools, shared experiences and opportunities to learn. 

3) The sun shining outside! 

[Mindful in Montreal]

Thanks everybody  

I'm feeling pretty hungover today - I'm still struggling with dopamine short circuits. I'm attempting to give up porn too which is whole other task in itself. Time to unplug

3 things I'm grateful for:

1) Being patient with myself.
2) The chance to have deep meaningful conversations with friends and family.
3) The time I'll spend planning what I'm going to grow at a friend's organic farm. This is a big part of the 'new' me 

[Mindful in Montreal]

Thanks for the hello It's nice to see some friendly people here. I've spent the day with my family so it's been pretty easy going today. 

Things I'm grateful for:

1) Food on the table (and in my belly)

2) A healthy and loving family

3) The fact that I was able to perform a deep squat yesterday (as part of a new fitness plan) which was something I previously thought un-achievable! 

[Mindful in Montreal]

Howdy everybody,

 

So this is my first daily post. I’ve not played video games in 30 days (minus one time at a friend’s house) and I know the reason I’ve joined here today is that I’ve got this far before and relapsed. I first stopped after I did a form of meditation called Vipassana, it’s 10 days long in silence with no external stimuli. Just sitting, eating, walking and meditating. It’s by  far the hardest thing I’ve done and was extremely rewarding. After my first course of this I didn’t play video games for about 6 weeks and then relapsed after a tense atmosphere with my current housemates. It soon spiraled from there and I’m sure you all know where that leads.

This time last month I started my second course with the distinct aim of using it to help me quit video games. I had the mentality ‘if I can do this I can do anything, especially quit video games.’ So far, so good. I’m on the verge of starting a new business, finding new hobbies and a true purpose in life. On the other hand I find myself watching more TV and movies than I have done before – So I know I still have a long way to go. That’s why I’m here saying hello to you lovely guys and girls. So hey! I’m excited to be here :-)

 

Much love,

Mark.

3 things I’m grateful for:

·         Opportunities to grow and develop to become who I believe I can be.

·         The light dusting of snow we had this morning

·         A supporting family