In a post-pandemic world, it doesn’t take a mass study to establish the rise in anxiety across the globe. From going out, to staying in, to worrying if your sense of smell will ever be the same again… life is overwhelming enough and covid has just added another layer of stress.
There are a plethora of options, advice and pills on the market to soften the unbearable sense of dread, but these options aren’t for everyone. Medicating can be a tricky route to go down and is certainly not a ‘one-size-fits-all’. Therapy can hand over coping techniques and gives the brain room to explore and discover exactly where this dread is coming from. But sometimes, no matter what, anxiety can still hit you. Whether you’re sitting on the couch enjoying a TV show or standing at a bus stop on your way to work, anxiety operates in mysterious ways and can sometimes get the better of us.
As many studies have shown, a large portion of our serotonin lives in the gut; a hormone that can massively help to alleviate anxiety. Of course, there’s the spiel of eating right and cutting out sugar but there’s also another interesting holistic tip that can help. Herbal teas. Not only does a hot cup of tea physically calm us by holding something that mimics human warmth, specific herbs can have incredible calming benefits (and it helps that none of them contain caffeine). Here are five teas to try the next time you’re feeling slightly off balance.
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Chamomile.
Certainly a classic, chamomile is well known for its sleep inducing properties. This is due to it containing the compound ‘apigenin’, which in high doses, has a sedative effect. And what better way to avoid anxiety than sleeping? Not only does this wonder-flavone reduce depression and anxiety, it also settles the stomach and reduces the risk of uncontrolled cell-growth.
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Hemp tea.
Hemp, also known as CBD, has all the calming effects of marijuana without the hallucinogenics. As well as relieving anxiety, hemp has been known to ease the symptoms of PTSD and encourages healthy sleeping patterns.
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Elderberry.
Elderberry is the lesser know tea of the three, but can soothe anxiety by promoting oxygenation to the brain, thereby reducing stress. It also supports the immune system and tackles inflammation. And on a more base level, elderberry is a fruit, so it has all those tasty nutrients you need from your five a day.