Panic attacks are sudden bouts of intense fear that peak within 10 minutes and subside in another 10. They can occur as frequently as once a week or once a year, last for just a few minutes and leave you feeling like you can’t catch your breath. As one of the most common anxiety disorders, panic attacks often strike those who experience general anxiety the most. Many people with panic attacks also suffer from depression, agoraphobia, or social anxiety. Even though there is no cure for generalized anxiety and panic attacks, there are some simple changes you can make to help combat these feelings. These food supplements target the underlying causes of stress and anxiety by changing your diet, exercise routine, sleep habits, stress management techniques and spiritual practice. Here are my favorite foods, supplements, and herbs for anxiety and panic attacks.

Diet And Nutrition For Anxiety

There is a lot of research that suggests that our diet and nutrition are related to our stress levels, anxiety, and mood. The Paleo diet and the Mediterranean diet have been shown to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. Certain foods have a direct impact on anxiety, too.

Protein for neurotransmitter balancing. Amino acids like tryptophan are precursors for serotonin and dopamine. This can help ease stress and anxiety.

Magnesium for relaxation. This mineral is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including helping with muscle and nerve function.

The B vitamins for mood regulation. B vitamins are used in the creation of serotonin and melatonin, which are neurotransmitters that regulate mood.

Zinc for stress management. Zinc is needed to create the stress hormone cortisol and dopamine.

Exercise For Anxiety Relief

Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety and improve your mood. It works by releasing endorphins, which are chemicals that act as natural mood stabilizers. Exercise also helps you sleep better by lowering cortisol levels and releasing norepinephrine, which is helpful for falling asleep. Research shows that aerobic exercise is particularly helpful for managing anxiety. For example, one study found that aerobic exercise helped people with generalized anxiety disorder reduce their symptoms by 40%. The most important thing is to find a type of exercise you enjoy, because that will make it more likely you’ll make it a regular part of your life. If you’re not used to regular exercise, start out slowly and avoid exercising right before bedtime so you’ll be more likely to fall asleep. Start with 30 minutes a day and work your way up from there.

Throw Out The Bad And Keep The Good: Re-Evaluating Your Relationships

Building a healthy lifestyle also means re-evaluating relationships that contribute to your stress. If you have a friend who is always complaining and bringing you down, it may be time to distance yourself from them. If you have a friend who is constantly stressed and taking things too seriously, try to lighten the mood when you can. If you have a negative relationship with a family member, it may be worth trying to end the relationship peacefully if it’s possible. If you have a job that causes you excessive anxiety, it might be worth speaking with a career counselor about switching careers.

Try Breathing Exercises

This may seem like a strange exercise, but it’s actually been shown to help reduce anxiety by increasing the amount of magnesium in the body. This is because the body uses magnesium to help control the breathing process. To do this exercise, sit in a quiet spot and focus on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Try to breathe at a normal pace, but slow down if you find yourself breathing too quickly. As you do this, try to relax the muscles in your arms and legs, and in your face. You can even close your eyes if that helps you relax even further. Try to do this for 5–10 minutes every day if you can, especially during times of high anxiety.

Make Yoga Part Of Your Routine

Yoga is a great way to help you relax and feel more at ease. It may even help reduce your overall anxiety levels if you do it regularly. If you have anxiety, it’s best to start out with a gentle yoga class that’s designed for beginners. Avoid more intense yoga classes if you have anxiety, as they can actually make it worse. Yoga poses that are helpful for anxiety include the cobra pose, warrior pose, tree pose, and the cat pose. There are also certain breathing techniques you can use while doing yoga that are helpful for anxiety. If you want to try yoga, but you don’t know where to start, there are plenty of online resources to help you out.

Supplement With Vitamin B And Magnesium

It’s important to note that none of these things will work overnight. Therefore, it’s a good idea to continue these practices for at least a few months. Once you see positive results, it will be much easier to keep up the healthy habits.

Vitamin B – Vitamin B is a crucial nutrient that’s needed to metabolize serotonin. Deficiencies in vitamin B have been shown to cause anxiety, so it’s important to get enough of it. Vitamin B is found in foods like fish, eggs, whole grains, legumes, and some vegetables.

Magnesium – Magnesium is another crucial nutrient that’s helpful for managing anxiety. It’s found in almonds, cashews, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and spinach. If you struggle with anxiety, try to make some of these changes to your lifestyle. They can help reduce your anxiety and make your life a lot easier.

