3 Anxiety Reducing Tips for the Holidays or Post Election

Do you sense it? That palpable feeling of uncertainty, anger, and anxiety in the air?

I intended to share this blog post closer to the holidays, but hey, I think we might all need it now and the holidays really aren’t too far away!

If you’ve been sitting in a combination of befuddlement, anger, and anxiety over the last few days, like me, you might be getting to the point where you’re asking yourself, “what now?”

Well, I might not have the big answers for you but I do have 3 quick tips for reducing your anxiety, which will hopefully give you the tools you need to answer, “what now?”, for yourself.

Not only can lingering feelings of anger and anxiety make it hard to move forward, but they can also seep out onto others and wreak havoc within your body. Here are 3 of my favorite go-to’s to help heal mind, body, and soul during intense times of anger and anxiety.

Golden Milk Latte

Turmeric is the main ingredient in golden milk (I could write a whole post just about the health benefits of turmeric alone) but I’ll save that for another day! Studies have shown turmeric to help with inflammation, depression, and anxiety.

This recipe has quickly become my favorite anxiety soothing beverage. Bonus, it’s delicious. Move out of the way pumpkin spice!

Golden Milk Latte Recipe

• 1 tsp of golden milk powder

• 2 cups of coconut milk or your favorite milk substitute

• Honey to taste

• Heat your milk substitute on the stove, whisk in your golden milk powder, and add honeyto taste.

Gold milk powder ingredients will vary, though my favorite blends include ashwagandha root. Ashwagandha root is an adaptogenic herb that is also helpful with combating anxiety. If you’re live in Phoenix, I purchase my gold milk powder locally from Strawberry Hedgehog Soap shop (available in her store only) but you can also purchase it here.

Have turmeric at home and want your soothing beverage now? Not a problem, add 1 tsp. of turmeric to your milk substitute then blend in some cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, to taste.

Earthing: Get Grounded

Have you had a hamster wheel of thoughts and emotions cycling through your head over the last few days? It’s to be expected, anger and anxiety often come with a whirling array of constant thoughts that can be hard to silence.

Getting a big dose of grounding energy is a great way to help silence the mental chatter and may even lower your cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

There are countless ways to invite grounding energy in, but sometimes the simplest are the most healing. Have you heard of Earthing before? It’s the idea that you can be healed from the Earth and there’s actually some science behind it too. A recent study indicates that skin contact with the earth can actually lower cortisol levels.

When I was dealing with the anger and sadness of the loss of my Grandma and Father last year, I had a strong desire to lean on trees and lie on the ground. It was strange and I didn’t know why it was happening, but I went with it. After learning more about Earthing it makes sense, and now I listen to those gut instincts and get in some grounding time when I need it.

I know it might be getting cold where you are, and sometimes it’s too hot here in the desert. My second grounding go-to is an earthy essential oil, it’s not quite the same but it can help in a pinch!

Anxiety Tea Bath

The power of a bath is often overlooked but your skin is your largest organ! Can you think of a more relaxing way to get in your favorite calming herbs? With open pores from warm water, your body can soak up the healing powers of herbs quickly.

Think of this as making a giant cup of tea for your body. Many herbalists actually prefer this method for administering herbs. Here’s one of my favorite recipes from Rosemary Gladstar’s book Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.

Mix these herbs into a muslin cloth bag or a cotton cloth that you can tie a knot in one end. Tie or wrap the bag of herbs around your faucet so the running water runs through the herbs.

• 2 parts chamomile

• 2 parts lavender

• 2 parts roses

• 1 part comfrey leaf

• I love to add in some Epsom salt and essential oils to the mix for the ultimate calming bath.

Will any of these tips heal the world? Nope. I simply want to offer you some of my favorite tools when sometimes taking any action to move forward seems difficult. There is much work to be done here on this Earth plane, and I don’t want you or me to be a ball of angry anxiety as we embark on it!

Have a favorite de-stressing tip? I’d love to hear it, feel free to send me a DM!