Anxiety is one of the biggest illnesses in modern society.. Yes, around 18% of American adults have reported to have anxiety which affects their daily life – including their performance at their jobs. Anxiety symptoms include restlessness, nervousness, and feeling of heart racing. A lot of factors can make you anxious: daily stress, imbalance of required rest and recuperation, substance use, and many other environmental factors.
Anxiety can be treated with drugs like benzodiazepines. Physicians prescribe anti-anxiety drugs depending on your conditions. However, there are some natural ways to tackle anxiety as well. Let’s dive deep into some of these natural ways to help reduce anxiety.
15 Natural Ways to Reduce Anxiety
1. Stop Taking Alcohol
Alcohol changes the level of serotonin ( a neurotransmitter) in the brain. That promotes more anxiety for you. Also, alcohol-induced anxiety takes time to recover. Alcohol consumption may sometimes temporarily ease anxiety symptoms, but the boomerang effect makes anxiety and depression worse.
Excessive consumption will lead to intoxication and takes you to a hangover. You develop symptoms like nausea, headache, dizziness to knock yourself further down. Cutting down on alcohol can actually help reduce anxiety.
2. Physical Exercise
Physical exercise does not only keeps you physically fit but also improves your mental fitness. Physical exercise produces more endorphins. It is a chemical substance in the brain that works as a natural mood enhancer and gives you a sense of personal well being – the antidote to anxiety. Exercise also promotes better sleep and that will also help in reversing anxiety.
Studies have shown that regular 30 minutes workout helps to relieve anxiety and depression. Also, another study showed people with heavy-duty exercises are 25% less likely to suffer from anxiety.
3. Meditation
Meditation incense helps reduce stress and lower anxiety. Yes, meditation styles like Yoga can slow your racing heart, bring an inner balance of mindfulness, and bring you in sync with a peaceful state of mind. You become more relaxed and calm after meditation. So, it lifts your mood, reduces stress and anxiety caused from stress, and helps you concentrate on your work.
Thirty minutes of daily meditation is a great habit to get into to reduce anxiety. You can change up the style of meditation to make it more effective and fun for you. Meditation requires a calm physical space to calm your senses and help you achieve inner peace..
4. Try Sunbath
Get some sunlight on your skin. Sunlight helps absorption of vitamin D. Vitamin D activates the gene that creates the neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin – these chemicals help improving mood and feeling of well being which then reduces anxiety.
When you are trying sunlight, do not try the scorching heat. Instead, choose the morning gentle sun rays. That is more likely to heal your stress. Also, the early morning calmness of the environment has a soothing effect on you.
5. Take Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acid has a direct correlation in improving anxiety. It interferes with our neurobiological process and cuts depression and anxiety. Fish oils are a good source of Omega- 3 fatty acids.You can also find omega 3 in walnut, canola oil, flaxseed oil, and many more.
6. Get Proper Sleep
Insomnia is a very common trigger for anxiety. Proper good sleep will help your body heal from the daily stress and in turn reduce anxiety. You can take a few common steps to get good sleep.
1. Keep your room dark and cool for a good sleep.
2. Try to sleep at night and maintain the same time daily.
3. Avoid caffeine after big meals.
4. Do not tune TV, phones, or laptops in bed.
5. Avoid nicotine before bedtime.
7. Drink Chamomile Tea
A cup of chamomile tea can rest your disturbed nerves. Not only does it reduce stress, but also it treats insomnia. This tea alters your body’s cortisol level. It is a hormone that works on your overall mental stress. A study in Germany showed that taking 220mg of chamomile capsules five times a day greatly reduces stress and anxiety. Patients felt more agile and active in less than three weeks.
8. Herbal Tea
Chamomile tea is just one herbal tea that has a profound impact on reducing anxiety.. You can also try some other herbal tea like oolong tea or green tea to reduce anxiety. These teas are also great for weight loss too.
9. Aroma Therapy
Aromatherapy uses the fragrance of essential oils to lift your mood and promote a soothing effect. Most people use lavender essential oil for that purpose. You can sprinkle a bit of this oil in your bath or a few drops on the bed before you sleep. The floral fragrance has a relaxing effect on the nerves.
10. Hot Bath with Epsom Salt
Epsom salt has magnesium sulfate and fights well against anxiety and stress. Magnesium increases serotonin production in the brain. That improves alleviate anxiety and depression. This salt also has a profound effect on healing muscle pain. You can take this with a hot water bath.
11. Quit Smoking
People love smoking just to get through the stress. Instead, it worsens anxiety just like alcohol. Smoking has long-term harmful effects on our bodies. It can be very addictive as well. So, when you quit smoking, its withdrawal symptoms further worsen your anxiety. So a gradual climb down from smoking is best.
12. CBD Oil
CBD oil is the extract of marijuana plants. Though marijuana has THC, CBD does not. So, it is never responsible for making you high. This oil relieves pain and improves mental illness. You can take CBD oils with vape, topical balm, elixir, or through other mediums. Regular uses of CBD oil have many health benefits.
13. Try Less Caffeine
Caffeine is mainly responsible for nerve stimulation. Higher caffeine intake also breaks your circadian cycle. The possible options are a sleep disturbance of an incomplete sleep at night. So, try to take limited doses of caffeine.. Higher intake can surely bring more stress and anxiety to you. You can find caffeine in dark sodas, coffees, and dark teas.
14. Close your Eye and Take a Deep Breath
When you are bogged down with anxiety, you can try this quick method. Yes, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths for 10 to 15 minutes. This can provide a bit of improvement in the shortest of time for immediate relief from anxiety symptoms.
15. Spend Time with Pets
Sometimes a quality hour with your pets can help relieve stress. Studies have found pets have a very positive impact on the feeling of wellbeing on humans. The feeling of being loved unconditionally has something to do with it. A number of studies showed that playing with a dog or cat can cut stress by up to 50%. Since stress induces anxiety, pets can actually help lower anxiety.
Anxiety is more common than you think. For mild forms of anxiety, you may not require any pharmaceuticals to relieve anxiety.. Instead, you can try the above listed natural methods to come out of anxiety. Mother nature has many healing properties that can aid in relieving anxiety.
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