A bolt of heat running through your body like electricity, a gaping pit in the bottom of your stomach, an endless whirring fogging your brain - what is this horrific feeling? It’s anxiety, and according to Champion Health, over 60 per cent of people in the UK have experienced it.
Despite its ubiquitous presence, anxiety is not to be undermined. The mental health condition is distressing at best and debilitating at worst. Too many of us are well-acquainted with the familiar flash of panic, bouts of nausea and general experience of feeling frozen in time, wondering if our brains will ever ease up for a single second and allow the thoughts to come flooding out.
Anxiety is notoriously difficult to navigate with or without medication. Many resort to using prescribed pills to tackle the symptoms of mental health, nearly half a million Brits according to the NHS. This number is only rising, with more people joining endless waiting lists for therapy and becoming a single stat on a spreadsheet that symbolises a much bigger problem.
Be it a result of the cost of living crisis, social media or ongoing political turbulence occurring across the globe, anxiety levels are ever-increasing. When advised by a doctor, resorting to medication can be life-changing for some. But for those suffering from mild anxiety, the concept of taking a little white ‘happy’ pill day in and day out in order to balance your mood can be daunting.
This is where at-home remedies may become of use. Herbal remedies and supplements can be incorporated into a daily routine to create a pocket of serenity during even the busiest of schedules. Natural teas, calm balms and sprays offer momentary respite from life’s hectic itinerary, for med-takers and prescription avoidants alike.
Self-care has evolved to champion health over all else. Gone are the days of peeling a limp shell of a face mask off your facade or painting your nails pink and calling it self-care. Brands such as JHSHealth, Dr. David Jack and HUM are producing health supplements that directly combat feelings of anxiety in everyday life, ultimately shining the spotlight on holistic home remedies to soothe unnecessarily busy brains.
The same goes for wellness labels we all know and love like This Works, Neal’s Yard and Aesop. Natural ingredients spanning essential oils, plant materials and aromatic compounds known to promote calm are being incorporated into readily available ranges. Society’s appetite for natural wellness is seemingly unquenchable.
Yet this is not new information - in fact, far from it. Humans have used essential oils to distil a sense of peace for millennia. The Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils for cosmetics and mummification. The Romans used essential oils as part of their famed bathing rituals as they were correctly assumed to relax the mind and body. Rotate the globe and you’ll find plant medicines and herbal remedies being used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine for the centuries.
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding natural remedies to alleviate anxiety. But given the success-ridden storied history of such products, aren't you tempted to give it a go? If Miranda Kerr swears that essential oil blends cured her of a heartbreak after Orlando Bloom, we’re willing to try.
Block out a moment of your day to reinstate calm with the best herbal remedies and supplements to ease anxiety below. A slice of Zen awaits.
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JSHealth Calm + De-stress Formula
Buy now £31.99, JSHealth
Bach Rescue Remedy
Rescue Remedy is a classic. Pop four drops onto your tongue when the nerves start to set in and let the comforting flower essences work their magic. There’s no need for additional water or faff, so you can drift off with total ease.
Buy now £8.50, Boots
This Works Stress Mood Manager
ylang-ylangThis Works is an absolute go-to for any anti-stress product. Simply spray this serene fragrance onto your skin to reduce tension and anxiety. Notes of ylang ylang, neroli and patchouli, created through fMRI brain imaging technology, restore ease to an anxious state of mind.
Buy now £15.00, John Lewis
The Body Shop Breathe Calm Balm
Calm balm is a quickfire way to alleviate anxiety and the Body Shop’s version is one of our favourites. An affordable choice, the vegan product can be applied to pulse points and is made with 99 per cent ingredients of natural origin, including eucalyptus, rosemary and olive oil emulsions. The scent isn’t overbearing, meaning it’s also ideal for office days.
Buy now £12.00, The Body Shop
Neom Scent To Sleep Essential Oil
Encourage an evening of blissful R&R with Neom’s Perfect Night’s Sleep Essential Oil Blend. The product is expertly created with 19 pure essential oils, spanning delightful notes of English lavender, sweet basil and jasmine to soothe the senses and promote a dreamy slumber.
Buy now £44.00, lookfantastic
Neal's Yard Quiet Time Tea 18 Tea Bags
Create the perfect moment of tranquillity with a warming cup of Quiet Time by Neal’s Yard. The beloved wellness brand incorporates fragrant pink rose buds, sweet lime flowers and delicate chamomile into its floral brew, which will whisk you away to a quiet corner for a moment of mindfulness.
Buy now £5.00, Neal's Yard
Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy
Aesop’s Ginger Flight Therapy is a travel-sized roll-on enhanced with ginger root, lavender and geranium oils. Designed for your pulse points, the portable item can be applied to the temples, wrists, neck and stomach when stress or nausea arises.
Buy now £25.00, Aesop
Origreens Organic Passion Flower Tea
For those who are yet to be introduced to passiflora, we advise you to listen up. The organic ingredient is the core substance of this tea and is known to calm the nervous system. The climbing plant is originally from Mexico and was used by the Aztecs for its many beneficial qualities such as mood elevation and enforcing healthy sleeping patterns.
