Celeste Amenta - Homeopath
It seems to me that more and more people are suffering from anxiety and stress related illness. When I was in clinical placement it was almost every second patient.
Anxiety and stress can put a holding pattern on our lives, our self-esteem, our decision making and on our relationships. Many patients I have treated for anxiety long for a time when they felt happy, longing to be their 'old self' again. Yet few of my patients struggled to find out the core reason as to why and where that anxiety begun and/or how to deal with the triggers felt in the body and mind.
There is a 'flight or fight' mechanism that kicks in when we become anxious and it is our bodys' natural response to fear and attack and craving safety..so what if we feel on the verge of being attacked all the time?...what if we live on that edge of never quite feeling protected or safe? We become nervous, anxious, hyper-aware, hyper senstive and readying ourselves in anticipation for whatever hurt and pending doom may come next.
It is medically termed as our sympathetic nervous system (SNS). In fight or flight mode, our brain goes haywire sending messages to all parts of our body and mind preparing us to either stay and fight whatever it is that is stirring our fear or run away from it. In our modern world, we run away or fight in different ways; from hiding under the covers and not wanting to face the world, or by becoming overly busy, or even becoming aggressive and aggitated (hyped up and stressed- me some mornings getting myself and kids ready!), to wanting to cry all the time without a 'known cause', and many more individual ways we try to protect ourselves, prepare for attack or hide our fears.
Anxiety over a long period of time can cause adrenal dysfunction which can result in delpeation of energy, lack of desire and focus, digestive issues and a lack of assimilation of nutrients. I have seen this happen after divorce, (where women have come to me fatigued and gaunt), and where there has been constant conflict in the work place and bullying with children at school. This is because the adrenal glands have operated in a hightened state for so long, they become depleated and cannot distribute energy in a balanced way anymore. In such cases we lose the strength to be able to funtion, to feel positive and often when we feel phyically run down we feel at our most vulnerable.
Other physical effects can include lethargy, weight gain or weight loss, digestive and hormonal issues, respiratory conditions, heart conditions and auto immune diseases such as fibromialgia which is often linked with a traumatic experience.
Anxiety is a huge topic and can intertwine with other conditions and experiences; such as depression, anger, panic attacks and grief. As a qualified Homoeopathic clinician and counsellor, my heart felt aim is to use what I know about my area of health to assist anyone with anxiety who wants help; young, old, male or female. I'm here to help. Homoeopathy provides an alternative medicine to drugs and a deeper level of connection to the cause than some other counselling therapies. Please feel free to contact me at Warragul Wellness Centre, or book online. Your body, your life, your choice!