Herbs & Tinctures That Can Reduce Anxiety

This is a curated list of some of the most wonderful herbs for anxiety that can appease and relax your stress and even panic attacks.

Motherwort

Spiritually all about inner trust, calms nervous system, improves mood, sedative, Sleep, ANXIETY (rapid heart), soothes lung issues, helps heart disease, antiinflammatory, maybe THYROID SUPPRESSOR – Nervines support and relax the nervous system while nourishing and strengthening it. They fortify the “Vital Spirit” and gently support the Kidney and Liver Networks, Mother Earth Hugging You

Chamomile

Of all the herbs for anxiety you hear about, chamomile is the most popular on the shelf. For sleep, it is also one of most effect sleep aids, ragweed family can create allergy.

Banyan “I Sleep Soundly” – Valerian, Skullcap

Ingredients Valerian, Skullcap & More – Sleep, ANXIETY, THYROID SUPPRESSOR

Magnolia Bark (Houpu)

Houpu; stagnation of Qi, ANXIETY, anxiolytic, control of stress hormone, sedative, anti-cancer, Honokiol (compound in the bark) stronger than Diazepam in reducing anxiety and nervousness, neuroprtective, nervine, nootropic, antimicrobial, antiinflammaatory, plant-based nutrient rich in fiber aids in digestion, improves cardiovascular health

Chai Hu Mu Li Long Gu Tang (by company Blue Poppy)

Herbs for ANXIETY, panic, acts quickly, releases heart heat downward, great for nightime before bed, more than 1 can irritate stomach

Phosphatidyl-serine (PS100)

ANXIETY and sleep according to circadian rythm, stops hyperactive production of cortisol – take at night

Saffron (Crocus Sativa)

Anxiotlytic, hypnotic, sedative, sleep, ANXIETY, protective nutraceutical, protects the liver

Herbs for Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Having a panic attack can be a terrifying experience, and it can leave you feeling like you’re losing your mind. But with the right treatment and self-care, you can feel better and regain control of your life. There are a lot of misconceptions about anxiety and panic attacks, so it’s important to address these issues in order to reduce stigma. It’s also important to remember that these feelings are completely normal and that you aren’t alone. You can reduce anxiety, panic attacks, and stress in your life by making some simple changes to your diet, exercise routine, sleep habits, and stress management techniques.

Hopefully with these foods, supplements, and herbs for anxiety and panic attacks, you can begin to get relief.

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner is an Intuitive Life & Business Coach, clairvoyant reader, and a five-time EMMY Award-winning writer. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships. Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

Mystics, scientists, and truth seekers have known for centuries that a deep and mysterious connection exists between our minds and our bodies. Some sages have described this connection as energy flowing through our bodies, connecting our minds to our physical shells and to the wider universe around us. So what happens when the stress and trauma of life interfere with that energy flow?

Disruptions in your body’s energy can have a serious impact on your life, and EFT tapping can be a great way to restore that flow. Read on to learn more about tapping and how you can use it to manage anxiety, stress, depression, and more.

What Is EFT Tapping?

Emotional freedom technique, also known as EFT tapping, is an alternative therapy technique that may be useful for anxiety, PTSD, and other fear-related disorders. This technique was developed in 1995 by Gary Craig, who believed the body has different meridians, or points where energy is more highly focused. He believed that by tapping on these meridians, a person could change their body’s energy.

EFT tapping works on the same theory as acupuncture and acupressure. Instead of pressing on or sticking a pin in this location, however, the practitioner or patient simply taps on that meridian point. During this process, the patient focuses on the thing in their life that they want to change.

Who Can It Help?

In general, EFT tapping is recommended for patients who are dealing with mental disorders. In particular, this treatment is a popular option for people living with chronic anxiety or depression. EFT practitioners say the technique is also useful for people with chronic pain, stress disorders, PTSD, and other fear-related disorders.

It’s important to note that, ideally, EFT tapping should be one part of your overall mental healthcare plan. In particular, if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else, reach out to a professional immediately. EFT tapping will be most effective when used in combination with therapy and/or medication to keep your brain chemistry in balance.

How Does It Work?

EFT tapping focuses on the body’s energy meridians, points around your body where your energy converges. Tapping practitioners believe that you can develop blockages in these meridians that interfere with your body’s natural energy flow and cause the problems you’re experiencing. You can see a practitioner for a tapping session, or you can do tapping yourself at home.

