Anxiety & Me: A Personal Toolkit for Calming Anxiety
A Naturopath’s Life
Hello lovely! I hope you’re having an excellent start to your week.
This week I wanted to touch on a common concern that a lot of people have, including myself, anxiety.
I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety in high school, and it’s something I’ve experienced on and off over the years.
I have a love/ hate relationship with anxiety - it can be a pain but it also lets me know when I’m not feeling into my needs and living life at too fast a pace.
If you’re anything like me, you’re a little bit pervy about other people’s lives and you want to know all the details about their routines, what their days look like, and what tools they like to use during different situations. So I’m going to share a bit about my life, how I experience anxiety, and how I work with it.
Just quickly, below I’ve included some brands that I love to use as part of my toolkit - none of these are sponsored and are recommended purely based on my own experience with them.
Anxiety is always complicated - some days it’s there, sometimes it’s non-existent, somedays I know it’s around but it’s ok, other times I spiral into overwhelm, one day I might be able to tell my loved ones that I’m struggling and I can explain why, then another day there may not even be a trigger and I can’t verbalise what’s happening.
I want to start by saying that, like anything, it can be experienced in different ways, to different severities, and understanding the key ways it presents for you and the resulting patterns it triggers is key to supporting your individual needs.
Personally, anxiety for me shows in two key ways:
Increased irritability and agitation - like I’ve had too much coffee - I’ll feel shaky, my breathing will become shallow and quick, my heart rate increases, and I become extremely sensitive to my environment and surrounding noises. I find this is more situational and tends to be shorter-lived expressions of anxiety.
Withdrawing into myself, increased fatigue, insecurity, lack of confidence, and a waaaaay too busy mind - this one I find the nastier of the two because it can sneak in without my even realising it as it begins more subtly, then builds up. Here, I struggle to express how I’m feeling to those around me, and there have been a couple of occasions where my boyfriend has had to lie down with me and ask multiple times “What’s happening, what’s going on in your head” - and he’ll keep asking and pushing past the “I’m fine” responses before it’s released in a cry.
Anxiety can feel like your mind is racing ahead while your body struggles to catch up
My Coping Tools
Exercise
Exercise and movement are a massive part of my life and I adore my gym community, however, I will change the type and frequency of exercise depending on how I’m feeling. If I’m feeling more agitated then I find attending a cardio based class which includes boxing is a really great way to release any tension. If I’m feeling more fatigued and withdrawn I may stick to more weight based classes, or I may press pause and just enjoy a slow walk outside for some fresh air and sunshine.
Movement is one of the most powerful ways to calm anxiety, thanks to its direct impact on the nervous system and stress hormones. Physical activity increases endorphins—your brain’s natural mood boosters—while also reducing excess cortisol and adrenaline, which fuel anxious feelings. Exercise supports the parasympathetic nervous system (your "rest and digest" mode), helping to regulate heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension. It also improves neuroplasticity by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which enhances resilience to stress. Exercise is also a great way to create a temporary, self-induced stressor on the body, which can actually help train it over time to deal with various stressors that may otherwise be easy triggers.
You can learn more about your nervous system and how it responds to stress by reading my previous post here.
Whether it’s a gentle walk, yoga, or strength training, regular movement helps rewire the brain for calm, making anxiety feel less intense over time.
Food and Cooking
I’m a massive foody - so I try to make time every week to cook nourishing meals. When I’m anxious, I turn to more nourishing, homey foods like curries, stews, soups, cakes, and tarts. I suppose you could call it soul food. I’ll even slow down some of my favourite moments, like making a pot of tea as opposed to just steeping a teabag.
The food we eat plays a vital role in regulating the nervous system and managing anxiety. Nutrient-dense, whole foods provide the building blocks for neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA, which promote calm and emotional balance. Key nutrients such as magnesium, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids help support brain function, reduce inflammation, and regulate cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. Blood sugar stability is also crucial—diets high in processed foods and refined sugars can cause energy crashes and trigger anxiety, while protein, healthy fats, and fibre help maintain steady energy and mood. By nourishing the body with real, whole foods, we create a strong foundation for resilience and emotional well-being.
