Natural Remedies for Anxiety

4 Vital Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Anxiety Symptoms

Having anxiety can be incredibly stressful and, without some help, you may find it difficult for you to go through your daily routine and the things that you like to do on a regular basis.

That being said, there are a lot of different things that you can do naturally that will help reduce your anxiety and help you to feel a lot better when you’re trying to get through your day.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at anxiety in a little more detail and give you some remedies that you can try in order to help you relax a little bit better.

 Natural Remedies for Anxiety

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety can be a lot of different things for a lot of different people, but that’s why it’s important that we explore it and try to figure out the best way to deal with such things.

That being said, anxiety is usually a feeling of dread or nervousness that you may experience when you’re going through your daily life. Generalized anxiety disorder is a lot more than just worrying – it’s about worrying about every little thing that you deal with in your daily life. Other types of anxiety include phobias and social anxiety disorders.

Why Natural?

Anxiety has a lot of treatments available, and many people find that they have to go on some sort of treatment plan in order to be able to function as they would like to on a daily basis.

Since anxiety can be so overwhelming, it’s important to look through everything that you have available to figure out the best course of action and to feel comfortable with whatever it is that you decide to do when it comes to taking care of it.

Here is a look at some of the natural things you can do in order to alleviate your anxiety symptoms.

Natural Solutions That You Can Try

Try Some Herbs

When you think of natural remedies that are related to taking care of your anxiety, the first thing that comes to mind is herbs. Whereas those are not the only natural remedies for your anxiety symptoms (we will talk about some of the others down below), they can be a huge part of what you’re doing.

Here is a look at some of the most common herbs and supplements that are being utilized in order to make it easier for people to deal with their anxiety.

Passionflower

One of the most commonly used herbs related to anxiety is the passionflower. This flower has been shown to work as well, if not better than, a number of the medications that are out there that can help to reduce the signs and symptoms related to anxiety.

A number of different studies have been done by well-known research centers, including the one at the University of Maryland, and it has actually been proven to help with sleeping and other issues that you may deal with when you’re talking about anxiety.

One reason that a lot of people will use passionflower instead of medication is because it doesn’t have all of the same side effects that you have to fend off and deal with when you’re taking anxiety medication – the most important thing being that you don’t feel as sleepy as you would otherwise, which can really help you to get through and enjoy your day.

In short, passionflower is usually one of the first natural remedies that you should try if you think that you want to go on the natural route to dealing with your anxiety and anxiety symptoms.

Lavender

We have all heard about taking a lavender bath when we’re feeling stressed out or anxious. The scent of lavender can actually play quite a significant role in helping people to feel more relaxed.

Have you ever tried taking one at the end of your day? If not, see how much it can help you out – a lot of people have actually seen a huge difference in their anxiety just by doing that.

Of course, that’s not the only thing that you can do with lavender. If you decide to try and find something that you can do instead of taking medication, then you may want to consider taking lavender oil as a supplement.

Like passionflower, it can actually make a huge difference when it’s compared with the traditional medications. And, also, lavender is known for helping you to relax, but it won’t make you sleep, which is a problem that plagues many who are on medications for their anxiety symptoms.

Lemon Balm

Many people don’t realize that lemon balm, which is usually used in conjunction with lavender, passionflower, and other herbs, actually has more of a reason than just helping those supplements to taste a lot better.

By itself, it helps to reduce the amount of anxiety symptoms that you are feeling. A lot of what lemon balm does is related to your mood, however. So, if your mood is more relaxed and/or less depressed, you’re in a much better place when it comes to dealing with anxiety.

It even helps with alertness, so if you feel distracted, you will feel a lot better when you utilize lemon balm as one of the many things that you’re taking.

Ashwagnda

Many people have not heard of this plant, but it’s actually an interesting flower that has an extract that can help to reduce your blood pressure, thus helping your body to fend off the physical issues that are usually related to dealing with anxiety and panic attacks.

Some studies have even suggested that Ashwagnda extract was as useful, or even better, than Lorazepam (which is usually referred to by its name brand, Ativan), which is a big deal because Ativan is usually used for those who have severe, debilitating panic attacks.

While these are not the only supplements that you can add to your routine in order to help your anxiety symptoms calm down a bit, they definitely can play a big role in helping you out.

In some cases, you may even find that you’re able to use them instead of medication (but, always seek out your doctor before you make that sort of change).

 Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Calm Your Brain With Meditation

As we mentioned above, there are also a number of other natural things that you can do in order to make sure that your mind is working the way that it is supposed to be working. One of the most common techniques that people try when they are dealing with anxiety symptoms and disorders is that they add meditation to their regular routine.

Why has meditation become a popular way to deal with anxiety? Because at the center of meditation is centering, which is the act of being present. Many of the problems that are related to anxiety usually have to do with the fact that your mind is going incredibly quickly and you feel as if you are not present in the moment and place that you are currently in.

Because meditation focuses so much on centering the self and the body, you will find that you feel a lot more focused and, instead of your mind running away with you, you will be able to process your thoughts a lot more easily, thus reducing the amount of anxiety that you feel.

Many people, even those who are on medication for their anxiety, have decided to add meditation into their daily routine to help with the stress and frustration that anxiety often causes.

