Tips to Handle Anxiety Naturally
Anxiety is a common ailment for many Americans, and it can have devastating effects on one’s productivity and happiness. While anxiety is often misunderstood as a minor discomfort, it can bring on many distressing symptoms, including tightness of chest, jitteriness, restlessness, difficulty breathing, irritability, and digestive issues.
When considering how best to face your anxiety, there are many natural ways to handle it that don’t require medicine. Try these before setting out on a medicinal route and you may find that your anxiety is controllable after all.
Laughter Is A Good Medicine
When anxiety hits, the last thing you feel like doing is laughing. But, laughter is truly a good medicine. By surrounding yourselves with a support network of people that help you lighten the mood, you can make laughter a lifestyle.
Other ways to try this natural “medicine” is to read funny stories or joke books. And, if the anxiety is to tense to relax without help, you can resort to such technology as downloadable apps.
Researchers at Loma Linda even found that just the anticipation of a giggle could decrease the cortisol coursing through your brain, which is the reason you are anxious. So, take a moment to enjoy the simple pleasure of laughter and your dopamine levels will thank you.
Schedule Time For Relaxation
Once you’re done laughing, ease into some relaxation time. In particular, do something that you find releases stress while still occupying the mind. Otherwise, simply sitting still with an empty mind may backfire on you.
Choose an activity like a brisk walk, guided meditation, stretching to a yoga video, or listening to your favorite music beside the pool.
However, consider picking something that involves being with other people, since research also shows taking the time to relax for a moment will help to alleviate anxiety by lowering your heart rate after interacting with people.
Take A Supplement
There are a variety of natural remedies that can act as supplements when dealing with chronic anxiety. Taking a supplement regularly, whether purchased online or in a store, can help keep you calm in trying circumstances.
One supplement, called GABA, combats excitability through the interaction of two neurotransmitters. GABA can be found in such edible products as chocolate and has been found to be effective by researchers as a sound way to ingest it.
As with all anxiety treatment supplements, it is important to research interactions online or through your doctor before combining with other prescription medications, as negative interactions are possible in some cases.
Inhale An Essential Oil
Many relaxing essential oils can be found online at places like Amazon, through direct sales companies, or even in brick and mortar stores such as Hobby Lobby. Some of the calming oils include lavender, ylang-ylang, and chamomile.
Essential Oils are safe for application to the skin or even inhalation through a diffuser. When applying to the skin, try the collarbone, temples or wrist. The smell will drift to your nose to help you relax naturally.
Do Something To Ground Yourself
Grounding oneself involves doing something tangible, meaning hands-on or interactive. Sometimes, relaxing calms your mind too much and leaves you open to worry more about what already ails you.
Try even simple acts like smelling the spices in your cabinet, running something nubby back and forth across your fingers, or holding an ice cube in your hand until you can’t stand the cold anymore.
This works because your brain can’t process two events at the same time. In essence, it acts as a natural distraction and brings you out of an unrealistic and often frantic state of mind.
Face Your Fears
It is not uncommon to become scared over even the minutest things. In this case, the best remedy is to face it finally. Those who are shy should try attending more social functions and stay a little longer each time. Unfortunately, when you allow yourself to worry about something that may happen, you are thinking about the uncertainty of the situation.
What you want is to know that everything will be okay. But, life will always be full of uncertainty, and exposing yourself to uncertain situations means heading off the fear and help you live more freely in a world that is rife with uncertainty and even risk.