Hair and Scalp Oiling
This is something that I’ve only introduced in the last six months, and I’m obsessed. While I make herbal-infused oils to massage onto my body, I use Hinu hair oil for my hair and scalp - and it smells amazing. I highly recommend looking into her beautiful products or enjoying a deep dive into her blog.
Scalp oiling is a time-honored practice that not only nourishes the hair but also serves as a therapeutic ritual to alleviate stress and promote relaxation. By massaging nutrient-rich oils into the scalp, this method enhances blood circulation, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to hair follicles, which can strengthen them and reduce hair loss. Additionally, the rhythmic motion of scalp massage stimulates the vagus nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and inducing a state of calm. This practice has been shown to decrease cortisol levels, the body's primary stress hormone, thereby reducing overall stress and anxiety. Incorporating scalp oiling into a regular self-care routine offers a dedicated time for mindfulness and relaxation, fostering mental well-being and a deeper connection to oneself.
Chiropractic
I’m fortunate to have a wonderful chiropractic team who take adjustments a massive step further by focusing on other holistic elements, like diet and lifestyle, to support their community. On one or two occasions, it’s been them who have triggered my awareness that I’m in a withdrawn anxious cycle - purely based on my pupils.
The conversation went like this: “So how are you, Maddy?” “Yeah, I’m good” “Are you sure you’re good, because you’re pupils are dilated right now and taking up nearly your whole iris…”.
So let me explain: in a regulated and calm state, our pupils tend to take up around 1/3 of the iris (coloured component of your eye). When your sympathetic nervous system, or the "fight or flight" response, is activated, a surge of adrenaline causes your pupils to dilate—this helps you take in more light and sharpen your vision, preparing you to react quickly to potential threats. I’ve explored the nervous system and the fight or flight response previously if you want to find out more.
Chiropractic adjustments can help regulate the nervous system and reduce anxiety by improving communication between the brain and body. The spine houses the central nervous system, which controls stress responses through the sympathetic ("fight or flight") and parasympathetic ("rest and digest") systems. Misalignments, known as subluxations, can create tension and disrupt nerve signaling, keeping the body stuck in a heightened stress state. Adjustments help restore proper spinal alignment, relieving physical tension and enhancing vagus nerve function, which plays a key role in calming the nervous system. This shift encourages relaxation, better resilience to stress, and a more balanced state of well-being
Spring Clean
I’m extremely sensitive to my environment, so if I’m living in a space that feels chaotic, tense, or messy then it only amplifies what’s happening in my head. So I’ll give my space a big spring clean, and I might add some essential oils to add in some nice, calming scents that have an added therapeutic effect. I’ll focus on using grounding scents like orange, sandalwood, and cinnamon. I’ll keep windows open to let in fresh air, make sure any rubbish is removed, and might play some relaxing music.
Spring cleaning isn’t just about tidying up—it’s a powerful way to shift stagnant energy and create a sense of calm. Clutter holds onto old emotions and unfinished tasks, subtly weighing on the nervous system and keeping anxiety heightened. By clearing out what no longer serves you, you create space for fresh, uplifting energy to flow. Physically cleaning and opening windows can also shift the energetic signature of a space, making it feel lighter and more aligned with renewal. A refreshed environment mirrors a refreshed mind, helping to ease stress and invite a sense of clarity and peace.
These are only some of the tools I fall back on, but they’re some of the most effective ones that I have come across. As with anything, everyone can experience anxiety differently, so I encourage you to tune into your body to see how it feels and presents for you and what makes you feel calm and grounded during this time.
If this is something you need further support on, then I’m here to help! You can get started by booking your complimentary discovery call to find out how naturopathy can help.
Until next time,
