I feel invested in every collaboration I choose to partake in, but this one guys, this one is pretty close to my heart. This post contains anxiety-related content: trigger warning.
For me, the first sign that the day is going to take an unwanted turn in terms of my anxiety, is a heavy feeling in my chest that I can't seem to shift. This is usually accompanied by a fast heartbeat and a click in my mind that begins to tell me that its going to be difficult to continue to breathe. Although panic attacks rarely affect me as much as they did when I was sixteen, feeling it creeping up on me every now and again is still one of the scariest moments I find myself encountering. I'm pretty good at breathing exercises (you can find a lot of these online!), but I've found a natural remedy that instantly helps to soothe me and clear my airways - even if they were most likely clear already, it eases my mind.
When I attended #CarnLIVal a while back, I received a 'Scentered' therapy balm; you apply this product to pulse points in times of stress, inhale, and hopefully the scent will bring you back to a calmer reality. I have to admit I'm a cynic, and I was unconvinced that a 100% natural balm had the ability to do, well, anything. Determined to persevere with the product, I used the 'Love' balm (Rose, Patchouli and Cedarwood) in the middle of the night when I woke feeling anxious, and holy moly this stuff is incredible. I am unbelievably impressed with these balms - regardless of whether the effect is psychological or physical, I continue to be amazed when these calm my mind.
Obviously, this doesn't promise to immediately and consistently rescue you. It would be a miracle if it did, and if the antidote to panic did actually exist, I'm sure I wouldn't be first to discover it. However, focusing on such a strong scent manages to detract focus away from other thought processes, and anything that might help a little is worth looking at, right? I contacted the team at Scentered after keeping the 'Love' balm in my handbag for a couple of weeks, to let them know how much I appreciated the product, and they were kind enough to send over two other balms for review. The 'Be Happy' balm (Grapefruit, Lemon Myrtle and Spearmint)* is described as 'sunshine in a stick', which I think is adorable. The 'Stress Less' balm (Chamomile, Neroli and Mandarin)* is definitely a balm I was grateful for in the last week during my first year university exams.
The balms retail at £14.50, and you can browse the range of natural remedies here, and over on their twitter. If you have a friend or family member with anxiety it can be really tough to know how to help them; mental illness leaves a lot of people feeling powerless. I think this could be a lovely pick me up to give someone to help them through a tough period of life; I wouldn't recommend a product that I don't truly believe in, particularly when it relates to issues like this.
Thank you to the team at Scentered for such a comforting product, and I hope some of you benefit like I do from this natural anxiety aid.
*These products were sent to me to review, but all opinions are my own.
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