11 Natural Remedies for Anxiety You Can Try Today

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin With all of the stresses and pressures of the modern world, mental health issues are on the rise. Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental wellness concerns today and can make the sufferer feel utterly helpless and out of control. While anxiety medications can certainly be helpful (and necessary) to some, they can also cause a lot of inconvenient and potentially dangerous side effects. Because of this, many people prefer to manage their anxiety with natural methods when possible. Since everyone experiences anxiety differently, it can be helpful to try various anxiety remedies to see what works for you. The following practices are all safe, natural, can be used in conjunction with medication or as an alternative to it, and have helped many people reduce symptoms of anxiety. Book a consultation with NoVA today to see how we can help!

Foods that Help with Anxiety; Anti Anxiety Diet

Diet has a lot to do with how much anxiety we feel. If you suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, or other anxiety issues, it is important to reduce sugar, caffeine, and alcohol and add more foods that are high in fatty acids and rich in magnesium to your diet. This includes fish, organic chicken, leafy greens, avocado, yogurt, and kefir. In addition to paying attention to what you eat, make sure that you are eating enough. If you skip meals or don’t eat large enough quantities, you will experience dips in blood sugar levels, resulting in increased stress and anxiety.

Exercise and Anxiety

Even one 20-minute aerobic exercise session can get rid of excess anxious energy and improve your mood for hours afterwards. Try to do a few short sessions of rigorous exercise every week—it’s likely to make a big difference. You can keep this really simple—go for a run around the block, put on your favorite music and dance around the house, go for a swim, or play with your dog.

Anxiety and Sleep

Easier said than done, right? Anxiety commonly goes hand-in-hand with insomnia because the two feed into one another. Anxious thoughts keep you up at night and lack of sleep increases anxious feelings. There are a few practical things you can do to ease insomnia and get the sleep you need. One of the most effective ways to treat insomnia is to enforce a regular routine. Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning (yes, even on weekends) and create a pre-bedtime ritual that you follow every night. This can include a few calming activities like a warm bath with lavender oil, a cup of herbal tea (chamomile, passionflower, lemon balm, peppermint, and hops, are all great for encouraging sleep), and/or practical planning for the next day like writing out a “To Do” list or choosing an outfit for the morning. Whatever you include in your bedtime ritual is up to you, just keep it consistent.

Aromatherapy for Anxiety

Simply open a bottle of essential oil and inhale deeply, add a few drops to a diffuser, into your bath water, or rub a tiny bit on your wrists, behind your ears, and on your feet. Buy an aromatherapy bed spray to spritz on your pillow and linens before bedtime to help you relax into a restful slumber. Anxiety-reducing scents: lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, vetiver

New Experiences

Novel things can boost production of dopamine, the chemical that signals our brain to feel joy, so seeking out new experiences is a good way to reduce anxiety. Start small, as a sudden major change can increase anxiety, but small things like going to a restaurant you’ve never tried or walking a different route to work will give your wellbeing a boost. Keep track of the new things you’re trying in a journal and record how it makes you feel in order to motivate yourself to keep it up.

Grounding Techniques for Anxiety

If you feel anxious or like you may be experiencing the beginnings of a panic attack, you can sometimes calm down using a grounding technique. This is essentially a way of distracting your brain from the anxiety at hand. Here are a few popular grounding techniques you can try: 5-4-3-2-1 Method – Focus on your senses by telling yourself 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Doing this forces your brain to slow down, focus on the present, and ground you in your body. Use a Grounding Talisman – Pick a small object that you can hold in your hand. It can be textured or smooth, as long as it is pleasant to the touch. Things like crystals, pretty stones, or other small items that are in some way attractive or meaningful to you work well. Hold the object in your hand and really focus on how it feels and looks. How heavy or light is it? How does the surface feel? Is it smooth or rough? This is a great on-the-go grounding technique because you can keep your grounding object in your pocket and grab it when you need a little dose of calm. You can use any small object nearby for this technique, but many people like to choose a special item that they keep with them as a grounding talisman. Make a List – a good way to distract your brain from anxious thought is to list something mundane. Pick a category and list as many things within that category that you can remember. The list can be anything—famous actors, cat breeds, European countries, whatever! The point is simply to get your mind concentrating on something that requires memory and focus but that doesn’t affect your current situation or increase stress levels. Making a list will help you to feel safe and bring you back into a calm state of mind.

Connect with Nature

Just spending a little time in nature can have a profoundly healing effect on your mental health and general welfare. Going somewhere that is quiet save for natural sounds like birdsong can lower cortisol levels, decreasing anxiety simultaneously. Getting out in nature is so beneficial to feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression that in Japan it has become a very popular form of therapy called “Forest Bathing.” Forest bathing is simply the act of taking a mindful, quiet walk through a wooded area solely for the benefit of your mental health.

Hypnosis for Anxiety

Hypnosis is a natural, safe option that helps many anxiety sufferers manage their disorder and find an increased sense of wellbeing. During a hypnosis session for anxiety, your provider will put your mind into a relaxed state in order to access your subconscious and begin to work through your feelings of anxiety. At the end of the session, the hypnosis practitioner will bring you back to a state of alertness and go over an action plan of what you can to do work through your anxious feelings in your daily life. Many clients find a positive change after just one or two hypnosis appointments during their hypnosis program, though everyone is different and it can take longer for some people.
Book a session with one of our Board-Certified Hypnois Providers today!

Set Goals You Know You’ll Achieve

Finishing a goal signals the production of dopamine in the body. You can use this to your advantage by writing out a “To Do” list with very achievable goals (like “take a shower,” “buy groceries,” “text a friend”). By the end of the day, you’ll be able to cross off all your goals and feel a sense of accomplishment, which will boost dopamine and reduce anxiety.

Breathing Exercise for Anxiety

There are a ton of different breathing exercises that can help to calm an anxiety flare-up or panic attack. You can find many different breathing techniques and guided meditations online, but a good one to start with is to inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds, and repeat the cycle 5 times or until you feel calmer. Breathing exercises like this one regulate your breath and ensure that you are taking deep breaths as opposed to breathing shallow or forgetting to breathe at all, both of which are common in moments of increased anxiety and during anxiety attacks.

Unplug

Take regular breaks from technology, especially social media. Social media is emotionally draining because it encourages us to compare our lives with others and increases FOMO. Social media also takes up a lot of time, so in addition to feeling better emotionally during a break from social media you will likely be more productive, which also relieves anxiety. It is a good idea to take regular breaks from all devices—leave work emails at work, don’t read the news every single day, and turn Netflix off for a night.

How Can NoVA Help?

At NoVA, we are dedicated to helping people live their best lives, naturally. We understand that feelings of anxiety can be crippling and can affect every aspect of your life from your work to your personal relationships. Our board-certified hypnosis practitioners have experience working with feelings of anxiety and are professional, reliable, and friendly. Learn more about hypnosis for anxiety (link to hypnosis for anxiety landing page) and book your initial assessment today!
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