Although the tapping is, naturally, a critical part of tapping therapy, much of the technique also revolves around mindfulness. As you’re performing the tapping, it’s important to focus on the issue in your life that you need resolved. This can help to focus the energy change and clear any blockages you may be experiencing.

Identify an Issue to Focus On

When you get ready to begin a tapping session, it’s important to pick one particular issue to focus on. It’s best to get fairly specific with this issue so that you can tackle larger problems in manageable sections. Trying to tackle too much at once could interfere with your focus and make the therapy less effective.

Spend some time meditating before your tapping session, bringing your focus into the body and letting go of all distractions. Begin to direct your attention to the problems you’re facing, and narrow that focus down to one particular issue that’s interfering with your daily life and happiness. Begin to anchor your attention into this issue, drawing it in as the focus of your session.

Rate the Intensity

Once you have your focus set, it’s a good idea to rate the current intensity of the problem in your life. In other words, how serious is the problem, and how much distress and disruption is it causing you at the present moment. This will help you to track if the tapping therapy is working for you or if you need to try different techniques.

As you focus on your specific issue, think about how much this issue impacts you, your daily life, and your happiness. Rate it on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being only mild inconvenience and 10 being debilitating. You can also assign this ranking based on how much the problem has impacted you at other times in your life.

Choose a Mantra

Now that you understand the scope of your problem a little better, it’s time to choose your mantra for the tapping session. This will be a specific reminder phrase you’ll use to reset your focus throughout the session. These words can help to direct the energy change that happens during the session.

Your mantra should be one of acknowledgment and acceptance, recognizing that the problem is present in your life and offering compassion and acceptance to yourself. There should be no judgment – only recognition that this is a problem in your life and that you are still worthy and a divine being of light.

Follow the Tapping Sequence

With your mantra and focus centered in your mind, you’ll be ready to begin the tapping sequence. You’ll need to follow a specific order as you move across the tapping points. During your first few sessions, you may want to consult an EFT tapping chart to make sure you’re hitting the right meridian points.

Tap each point in the sequence about five times with your fingertips. You can tap the points that have twin positions at the same time, or you can just tap one side.

Begin with the tapping point directly in the center of the top of your head, and then move to the beginning of your brows closest to your nose. Move to the bones on the outside corner of your eyes, then to the bone about one inch below your pupils.

Next comes the point between your nose and your upper lip, followed by the point between your lower lip and your chin. Finish with the points just below the inside ends of your collarbones and then those on the sides of the body about four inches below your armpits.

Rate the Intensity Again

Once you’ve finished the tapping sequence, take a few deep breaths, and then rate the intensity of your issue again. In an ideal treatment, you’ll notice that the intensity has gone down from where it was when you began tapping. However, you may notice that it takes a few rounds to see noticeable improvement.

Continue this tapping sequence, repeating your mantra with each point you tap. You may find that after a while, the changes to the intensity of your problem plateau. Once this happens or the intensity reaches zero, you can stop the session and return to it as needed.

Learn More About EFT Tapping

EFT tapping can be a great way to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and ease symptoms of depression. Begin by identifying the issue you want to work on and setting a mantra of acknowledgment and acceptance. Follow the tapping sequence, repeating it until the intensity of your problem has lessened.

If you’d like to learn more about EFT tapping, check out the rest of my site at PaulWagner.com. I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner is an Intuitive Life & Business Coach, clairvoyant reader, and a five-time EMMY Award-winning writer. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships. Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

While we all crave fast-food every now and then, if you’re like me, you might resent yourself afterward. Somehow we talk ourselves into eating this fake food, even when we know exactly what it does to our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls. But Wait! Fast-food tastes so good! There are so many top fast-food burgers in the industry to try! And it’s fast! And you feel like a kid for a few minutes when eating it! BONUS!

Fast-Food & Emotions

Every fast-food burger has its own unique appeal. Some taste authentic and are of the best quality, while others taste like the chemicals infused into them. Truth be told, there is more to worry about in these burgers than the taste.
Food was not meant to be made quickly all the time. The faster some food is made is often proportionate to how devastating and unhealthy it is for your body. It’s not just about the chemicals and processes: It’s about the energy of the food.