Buy now £8.99, Amazon
Bird & Blend Tea Co. Dozy Girl Chamomile Tea
Hot girl summer walked so dozy girl winter could run. Esteemed tea connoisseur Bird & Blend say we need to take a break with its Dozy Girl concoction. Allow the sedative properties of the chamomile to take hold and relax into the rest of the day ahead.
Buy now £6.75, Bird & Blend Tea Co.
Neal’s Yard Remedies Lavender Essential Oil
Cited as one of the brand’s bestsellers, this classic fragrance for relaxation is a great place to start when it comes to finding the best essential oils for sleep. This fragrant essential oil is steam-distilled from the flowers and leaves of French lavender and has naturally soothing properties. The scent is fresh and natural and really lingers.
Buy now £12.00, Neal’s Yard Remedies
Dr. David Jack Relax
Unwind and enjoy a deep night’s sleep with Dr. Jack’s best-selling vegan powder supplement. Available in a delectable salted caramel flavour, the beloved product is designed to support the endocrine and nervous systems, in effect helping your whole body to unwind and relax.
Not only does the supplement come in an aesthetic, reusable apothecary jar, but it’s suitable for gluten-free shoppers and is low in sugar.
Buy now £76.00, Dr. David Jack
Mindful Extracts 5% CBD Oil - 500mg
If you’re struggling with anxiety, the last thing you want is to feel anxious about trying CBD. In that case, it’s best to start out super small. Introducing: Mindful Extracts’ 5% CBD Oil.
This is one of the weakest CBD oils on the market, offering just 2.5mg of CBD per drop. While that might sound small to some, it’s a brilliant launchpad for those looking to reap the benefits of CBD who may be put off by stronger dosages.
Buy now £36.99, Mindful Extracts
Anatomē sleep essential oils discovery set
Specifically designed for topical application on pressure points using a rollerball applicator, this discovery set from AnatomÄ has been created with the perfect night’s sleep in mind. Vegan and cruelty-free, the set includes a Cornish lavender scent for tired bodies, Somali frankincense for overactive minds, blue chamomile for when you’re feeling overwhelmed and Japanese seaweed for light sleepers.
Buy now £35.00, Selfridges
HUM Nutrition Mighty Night Overnight Renewal Supplement
In order to calm racing thoughts and help you wake up feeling refreshed, you may need to call in the big guns. HUM is already a powerhouse in the skin supplement space, so it will come as no surprise that the brand has ventured into sleep, particularly due to the effects a bad night’s sleep can have on your complexion.
An uninterrupted slumber encourages cell renewal, healing, and repair and protects your skin over time. For this reason, valerian root, hops and passionflower which are known for their natural sleep support are contained within the product. It’s also fortified with CoQ10 to boost the skin’s natural reparative properties and ceramides to encourage moisture retention.
The supplements themselves are triple tested to ensure potency and purity and two should be taken as you tuck in.
Buy now £44.00, Cult Beauty
Cowshed Relax Room Candle
For when you are feeling burnt out, the Cowshed Relax candle will have your back to help you soothe and unwind.
Promoting a sense of calm, it includes a sleep-promoting lavender and healing eucalyptus for a comforting herbaceous scent. The candle is made from 100 per cent biodegradable soy wax with a burn time of 60 hours.
Buy now £38.00, Cowshed
Elemis Superfood Kefir-Tea Mist
You likely associate Elemis with a spa feeling and this is something that can be brought into your every day or to revive you from the afternoon slump with a face mist from the British label. But while there are more fragrant options available in the range, if you want a product that is both luxe, while being hard-working (because, well, same), you’ll be interested in the Superfood Kefir-Tea Mist.
This is a multitasking four-in-one formula that does so much more than coat your complexion in water. It gives a boost of hydration yes, but also tones and primes and can be used as a setting spray. The formula combines a mix of antioxidant-rich coconut water, rooibos tea and vegan kefir ferment. The latter is derived from soybeans and is soothing and balancing for the skin.
Buy now £26.00, Cult Beauty
This Works CBD Stress Check Body Cocoon
Set aside a moment of serenity and indulge in a spot of skin care. This Works’ naturally stress-busting body lotion is packed with CBD, shea butter, neroli and lavender essential oils to name a few, which all help to revitalise the skin and soothe the mind.
Buy now £25.00, Amazon
ESPA Positivity Diffuser 200ml
Aromatherapy can be a fantastic way to help alleviate those winter blues. The uplifting power of a beautiful scent is unmatched, especially if mixed with a combination of jasmine, gardenia, rose geranium, bergamot and sweet orange like this ESPA diffuser.
Buy now £24.00, lookfantastic
Supplemented Ashwagandha Extract 1000mg
These ethically sourced, highly potent Supplemented Ashwagandha Extract capsules help to reduce the effects of mental, emotional and physical stress and can be tailored to your personal preferences, depending on how strong you’d like to start out.
Budget-friendly and impressively effective, these capsules contain all of the good stuff and no unnecessary fillers, helping you to sort out your sleep or stress problems without any hesitations.
Buy now £8.99, Amazon
