When you’re experiencing panic attacks, suffering from a specific phobia or battling generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), many people will recommend speaking to your doctor, beginning a course of medication and attending therapy. This can work, but some prescriptions commonly used to treat these disorders can prove addictive, and withdrawal can cause a host of unpleasant symptoms.
Are there natural alternatives to treating anxiety? Absolutely. Talk therapy requires no chemical treatment to prove effective, and a ton of other remedies have demonstrated efficacy across the ages. Here are seven ways to try treating your anxiety the natural way.
1. Move Your Body
Countless studies have demonstrated the connection between regular exercise and experiencing improved mental health. It increases blood flow to the brain, allowing vital oxygen to bathe the organ. Working out can balance hormones naturally and create new positive neural pathways in the brain. Getting moving provides an immediate endorphin rush that boosts your mood in moments.
2. Use Food as Medicine
Western minds think of food and medicine as two distinct beasts. However, certain kinds contain nutrients that improve moods. Here are specific things to try incorporating more of into your diet if you’re suffering from anxiety:
- Zinc: Zinc decreases anxiety naturally, so nosh on oysters or egg yolks if you’re a pescatarian or snack on cashews if you practice vegan eating.
- Magnesium: In lab mice, those who ate a diet low in magnesium exhibited more anxious behaviors. Foods rich in magnesium include deep, leafy greens like spinach, nuts like walnuts and legumes.
- B vitamins: Foods like avocados and almonds are huge in the vegan set because they contain B vitamins. One form, vitamin B12, is found only in animal products, so those who eschew meat may wish to discuss supplements with their doctor.
- Probiotics: Researchers learn more about the gut-brain connection daily. One recent study found those who ate probiotic-rich foods like kefir and tempeh had lower levels of social anxiety.
3. Engage in Mindfulness Meditation
Engaging in meditation daily can help you analyze and refocus anxious thoughts. Meditation enables you to stop overthinking and worrying and focus on the present moment. When you meditate, you realize truths like “whatever you’re worrying about is not happening right now” at the soul level.
4. Sip Some Herbal Tea
It’s easy to want to pop benzodiazepines when you feel anxious, but doing so can lead to addiction and painful withdrawal symptoms when you quit. Instead, try calming your anxiety with herbal tea. Chamomile makes for a great choice, and you can add a bit of honey to sweeten it for extra antioxidants. Try this chamomile and lavender tea recipe, accompanying scone optional.
5. Turn on Your Essential Oil Diffuser
Essential oils can bust anxiety anywhere, and as a bonus, they smell much better than your cubicle mate’s microwaved halibut. You can invest in an inexpensive diffuser for less than $10 at many stores. Then you can experiment with your own blends — try valerian, holy basil, jasmine and lavender for starters and go from there.
6. Learn Deep Breathing
If you have panic attacks, you’re no doubt familiar with hyperventilation, the experience of breathing and heart rate increasing dramatically. Practicing slow, deep breathing exercises can stop an attack from growing worse and help you find your center. This technique also comes in handy should you ever decide to have a tattoo or another painful procedure to distract you from the ouch factor and keep your nerves under control.
7. Go Under the Needle
No, not the kind containing medication — we’re referring to acupuncture needles. Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in Asian medicine to treat a host of ailments, and any practice with such a track record must work.
You don’t need to rely upon the historical record. Western science suggests acupuncture as an efficacious treatment for anxiety disorders. In one study of those with mild anxiety and depression, resting heart rate was significantly lower among a group receiving three courses of genuine acupuncture treatments compared to those receiving a sham protocol.
Treating Anxiety Naturally
There’s no need to turn to drugs as a first line of anxiety treatment. By trying the natural remedies above, many patients find relief without a visit to the doctor becoming necessary. While it’s always wise to seek care when problems grow in severity, a healthy first line of defense that stems from nature can cure many mild mood disorders.
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