When an animal is killed, her emotions remain with the meat. When you ingest the meat, you ingest the emotions. Since most animals are killed inhumanely, they die with a great deal of anger, sadness, fear, and despair in their flesh, blood, and bones. The more you eat this meat, the more you consume and energetically internalize anger and other emotions, which could be dangerously debilitating for you.

Be Careful With Your Fast-Food

Most fast-food options are dangerous to your health, but some are better than others. While all fast-food contains toxic garbage, not all fast-food contains the same types and levels of emotions. A small portion of fast-food meat is processed minimally, and those animals are killed more humanely, which results in a far less toxic experience upon consumption.

As a highly sensitive person, I can feel the emotions in any person, and certainly, in any burger, especially upon consumption. After a while, friends began to ask me what I felt about certain burgers. They all confirmed exactly what I have been picking up from these burgers for years.

Here’s a leg up on the 11 top fast-food burgers and their Emotional Energy Rating, from worst to best:

Top Fast-Food Burgers Rated by Emotional Baggage

11: Sonic Drive-in

Ingest these burgers, and it’s pure evil being poured into your veins. You will be angry and grumpy and overreactive for well over a day after consuming their hate-burger.

Rating: 0

10: Freddy’s

Eat a Freddy’s burger and you will hate even your saintly mother for roughly 4-5 hours after the meal. You might even hate yourself.

Rating: 0

9: Carl’s Jr & Hardees

Enjoy these robust burgers for the flavors, then suffer the pain of the dead animal that was poorly treated and most likely beaten just before death. They must go out of their way to emotionally damage their animals to create food
with this level of darkness.

Rating: 0

8: Mcdonald’s

These burgers are built to momentarily satisfy your hunger and
personality, placate you as if you lived in a nursing home, and make you desire more of their chemicals and sugar. A shiny brand (that is now doubling down on garbage by selling Krispy Kreme Donuts) selling a hate-filled burger. Rating: 1*

(*) Of note, the emotions in the Filet-O-Fish are minimal, although I have no idea whether or not they comprise real food. I would bet – no.

7: Whataburger & Dairy Queen

These burgers are fascinating, as I doubt they are comprised of real meat. If they are, the meat has been sitting in a warehouse since the 60’s when their vacuous founders decided to offer the lowest quality food they could muster. These folks just don’t care about the quality and emotionality of their meat. They’re probably required to beat their animals before killing them.

Rating: 1

6: White Castle

These burgers are delicious, but they are not made with any measure of consciousness. Even the frozen foods they sell are wrought with heaps of emotional baggage. Eat a White Castle burger, and you will hate yourself until the next bank holiday.

Rating: 2

5: Burger King

Surprisingly, these burgers are not filled with hate and anger – but they do provoke great levels of sadness and despair when consumed. This means their dead animals were a little bit more emotionally healthy and prepared for their deaths than the animals killed by the other knuckleheads who make burgers. That said, you simply cannot feel happy, healthy, and whole after eating at Burger King. Even their vegan burgers will put your body to sleep.

Rating: 3

4: Wendy’s

Unlike their competitors, Wendy’s hamburgers are not filled with dark energies, birthed by dark forces from the other realms. Wendy’s burgers taste pretty good, fill you up, and don’t barrage you with emotional residue upon consumption. Get the smaller Jr burgers; they’re all you need to satiate your hunger. You don’t need their singles, doubles, and other oversized sandwiches to fill your belly. Chances are, the larger your sandwich, the worse it will be for your health.

Rating: 5

3: Five Guys

These folks are trying hard, and they do a pretty good job at delivering meat that does not make you want to kill yourself. The sandwiches are a little soggy and sometimes not very hot, but their remarkable french fries drenched in peanut oil tend to make up for it.

Rating: 7

2: In-n-Out

These are real hamburgers made from normal ingredients and tasty fat. Limited emotional toxins in these burgers propel them into a relatively safe energy zone. They’re delicious and you can’t beat the friendly, all-American customer service. No grumpy or sleepy millennials here!

Rating: 8

1: Good Times Burgers

These are the healthiest burgers you can buy in the fast-food world. The flavor in their burgers is not perfect, but it’s good enough, especially considering how peaceful you’ll feel after your meal. Whether at the window or drive-through, your burgers are served hot, fast, and with an unusual level of courtesy.

