Basil Blend For Anxiety

Most people will have experienced being anxious at some time or another. Whether it was before an important event such as a job interview or going into a situation they were unsure of, this is normal and once the situation or event has passed the anxiety also passes. 

However, if these feelings of anxiety persist to the point where the feelings of worry, nervousness or even fear start to impact your ability to live your life normally, for example if these feelings stop you from doing things you want or need to do it could be a sign you have an anxiety disorder.  

Anxiety is an extremely common disorder with an estimated 1 out of 10 people experiencing a level of anxiety that impacts their life.  There are a number of factors that increase your risk of suffering from anxiety, such as life experiences such as experiencing a trauma or big life change such as the loss of a loved one or a job.  Certain substances such as caffeine and alcohol can increase feelings of anxiety in certain people, it can also be as simple as genetics and personality with some people having more nervous dispositions or personalities.

Anxiety affects people in different ways and presents in different ways. 

There are five main types of anxiety disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) -  is the most common people will worry excessively even when there is seemingly nothing to have made them worry.  GAD can take more than 6 months to diagnose as the onset of GAD is usually not triggered by anything specific as is the case with other forms of anxiety, experiencing anxiety that negatively impacts your life for 6 months or more is therefore diagnosed as GAD.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) -  is where someone has recurrent, unwanted thoughts or obsessions.  They often display repetitive behaviors such as hand washing, counting, checking, or cleaning.  Not completing these behaviours can lead to extreme anxiety often with the belief that something bad will happen.

Panic Disorder  - people with this disorder can experience unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear, they may complain of chest pains, tightening of the chest, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) -  this disorder usually occurs after experiencing a terrifying event or ordeal. Traumatic events may trigger PTSD including being assaulted, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, many military personal experience PTSD, you can experience PTSD months or even years after the traumatic experience even if you didn’t sustain any harm during the actual event, even witnessing a traumatic event can lead to PTSD.

Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Disorder -  people with this often feel extremely anxious in everyday social situations, this can be to specific social situations such as public speaking or large groups to everyday social situations where they are around people, this can include shopping, traveling on public transport or family gatherings.

Using essential oil blends such as this Basil essential oil blend can help calm the mind and ease feelings of anxiety naturally.