Anxiety

Endometriosis & Anxiety

Anxiety is a mental health condition which causes you to feel panic, nervousness and fear. You feel worried constantly about numerous things. When you are challenged by a condition like endometriosis the stress and anxiety may increase. Studies have shown that anxiety can worsen your symptoms of endometriosis. As stated by the National Library of Medicine website: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3140813 , "The severity of anxiety symptoms correlated with the intensity of pain."

In my experience my stress and anxiety seemed to worsen the endometriosis pain and any other related symptoms. Therefore, remaining calm in a stressful situation is important for reducing the intensity of pain experienced.

Before my endometriosis diagnosis, and way before the start of endo pain or symptoms I suffered with anxiety and panic attacks. My first experience of a panic attack was when I was a teenager about 18 years old. I was stretched out on the couch in front of the television and suddenly I felt a tingling sensation in my limbs and when I tried to move I couldn`t. I was temporarily paralyzed, but weirdly, I was not stressed. Infact I was relaxed before this started. I tried to call my mother who was sitting across from me on the other couch with my sister, but my words were slurred. I began to panic and tried screaming, but all that came out was a mumble. My sister and mom immediately realized what was happening and tried to the best of their medical knowledge to assist. It passed after a few minutes, and I was perfectly normal thereafter. Years later, in my twenties, things got a whole lot worse. As you grow so does your responsibilities and therefore your stress levels too. Eventually after several panic attacks, heart palpitations and chest pains, I was diagnosed with a panic disorder.

Life, unfortunately, cannot be placed on hold and you can't run away from your stress. So, you have to find ways to cope. In my experience medications such as anti-depressants have more side effects that actually increase my anxiety, but also numb me to the rest of the world. I hated feeling that way. Feeling stressed was actually better than feeling absolutely nothing. Out of fear of what the drug may do to me in the long-run, I decide to stop taking them. I turned to natural homeopathic remedies. I found that natural tinctures such as valerian root worked almost instantly in relieving stress and panic. It was so much more effective and also wore off faster which meant no unwanted long term side effects.

These natural remedies and practices helped me so much more than my doctors did to manage my symptoms of anxiety. It is easy to tell someone to manage their stress better but, to follow that advise you need guidance and intervention which was not provided to me. All I got was a prescription. It gave me a newfound respect for homeopathy. While a still believe that there is a lot to offer with western medications, when it comes to anxiety and stress I rely mostly on these natural medications and practices:

• meditation

• breathing exercises

• valerian root tincture

Remind myself to stay present in the moment by focusing on things I see in the room or wherever I may find myself. This centers me to the ground and makes me feel like I am not floating off or spiraling out of control with stress. It distracts the mind by focusing on mundane things that do not appear threatening to me.

I am interested to know what is the best technique or medication that you use to cope with your stress/anxiety. Please comment below.

Drugwatch has released informative materials providing guidance on how to handle anxiety and the available treatment options. For more information see the resource https://www.drugwatch.com/mental-health/how-to-deal-with-anxiety/

Have a flare free day!