If you suffer from anxiety but do not want to go on pharmaceutical anxiety drugs, you may find natural anxiety relief through holistic remedies.
Anxiety can feel like a punch to the gut, leaving you feeling breathless and out of control. Living with anxiety can be absolutely terrifying and may lead to other serious mental and physical illnesses over time.
How can you work to improve your mental health and get a better grip on your anxiety?
There are many natural ways that may be able to reduce your anxiety and give your life balance. Here are some holistic remedies that you can start using today.
Stay Active
Frequent physical exercise is one method that may reduce your anxiety. Your body produces endorphins when you exercise, and these endorphins are your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters that are stimulated when you become active. This has shown to relieve anxiety in many cases.
Avoid Cigarettes and Alcohol
Alcohol is a well-known depressant that can cause your anxiety to soar. Although drinking alcohol may seem to calm your anxiety at first, it is likely that once the buzz wears off you can be left feeling anxious and irritated. Try to avoid alcohol as much as possible if you suffer from anxiety or depression.
Cigarettes can cause similar problems to alcohol, helping you feel better temporarily until the effects fade. Relying on either of these to cope with anxiety won’t help you in the long term but may cause dependency problems. To protect your physical wellbeing, it’s best to avoid drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol.
Try Meditation and Breathing Exercises
To reduce anxiety, especially in the middle of a panic attack, breathing exercises and meditation may help. This is because anxiety causes your heart rate and breathing to spike, whereas controlled breathing has been shown to temporarily alleviate anxiety on its own.
By keeping your attention on your breathing, which is an integral part of meditation, your mind will be diverted from your anxious thoughts while simultaneously slowing your heart rate down. Using meditation or breathing exercises, is a great natural, holistic remedy for anxiety.
Writing or Drawing
Creative outlets are fantastic ways to relieve your anxiety and express your inner feelings. By putting your feelings down on paper, you may make them more manageable and easier to cope with.
You don’t have to be great at writing or art for this to help; when you are starting to feel anxious, just pull out a pen and some paper and start expressing yourself! Note that your attention is focused on being creative instead of on lingering problems.
Avoid Caffeine and Sugar
Caffeine and sugar both cause an accelerated heart rate and can intensify your feelings of anxiety. If you want to reduce your anxiety try to keep your caffeine to the equivalent of one cup of coffee per day or less, and cut down your sugar intake to under 50 grams per day if possible.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a type of therapy that uses scented essential oils to aid in relaxation and mental clarity. Whether they are inhaled directly or used in a bath or shower, these oils have become a very popular form of natural anxiety relief.
Certain smells have been linked to increased feelings of relaxation. Lavender, grapefruit, clary sage, and other scents have been shown to improve anxiety for those who smell it for periods of time.
If you want to improve your sleep, reduce your anxiety, and improve your mood, then you may want to try aromatherapy as another option!
Herbal Teas and Supplements
Hot herbal tea has shown to be great for relaxation and anxiety relief. Herbal teas are popular because they don’t have caffeine in them. Chamomile tea is one of the best types of tea for relaxation and can also help you sleep better.
Homeopathic Remedies
Homeopathic remedies are tablets, pills, gels, or creams that have been created with natural ingredients. These ingredients can be plant, animal, or mineral-based. They often come in the form of supplements or creams and can be used to relieve a variety of ailments.
Herbal supplements have been shown to reduce anxiety among other things, and come in tincture or capsule form.
If you do decide to try any herbal or homeopathic remedies to improve your anxiety, please be sure you speak with a healthcare professional first to find out which supplements may work best for you. Some supplements can interact with other medications, and affect how your body reacts to them, so it’s always safer to check with your doctor before!
Spend Time With Animals
It’s been shown time and time again that people who spend time around pets experience lower levels of anxiety. The type of animal is unimportant; being around any animal that provides you with comfort and support can greatly improve your mood and decrease your feelings of anxiety! Give them plenty of love, and they’ll be sure to return the favor!
Get Better Sleep
Another cause of anxiety is a lack of good quality sleep. If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep, or if you sleep too little or too much, this may be because of, or a potential cause for your anxiety.
There are many ways that you can improve your sleep, from creating a nightly schedule to examining your electronic usage. Get your sleep back on track, and see if your anxiety improves along with it.
Relieve Your Anxiety Through Holistic Remedies
Now that you know a few holistic remedies for anxiety relief, you’re ready to take back control of your life. Use these tips the next time you’re feeling anxious and so you can start to feel better and get on with life!
Are you struggling with feelings of anxiety and don’t know what to do? Have you tried these tips and found them ineffective for you?
Contact us with any anxiety-related questions you have today and continue reading our blog for more helpful health tips.
DISCLAIMER: This post is designed for educational purposes only and are not intended to serve as medical advice. The information provided on this site and in reports should not be used for diagnosing or treating any health problem or disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem or need medical attention, you should consult your healthcare provider.