Here are just a few things that you can do in order to incorporate meditation into your life in such a way that you will feel relief from the symptoms that have been causing you so much trouble.

Take some time to think about the worries that may be in the back of your mind. Sit down and work through them, and deal with them in a way that is tangible and that you can recognize. That way, they don’t end up going out of control and you feel a lot more comfortable with the results that you get from your efforts.

Make sure that you know that you’re currently present where you are standing or sitting. Wiggle your toes and pay attention to the floor or ground that is beneath your feet. Rub your hands together or rub them up and down against your thighs in order to sense that you are currently here and not “out there” where your mind may be trying to take you. Wiggle your nose and your fingers. Just take time to be aware of your body and its presence, right here, right now.

Take some time out to enjoy nature and fresh air. Nature is something that a lot of us don’t get in touch with enough, and because of that, we may feel more detached. By going outside to take a walk, or even just to sit in a serene area, will help you to feel a lot more relaxed and a lot less stressed in the long run. Even if you only go outside for a few minutes, you’ll feel a lot better.

Breathe deep! Belly breathing is a huge help, because it reduces your blood pressure, helps with lung capacity, and helps you to focus on something other than the anxiety that you’re feeling. It also gives your brain more oxygen, which helps it to calm down and relax more.

It doesn’t matter how you meditate, as long as you find a way to relax and get yourself centered. Yoga can be a great way to start meditating, if you feel comfortable doing it.

There are lots of yoga options that you can use at home, or you can take classes to learn the proper skills. Either way, meditation is an all-natural way to deal with your anxiety that has been proven to help you relax and enjoy life more.

Deal With Your Nervous Tummy

Anxiety often has a number of physical symptoms that you’re trying to fend off. Some people will shake, others will twitch, and many people will end up dealing with that “dropping gut” feeling that so many people get when they’re nervous.

In the worst cases, someone may find it difficult for them to eat if they are too nervous and their stomach is acting up. That being said, your nervous tummy can, and should, be dealt with as quickly as possible so that you can go back to the normal routine that you have.

Remember how we talked about lemon balm before? Lemon balm is also known to help calm your stomach down, so if you weren’t considering using it with our initial suggestion, you definitely want to think about using it if you’re dealing with a nervous tummy as part of your anxiety issues.

There are a number of other stomach relaxers that you can try using as well, including milk thistle, mint, licorice, caraway, and chamomile. If you go to a health food store, you can often find mixtures that have been specially developed in order to deal with the anxiety symptoms that may be happening in and around your abdomen and stomach.

Try out a couple of them (they’re usually teas or supplements) and see which ones give you the results that you need and are looking for.

Refocus Your Energy

Since many of the things we talk about here deal with how the body needs to be balanced with the mind, and with holistic medicine, one of the things that you want to think about is refocusing your energy.

According to those who practice energy healing and balance, one of the main reasons that you end up fighting off anxiety is because your mind has too much energy, whereas other parts of the body aren’t getting the energy that they need.

That imbalance is causing you to feel anxious and it makes it difficult for you to function as a part of your daily life. All that being said, it takes a little bit of time to learn where you need to refocus that energy to.

Some practitioners will tell you to take an elixir on a daily basis (which usually includes many of the different herbs and supplements that we talked about in the first section) in order to help the energy to go into your digestive system a little more effectively.

Others may tell you that you have to determine an outlet for your energy that locates it to another part of the body, thus making it easier for you to deal with whatever it is that you’re trying to take care of.

As with everything else related to holistic health, you want to make sure that you find the balance that you need in order to have optimum health.

If nothing else, put your energy to good use. A lot of people will tell you that taking that anxious energy and turning it into a different type of energy (for example, productivity and/or exercise), it can end up moving the energy throughout your body, thus making it easier for you to function and move forward with what it is that you’re trying to do.

While you should be doing this “energy shift” alongside some of the other remedies that we’ve talked about (because with anxiety disorder, you can’t just will it away), it still could be a great exercise for you. Meditation, which we talked about above, may also make a difference so that you can feel better and have the proper energy instead of your stress energy.

 Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Conclusion

So, as you can see, you have a lot of options available that you can look at and consider. These aren’t the only things that you can try, but they are definitely a good start. A lot of the process of trying to find the right way for you to go forward with your natural anxiety remedies is figuring out what works for you and what doesn’t work for you.

If one thing doesn’t work, then try out something else that may work better. The trial and error process is common with all areas of mental health, so don’t let it concern or worry you if it takes a while to find the natural remedies that are going to work for your specific anxiety needs and concerns.

No matter what decision you make about your anxiety treatment, make sure that you are always in touch with a medical professional about the changes and adjustments that you are going to want to make.

They have been trained to deal with issues like anxiety, and therefore can give you the guidance that you need when it comes to getting the best treatment that you possibly can.

With that, you will want to make sure that you’ve got everything that you need and that they can guide you through how you should go about using and embracing these natural therapies for yourself. On top of that, if there are any issues that come up, they can help you figure those out as well.

References:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/expert-answers/herbal-treatment-for-anxiety/faq-20057945

http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/5-herbs-to-calm-anxiety-without-being-drowsy

http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Oz-All-Natural-Cures-for-Anxiety

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