So kava helps people with significant anxiety. It's also expensive and people with serious or severe mental health issues tend to be poor. This, ironically, created a lot of anxiety for me. However I've gotten to the point where alternatives are sufficient to deal with my level of anxiety and I thought I would share in case it helps anyone.
What I've done is
(1) This is a big one, but I got put in the hospital for depression. After I released I qualified for a state health insurance program because I was now documented as having serious mental illness in a way I wasn't before. Anti-depressants are known to help people with anxiety, espicially snris, and I've experienced a lot of benefit from my new medication.
It is obviously cheaper than kava when insurance covers it, but even if I had no insurance my high dose medication would cost about 18 dollars a month. I was dismissive of psychiatry after having many bad experiences with them in the past, but now I would encourage people to consider it because the medication can genuinely help if you get the right one. There may also be psychiatrists who have reduced fee or free office visits for low income people.
(2) There are some herbal sources that are shown to help a bit with anxiety, though not like kava does. I bulk purchase of chamomile tea and ashwaghanda online. Ashwaghanda lowers cortisol specifically- so it helps with "stress" more than anxiety- and high dose chamomile (i usually use 1/3-2/3 cup dried flowers, which is quite a lot compared to those little packets) provides anxiety and sleep help. You can also get chamomile extract which is supposed to be less sedating, but I've never used it.
(3) Breath meditation. I've been studying Buddhist meditation but meditation does not have to be Buddhist to help with anxiety (which isn't the point of Buddhist meditation as much as it's a pleasant a side effect). However experienced Buddhist teachers tend to be easy to find in the United States, which makes it a good option even for non-Buddhists. Legitimate Buddhist teachers also will not try to earn a profit and are usually free to study with locally, though they may ask for money if they have expenses like renting a space and generally all of them appreciate donations. Some people do better meditative practices where they move around like Qiqong or yoga practices and these are valid for this purpose as well.
There is scientific documentation that about 30 minutes of meditation per day will make beneficial physical changes in your brain and there is lots of anecdotal evidence that even 15 minutes per day has benefits. It also helps with being a nicer person because you can now be more intentional about what choices you make. It is something everyone can benefit from, even if you don't have spiritual goals that require meditation. There is a saying "Meditate for 15 minutes a day; if you don't have time for that then meditate for an hour," becuase it has that kind of benefit in a person's life.
I will still mention kava to family member's and friends who want to get me a present, but I am no longer going to be a regular drinker. People are also welcome to share alternatives that have worked for them to deal with anxiety, though I'd ask that people leave talking about if kava is "worth it" in other threads. Of course most people here think it's worth it, but some of us prefer alternatives for one reason or another.
What I've done is
(1) This is a big one, but I got put in the hospital for depression. After I released I qualified for a state health insurance program because I was now documented as having serious mental illness in a way I wasn't before. Anti-depressants are known to help people with anxiety, espicially snris, and I've experienced a lot of benefit from my new medication.
It is obviously cheaper than kava when insurance covers it, but even if I had no insurance my high dose medication would cost about 18 dollars a month. I was dismissive of psychiatry after having many bad experiences with them in the past, but now I would encourage people to consider it because the medication can genuinely help if you get the right one. There may also be psychiatrists who have reduced fee or free office visits for low income people.
(2) There are some herbal sources that are shown to help a bit with anxiety, though not like kava does. I bulk purchase of chamomile tea and ashwaghanda online. Ashwaghanda lowers cortisol specifically- so it helps with "stress" more than anxiety- and high dose chamomile (i usually use 1/3-2/3 cup dried flowers, which is quite a lot compared to those little packets) provides anxiety and sleep help. You can also get chamomile extract which is supposed to be less sedating, but I've never used it.
(3) Breath meditation. I've been studying Buddhist meditation but meditation does not have to be Buddhist to help with anxiety (which isn't the point of Buddhist meditation as much as it's a pleasant a side effect). However experienced Buddhist teachers tend to be easy to find in the United States, which makes it a good option even for non-Buddhists. Legitimate Buddhist teachers also will not try to earn a profit and are usually free to study with locally, though they may ask for money if they have expenses like renting a space and generally all of them appreciate donations. Some people do better meditative practices where they move around like Qiqong or yoga practices and these are valid for this purpose as well.
There is scientific documentation that about 30 minutes of meditation per day will make beneficial physical changes in your brain and there is lots of anecdotal evidence that even 15 minutes per day has benefits. It also helps with being a nicer person because you can now be more intentional about what choices you make. It is something everyone can benefit from, even if you don't have spiritual goals that require meditation. There is a saying "Meditate for 15 minutes a day; if you don't have time for that then meditate for an hour," becuase it has that kind of benefit in a person's life.
I will still mention kava to family member's and friends who want to get me a present, but I am no longer going to be a regular drinker. People are also welcome to share alternatives that have worked for them to deal with anxiety, though I'd ask that people leave talking about if kava is "worth it" in other threads. Of course most people here think it's worth it, but some of us prefer alternatives for one reason or another.
