A gentle, self-led approach to emotional wellbeing.
By the Situation
When you already know what's pressing — jump straight to the remedies for that moment.
Each situation below offers a short scene, a few signs you might recognise, and three to seven remedies most often called on for that moment. The "primary" tag marks the remedy Dr. Bach treated as central to the picture — start there if you're unsure.
Today's pressures
situation 01
Can't sleep
Lights out, body still — and the mind starts up. Tomorrow's email, last week's argument, the thing you should have said. The clock advances; you don't.
When this is going on
Mind running the same thoughts on a loop
Vague, formless dread in the dark
A specific worry about something tomorrow
Tired but unable to drop off
Remedies to consider
White Chestnutprimary— for thoughts that loop, replays of the day, conversations you can't switch off.
Hornbeam— when you're tired-yet-wired; the body is weary but the mind won't let go.
Aspen— for vague nighttime apprehension that has no specific cause.
Mimulus— when you know exactly what you're afraid of (the meeting, the result).
Vervain— if you're so wound up from the day's intensity you can't power down.
Tip · Keep a small glass of water with a few drops on the bedside table. Sip when thoughts start. Most people notice a softening within three or four nights.
The day you've been preparing for. The room you have to walk into. Whatever happens in the next hour will, for a while, feel like the whole story.
What you might recognise
Stomach tight, hands cold
"I'm going to forget everything"
Mind goes blank precisely when you need it
Catastrophising the outcome
Remedies to consider
Mimulusprimary— for the specific, named fear of this event.
Larch— when you assume you'll fail before you've started.
Aspen— for formless butterflies and dread.
Cherry Plum— if you fear you'll go blank or lose your composure.
White Chestnut— for replaying worst-case scenarios in the lead-up.
Rescue Remedy— keep a bottle in your pocket for the moment itself.
Tip · Begin three or four days before, not just on the day. A few drops in a water bottle, sipped through the morning, settles things by the time you walk in.
The inbox keeps growing. Meetings stack on top of meetings. The work that once felt meaningful now just feels like there's too much of it.
How it shows up
Tired before the workday begins
Irritation at small interruptions
Skipping meals or rest to keep up
Mind racing at night about tomorrow's tasks
Remedies to consider
Elmprimary— when the workload temporarily feels impossible.
Olive— if exhaustion has set in deep.
Hornbeam— for the tired-before-starting feeling at the desk.
Vervain— if you're pushing past what's reasonable, can't let go.
Oak— when you keep going past where anyone else would have stopped.
White Chestnut— if work thoughts loop into the evening and through sleep.
Tip · Elm + Olive is the classic combination for stretched professionals — Elm for the moment of overwhelm, Olive for the reservoirs that need refilling.
Someone or something irreplaceable is gone, and the world has changed shape. The remedies don't take grief away — grief belongs there. They soften the parts that linger past their useful time: shock that hasn't released, longing that won't let go, guilt that won't be put down.
What's often present
The shock hasn't fully landed, or has lodged somewhere
Returning constantly to memories of how it was
Anguish that feels bottomless
Adjusting to a life that no longer contains them
Remedies to consider
Star of Bethlehemprimary— the foundational grief remedy; for the shock of the loss itself, useful long after the event.
Honeysuckle— for living in the past, dwelling in memories.
Sweet Chestnut— when the anguish feels unbearable, like the breaking point.
Walnut— for adjusting to the new shape of life without them.
Pine— if guilt mixes in: things unsaid, things you wish you'd done.
Tip · There's no rush. Bach remedies are gentle company through grief — not a way to skip past it. Take them for as long as feels useful, sometimes for many months.
The room is full or empty — doesn't seem to matter. The connection that would soften the moment isn't there. The phone has plenty of contacts but no one to call right now.
What's often there
Reaching for the phone, then putting it down
Surrounded by people but somehow alone
Wanting connection but unable to ask for it
Going days without anyone really seeing you
Remedies to consider
Heatherprimary— for the loneliness that pours its troubles to anyone who'll listen, can't bear to be alone.
Water Violet— for the proud, self-contained loneliness; keeping people at a distance even when needing them.
Impatiens— when irritation pushes others away; even good company feels too slow.
Mimulus— if the loneliness comes from fear of reaching out, of being rejected.
Sweet Chestnut— when the loneliness feels endless, like no one will ever truly know you.
Tip · Bach grouped Heather, Water Violet, and Impatiens as the three faces of loneliness — each looks different from outside but lives the same way inside. The right one is usually the one you wince at first.
The task is on the list. It's been on the list. Each morning you mean to start; each evening it's still there. Not laziness — something else is in the way.
What you might recognise
Tired before beginning
Looking for any other thing to do
Knowing what to do but unable to begin
Self-criticism about not having started
Remedies to consider
Hornbeamprimary— for the tired-before-starting Monday-morning feeling.
Wild Rose— if drift and resignation have settled in; going through the motions.
Larch— if the block is "I won't be good enough."
Mustard— when a low mood is making everything heavy.
Cerato— if you're delaying because you don't trust your own decision about how to begin.
Walnut— for transitions when an old project no longer fits but you can't put it down.
Tip · If Hornbeam doesn't shift things in a few days, look at what's underneath. Procrastination is usually a symptom — Wild Rose, Larch, and Mustard each point to a different cause.
You've been giving more than you have, for too long. The reserves are gone; even small things feel heavy. Sleep doesn't quite restore; tea doesn't quite warm.
How it shows up
Bone-tired in a way rest doesn't fix
Tired-before-starting on every task
Pushing on past the point you should have stopped
Overwhelm at things you used to handle easily
Inability to say no to one more demand
Remedies to consider
Oliveprimary— for true depletion, when reserves are simply gone.
Hornbeam— for the tired-before-beginning feeling at the start of each day.
Oak— if you've been pushing relentlessly and won't let yourself stop.
Elm— when the load suddenly feels impossible.
Centaury— if exhaustion comes from over-giving and never refusing.
Tip · Olive often combines well with Hornbeam. If you suspect you're an Oak — won't stop, even now — that's the one to start with.
About Anubhuti — what this is, and a small disclaimer
Anubhuti is a free, independent companion for working with Dr. Edward Bach's 38 flower remedies — four ways into them: by the situation you're facing, by the feeling you can name, by scanning all 38, or by a full assessment.
It's offered as an aid to personal reflection, not as medical or psychological diagnosis, treatment, or advice, and is not a substitute for care from a qualified professional. If anything in your reading touches something you'd like support with, please reach out to a counsellor, therapist, doctor, or other appropriate professional.
The site is provided as-is, with no warranty as to outcomes. Bach remedies themselves are widely regarded as safe and not pharmacologically active. The system was developed by Dr. Edward Bach (1886–1936); Anubhuti is an independent project built around that system and is not affiliated with the Bach Centre, UK.