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Anxiety is a common occurrence in everyday life. Living in a hectic world is the cause of it.
But not all anxiety is harmful. It alerts you to potential threats, encourages you to maintain order and readiness, and aids in risk assessment. However, it’s important to take action before worry spirals out of control when it occurs on a daily basis.
Your quality of life may be significantly impacted by untreated anxiety. Try out the strategies below to regain control.
What is anxiety?
Your body naturally reacts to stress by producing anxiety. Researchers believe a variety of factors, including heredity, the environment, and even brain chemistry, can contribute to the experience of fear or concern. Your body naturally reacts to stress by producing anxiety. Researchers believe a variety of factors, including heredity, the environment, and even brain chemistry, can contribute to the experience of fear or concern.
Common signs of anxiety include:
- Feeling nervous, restless or tense.
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom.
- Having an increased heart rate.
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating.
- Trembling.
It’s crucial to remember that worry can manifest itself differently for various people. While one individual could feel that their tummy is going to start to flutter, another person can experience panic attacks, nightmares, or terrible thoughts.
With that being said, there’s a difference between everyday anxiety and anxiety disorders. Feeling anxious about something new or stressful is one thing, but when it gets to an uncontrollable or excessive point and starts to affect your quality of life, it could be a disorder.
Some anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)
How can I treat anxiety?
There are many different approaches to cure anxiety. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a popular form of treatment that gives patients techniques to manage their anxiety when it manifests.
Additionally, some drugs, such as sedatives and antidepressants, can regulate brain chemistry and lessen anxiety attacks. Even the most severe symptoms might be prevented by them.
But there are both small and significant natural methods you may help manage anxiety if you want to take a more holistic approach.
You can change your eating, sleeping, and exercising routines. You may even give something completely novel a try, like meditation or aromatherapy. Everybody can find a natural technique to assist relieve anxiety, regardless of their lifestyle requirements.
10 natural remedies for anxiety
1. Stay active
Regular exercise can significantly improve your mental health in addition to your physical health.
According to a 2013 study (Trusted Source), individuals with anxiety disorders who reported engaging in a lot of physical exercise were better able to fend off the onset of anxiety symptoms.
There are several potential causes for this. Your focus might be drawn from an anxious-inducing situation by engaging in physical activity.
Additionally, increasing your heart rate alters the chemistry of your brain to make room for anti-anxiety neurochemicals like:
- serotonin
- gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
- brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
- endocannabinoids
The American Psychological Association (APA) claims that regular exercise improves focus and willpower, which helps lessen some anxiety symptoms.
This is mainly a matter of personal preference when it comes to the type of exercise. Running or a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class are your best bets if you want to truly raise your heart rate.
But if you want to start out with something a little less strenuous, exercises like Pilates and yoga might also be equally good for your mental health.
2. Steer clear of alcohol
Since alcohol is a natural sedative, it may initially help to ease the discomfort. However, research (Trusted Source) indicates a connection between alcohol use and anxiety, with anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorder (AUD) frequently coexisting.
Reducing alcohol consumption can help with anxiety and sadness, according to a 2017 (Trusted Source) review that included 63 separate studies.
Drinking too much can upset the neurotransmitter balance that is necessary for good mental health. This interference causes an imbalance that could result in specific anxiety symptoms.
Early sobriety may momentarily raise anxiety, but over time, it can decrease.
Additionally, it’s been demonstrated that alcohol interferes with sleep homeostasis, which prevents your body from falling asleep on its own. And as we’ll see later, getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for battling anxiety.
3. Consider giving up cigarettes.
Smokers frequently reach for a cigarette during stressful situations. Taking a drag on a cigarette when you’re stressed, like drinking alcohol, is a quick fix that may worsen anxiety over time.
According to research (Trusted Source), the earlier you begin smoking in life, the greater your risk of developing an anxiety disorder later in life. According to research, nicotine and other chemicals in cigarette smoke alter brain pathways associated with anxiety.
If you’re looking to quit, there are lots of different ways you can get started. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source recommends finding a safe substitute for cigarettes, like toothpicks.
If you want to quit smoking, there are numerous options available to you. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Trusted Source) suggests substituting toothpicks for cigarettes.
You can also develop habits that will distract you in order to create an environment conducive to your smoke-free lifestyle. You can also make a plan with a support system that can provide anything from encouragement to distractions.
4. Reduce your caffeine intake.
Caffeine is not your friend if you suffer from persistent anxiety. If you’re uneasy, caffeine may make you jittery and agitated, neither of which are helpful.
Caffeine may contribute to or exacerbate anxiety disorders, according to research. In those who suffer from panic disorder, it could potentially trigger panic attacks. Caffeine withdrawal can considerably reduce anxiety symptoms in some persons.
Due to its capacity to change brain chemistry, coffee and anxiety are frequently associated, much like alcohol and alcoholism.
For instance, according to a 2008 study (Trusted Source), caffeine boosts alertness by inhibiting the brain chemical adenosine, which causes fatigue, and simultaneously inducing the production of adrenalin.
All things considered, most people can safely consume a modest amount of caffeine.
However, if you wish to reduce or stop consuming caffeine altogether, you should start by gradually cutting back on your regular intake.
Start substituting water for these drinks to quench your thirst. This will not only fulfil your body’s demand for liquid, but it will also help you stay hydrated and flush caffeine from your system.
Caffeine use can be reduced gradually over a few weeks to assist break the habit without causing withdrawal symptoms in the body.
5. Make getting a good night’s sleep a priority.
Sleep has been shown time and again to be an essential component of good mental health.
The adults are recommended to get atleast 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day, despite a 2012 poll finding that nearly a third of adults sleep for less than 6 hours at night.
You can make sleep a priority by:
- Try to go bed at night when you’re exhausted
- Not reading or watching Netflix in bed
- Not using your phone, tablet, or computer in bed
- And If you can’t sleep, don’t toss and turn in your bed or move to another room.
- Don’t consume coffee, a lot of food, or smoke just before bed.
- Keeping your space chilly and dark
- Composing a list of your concerns before bed
- Sleeping at the same hour every night
- And the forbidden trick if everything fails open your maths book // joking 😉
6. Meditate and practice mindfulness
Full awareness of the present moment, which involves observing all thoughts without judgement, is one of the fundamental objectives of meditation. Your capacity to deliberately endure all thoughts and sensations will grow as a result, which might bring to a feeling of peace and satisfaction.
A key component of CBT, meditation is believed to reduce stress and anxiety.
30 minutes a day of meditation, according to John Hopkins research, may reduce some anxiety symptoms and have antidepressant effects.
Conclusion
The suggestions above could help you feel less worried.
Keep in mind that while home treatments may reduce anxiety, they shouldn’t be used in place of professional assistance. Therapy or prescription medication may be necessary to treat increased anxiety. Discuss your worries with your doctor.
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