Wolf and Stag Blog | My Journey with L-Theanine
Let's Talk About...My Journey with L-Theanine
If there’s one thing I’m always and forever open about, it’s my mental health. Whether it’s something small(er) like my lack of motivation, or the difficulties I’ve had moving from London to California — or, heck, the fact that I realized I was previously suffering from burnout, or still could be. All these things, I will share with you. And all of these things are aspects of my mental health that I am constantly, unequivocally, dealing with, daily.
But, there is one thing that — during a time when, daily, things were just too much — really, really helped me. This is a story about my journey with L-Theanine. This post is not advocating its use for everyone. It’s not even advocating its use to anyone. It’s simply a story about how vitamin and supplement company Her Vital Way reached out to me in a time I needed them most. And it’s a journey that I’m still taking, with L-Theanine there to help.
Now, it’s time to back up a bit. Back to a time roughly 7 months ago, when a move across an ocean took its toll deeply on my psyche. Two budding careers ripped away and placed into a shiny-new market exposed something about myself I did not care to know: in the face of adversity and, well, newness, I struggled. I was in a state of constantly berating myself with hard, unanswerable questions. Am I entrepreneurial? Am I even motivated? Am I burnt out? Will I ever be successful?
Daily, I would open my eyes to morning light and be overcome with feelings of failure. Anxiety clenched my heart, pushing the air straight out of my lungs. Then, the tears would come, and my emotions were often directed at Stag, or at myself, or I just did nothing at all.
I won’t go into juicy details, as I know many of you either know exactly this feeling I’ve described above — or you deal with things much, much worse than me. In summary: every morning, I felt as if my anxiousness would overwhelm me.
This is how I operated for some months. I was in this state when Her Vital Way got in touch with me — a women’s wellness brand seeking to improve the lives of every woman through affordable, targeted supplements. They did not ask anything of me but simply to try a few products.
I will admit: over the years, supplements had frequently crept their way into my cabinet, and chock-full of good intentions, I’d give them a go. Always to forget once, twice, and then, no more. However, always wanting to test new, local brands and products for you lovely lot, I decided to give it a go.
After a personalized discussion of my life, my health, my habits and my intentions with CEO Amy McKelvey (a wonderful, personalized experience that truly touched me), I was sent a unique routine to follow. This consisted of a few different supplements, all of them easy to take and to benefit my health. The one that stood out to me — new, and interesting, one I had never encountered before — was L-Theanine.
What is L-Theanine, and How It Helped Me
L-Theanine is an amino acid found in green tea leaves and is what gives green tea its natural relaxant, considered one of the most effective natural ones you can take. It directly stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, creating a state of deep relaxation without drowsiness.
As Her Vital Way describes it: “Managing stress makes for clearer thinking and decision-making, healthier communication styles, and happier relationships. But sometimes, it seems that life and events just move too fast. That’s when we use AlphaWave® L-Theanine to support our sense of calm and focus.”
Intrigued — but, also, cynical, as I am about most things — I decided to give this L-Theanine a go for at least 3 months, before I made any final decision on it.
After Day 2, I was blown away.
Every morning, I would wake up, feel the anxiety begin to bubble, bursting to come to the surface, threatening to choke. I would go to the kitchen, take my L-Theanine with a glass of water. And… be okay.
It wasn’t as if my anxiety dissipated. Of course, so many of my issues — both mentally and circumstantially — were there to grapple. But, that anxious feeling that would derail my day? It felt manageable. Like it couldn’t, and wouldn’t overwhelm me. And I was able to begin my day, feeling like my normal self again.
This was seven months ago. Since then, my daily use of L-Theanine has dwindled, because well, I feel good. Great, even. Some of this is circumstance; some of this is my own stress management strategy. If you had asked me back then to take a supplement to feel calmer, I would have rolled my eyes, cynic that I am. But I know now: this journey of mine would have looked a lot different without L-Theanine.
To read more about L-Theanine and Her Vital Way, visit hervitalway.com
You can also now buy Her Vital Way on Amazon
I need to caveat again: this is my own journey, and supplements may not work for everyone. If you have serious anxiety, panic or mental health issues, please please please always speak to a health professional. But, if you’re like me and want something to help conquer life’s daily stresses, then L-Theanine may be perfect for you.