Rating: 10

Honorable Mentions

Arby’s and Subway: While they’re not famous for burgers, these two have low
emotionality in their meals; I’m just not sure if what they sell is meat or something more sinister. Seriously, there is nothing on planet Earth that looks like Arby’s Roast Beef, except maybe faux-leather. That said, while Arby’s coupons are easy to use, most Subway owners reject coupons; this has zero integrity and reduces the vibrations of the brand and, more importantly, your experience.

Rating: 5

If You Get Sick

If I get sick from a burger (or anything else), I take a 250mg capsule of Glutathione and open it under my tongue with a tsp of honey. Once dissolved, I swallow it with 2000mg of vitamin C with a huge glass of water. This concierge-medicine concept has the potential to kill whatever bugs your favorite burger joint has been growing in their fake meat vats. I’m not a doctor, but my doc recommends this, and he’s awesome.

Your Best Options

You probably won’t feel your best after eating at many of these top fast-food burgers for emotional baggage, but, let’s face it, health was not your motivation. If you were thinking clearly and motivated by achieving perfect health, you would have eaten at Whole Foods. To get the most nutrients from your fast-food adventure, ask for extra onions and veggies. This will also give you enough vitamin C to ward off whatever creatures are lurking in the netherregions of your sandwich.

To help your body deal with after one of these top fast-food burgers, try praying over your food before consuming it. Chant Om three times in your hands and place your hands on your food. This will improve its vibration and lessen its toxic impact on you. As always, your best option is to buy humanely raised, organic meat and cook it at
home. Buy the softest brioche or sesame seed buns and have a feast that your body, mind, and heart will love.

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner is an Intuitive Life & Business Coach, clairvoyant reader, and a five-time EMMY Award-winning writer. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships. Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

Sociopaths vs. Psychopaths vs. Narcissists

Oftentimes, we hear the terms “sociopath,” “psychopath,” and “narcissist” used interchangeably. You may also hear people described as “self-obsessed,” “self-absorbed,” or “self-focused.” But what do all of these terms mean, and are they all different ways to say the same thing?

In fact, all of these terms refer to different conditions that have unique symptoms and effects. Read on to learn more about sociopaths and psychopaths, as well as why self-obsession is beginning to take over our culture.

Sociopaths

Sociopathy is a mental disorder in which someone can’t feel empathy for the people around them. Sociopaths have several different antisocial behaviors and attitudes.

These people often interact through manipulation and lying. They can often be aggressive and get ahead in the world by exploiting and manipulating the people in their lives.

Sociopaths can be hard to spot since, despite the fact that they don’t have a conscience, they can be very charming. They’re often smart and have learned how to behave in ways that allow them to control others to get where they want. Only about 3 percent of the population meets the criteria for sociopathy.

Psychopaths

Although there are a number of similarities between sociopaths vs. psychopaths, the two are quite different. Whereas sociopaths don’t empathize with the people around them, psychopaths are unable to feel any normal emotions at all.

A sociopath may not be able to feel guilty for hurting another person. A psychopath may not be able to feel joy on Christmas morning or sadness when a relationship ends.

Like sociopaths, psychopaths may be very charming and so hard to identify when you meet them. Often these people are outwardly charming, pathological liars, prone to a grandiose sense of self-worth, callous, impulsive, and manipulative. Only about 1 percent of men and about 0.5 percent of women are psychopaths.

Narcissists

The differences between a sociopath vs. psychopath vs. narcissist can be very subtle. Narcissistic personality disorder can share a lot of symptoms with sociopathy and psychopathy. In many cases, the diagnoses overlap.

But narcissism is one particular facet of antisocial behavior that may show up in sociopaths and psychopaths.

Narcissism is a condition in which someone has an inflated sense of their own importance, a lack of empathy for others, and an obsessive need for admiration and attention. Underneath this bravado is a fragile self-esteem that relies on constant praise from others to stay intact. Only about 1 percent of the population are true narcissists.

Self-Obsessed

The terms self-obsessed, self-absorbed, and self-focused are not official medical diagnoses. Rather, these terms focus on different aspects of some similar negative personality traits. Oftentimes, these may overlap with some of the antisocial behaviors we see in sociopaths and psychopaths.

People who are self-obsessed are extremely preoccupied with themselves and their own concerns. They “can’t see past the end of their nose,” and they may not have much empathy for the people around them. For these people, their own problems, concerns, struggles, and cares are much more important than those of anyone else around them.

Self-Absorbed

Although self-absorbed and self-obsessed are similar, the two personality traits are not identical. In some cases, being self-absorbed may be a temporary state of being, rather than an overall personality flaw. People who are self-absorbed may not have the same overinflated ego that the self-obsessed do.

Self-absorbed people are totally wrapped up in their own thoughts, activities, and interests. In some cases, a person may be self-absorbed for a short period of time when they’re lost in thought or preoccupied by something going on in their life. The problem arises when that distraction becomes long-term.

Self-Focused

Like self-absorbed, the term “self-focused” isn’t always a negative thing. Self-focus can help a person to be more aware of their actions and how they impact others, as well as how they can change those behaviors. But, like anything, too much self-focus can turn into a negative thing and may cause problems in your life.

Self-focus is a state of mind in which you’re aware of your thoughts, actions, interactions, and appearance. In moderation, this can help you to better interact with the world around you and change unhealthy behaviors. But if you become too focused on yourself, you could slip into self-absorption or self-obsession.

Impact of Influencer Culture

These days, it seems like more and more people are becoming self-absorbed or self-obsessed to the point of bordering on narcissism. Influencer culture and our societal addiction to social media may play a role in this shift. People are becoming obsessed with the dopamine rush they get from getting likes on social media.

It’s important to note that you won’t become a sociopath or psychopath just from looking at Instagram too much. These are complex medical diagnoses that involve aspects of both nature and nurture. However, influencer culture can cause you to become self-obsessed, which can be just as destructive for your life.

Celebrity Obsession

Our cultural obsession with celebrities may also play a role in the increasing self-obsession we’re seeing around us. Tabloid media is constantly shoving details of these celebrities’ lives down our throats. We start to think of these people as something akin to fictional characters, and we compare our lives to their seemingly perfect ones.

Over time, we may start to become obsessed with the idea that if we can just be good enough, we can live the sort of charmed life these celebrities and influencers do. We may make changes to our bodies, filter out lives in certain ways on social media, or go into debt trying to mimic that lifestyle. Over time, that insecurity about our looks or our lifestyle can morph into a full-on self-obsession as we strive for that perfect life the celebrities and influencers seem to live.

How to Decenter Yourself

So how do we break out of this vicious cycle of insecurity, self-obsession, and unhealthy behavior? The key lies in decentering ourselves refocusing on what is truly important in this life. Once we are pursuing true peace and meaningful joy, we won’t crave hollow affirmation from social media attention.

It’s important to remember that your self-worth is absolute and comes from within. As we remind you at the end of each of our posts, you are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. Breathe deeply into your divine worth, take time to remember that your beauty comes from your soul, and turn your attention outward to the radiant souls traversing this world around you.

Learn More About Sociopaths and Psychopaths

At first glance, sociopaths and psychopaths, as well as narcissists and the self-obsessed, may all seem the same. But each of these conditions describes different levels and types of antisocial behavior. Decentering ourselves and returning focus to the true beauty of life can help us to break out of these toxic cycles of self-obsession.

If you’d like to learn more about sociopaths and psychopaths, check out the rest of my site at PaulWagner.com. I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

The Wonders of Vagus Nerves and Vagal Toning

Have you ever noticed the immediate sense of relief you get after taking one deep breath? Do you wonder why you feel so amazing after a good, long laugh with a friend? Does rubbing the skin around your ears relax you, but you aren’t sure why? All of these actions stimulate your vagus nerve, one of the major cranial nerves that controls many of the major systems in your body. Read on to learn more about vagus nerve stimulation and how you can practice toning at home.

What Is the Vagus Nerve?

Your vagus nerve is one of twelve cranial nerves in your body, each of which come in pairs. Although we’ll talk about the nerve as a singular entity, it’s actually made up of two nerves that come out of each side of your brain stem at the lowest point. If you place your fingers at the very base of your skull, on either side of the small notch at the top center of your neck, you’ll be pretty close to where your nerves emerge.

Your vagus nerve handles a number of bodily functions, including regulating your heart rate and breathing, managing your digestion, and controlling your reflexes. Your vagal nerve controls when you swallow, cough, sneeze, and even gag. It also controls cardiovascular activity other than your heart rate and can play a big role in heart health.

Somatic vs. Visceral Components

Some of your other cranial nerves control sensory information, such as sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and sensations. Others handle muscle function and operation of different glands in your body. This nerve is one of those pairs that handles both functions, which is why stimulation can be so powerful.

Your vagus nerve functions can have a somatic component, which impact sensations you feel on your skin or in your muscles. They can also have a visceral component, which impacts sensations you feel in your organs. Either of these components can play a role in either sensory functions or motor functions throughout your body.

Sensory Functions

This nerve performs several sensory functions, meaning it provides you with sensation in different areas of the body. It provides somatic sensory information for parts of your ear and throat. If you run your finger along the skin behind your ear, the sensation you feel is running along your nerve.

Your vagus nerve also provides visceral sensory information that comes from deeper in your body. This nerve controls sensation in your esophagus and trachea, larynx, lungs, heart, and digestive tract. Any time you have a stomachache or a sore throat, you can thank your nerve for carrying those signals to your brain.

Motor Functions

Your vagus nerve also controls several motor functions throughout your body. Your nerves carry the signals from your brain out to the muscle or organ that’s doing the work and then back to your brain. This nerve controls motor function in your larynx, throat, and soft palate, which is why it plays a role in your gag reflex.

The nerve stimulates muscles in your heart in order to regulate your resting heart rate, or your heart rate when you’re not doing anything strenuous. It also controls the contractions that happen in your gut as a normal part of your digestive process. These contractions happen along your esophagus, stomach, and most of your intestines to move food along this tract.

What Is Vagus Nerve Stimulation?

Now that we know a little more about the vagus nerve, let’s talk some about nerve stimulation. As you might guess from the name, nerve stimulation involves causing activity along your nerve. Although this can be as simple as running your finger over the skin behind your ear, it can also involve more complicated procedures.

Often, when people refer to vagus nerve stimulation, they’re referencing a procedure that uses electrical impulses to stimulate your vagus nerve. Doctors sometimes use this type of nerve stimulation to treat epilepsy or depression. Some experts also believe this procedure could help with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cluster headaches, and more.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Devices

The medical procedure known as vagus nerve stimulation uses a device to deliver carefully controlled electrical impulses. This device gets implanted under the skin of your chest and is about the size of a military ID tag. It has a wire that runs up to the vagus nerve on the left side of your brain stem and sends electrical signals through the nerve and into your brain.

Most of the time, neurologists program stimulation devices to send signals at appropriate intervals. However, sometimes, patients may be given a magnet that can control the device, too. This can be helpful in the case of depression or cluster headaches, when the patient can tell that their symptoms are getting worse.

Deep Breathing

Although vagus nerve stimulation devices are the most well-researched method of vagus nerve stimulation, they’re not the only way to do it. Because it’s is connected to so many parts of your body, you can perform vagus nerve exercises in a number of ways yourself. This can help to bring you back into balance and may ease some of your symptoms.

Deep breathing and meditation are two of the most effective ways to stimulate your vagus nerve. Remember, this nerve controls movement in your lungs, your heart, and your mouth and throat. Practicing breathing exercises and meditating can send positive signals up that nerve, strengthening and toning the pathway there.

Chanting

Given how connected your vagus nerve is to your throat, it also makes sense that chanting would stimulate the vagus nerve. For one thing, the vibrations caused by singing, humming, or chanting will resonate up the vagus nerve. But chanting a mantra that naturally resonates with the positive energy of the universe can bring even more positivity and light into your being.

Chanting the sacred “om” is always a good bet when you’re trying to stimulate your vagus nerve and you don’t know where to start. You can also say one of the sutras or a favorite prayer from your religion. You may also want to chant a personal mantra that empowers you and promotes healing for your body, mind, and spirit.

Laughter

Another fabulous way to stimulate your vagus nerve is through laughter. Studies have shown that laughter is good for your health for a number of different reasons. It stimulates your heart, improves your intake of oxygen, stimulates your lungs and muscles, and amps up your endorphin production.

If you’re feeling like you need some vagus nerve stimulation, try to make plans with friends or loved ones who always make you laugh, even if those plans happen over virtual platforms. Watch a favorite movie or listen to a comedian you like. You could even play with your pets or your kids, read a book that makes you giggle, or scroll through comedy accounts on social media.

Learn More

The nerve touches many of the vital areas of your body, including your heart, lungs, digestive tract, and more. Vagus nerve stimulation can help to ease symptoms of depression, epilepsy, indigestion, and more. You can practice vagus nerve stimulation at home through deep breathing, chanting, and laughter, among other methods.

If you’d like to learn more about methods of self-healing, check out the rest of my site at PaulWagner.com. I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.