A Few Natural Ways to Help with Anxiety

I know what living with an anxiety disorder is like. It's not fun, especially when you have an attack. An anxiety attack can vary and at times you may not realize that is what is happening to you. When I first started having panic attacks it was full blown, couldn't breathe, heart racing, gasping for air, etc... The panic attacks would scare me so bad, it would cause them to get worse instead of better. Afterwards, I would get a massive headache and feel faint. There weren't necessarily any triggers either, they could just happen. I had to teach myself to recognize what was happening and to calm myself down. Not the easiest thing to do. I did have to go on medicine and things seemed better for awhile, in fact, I was able to go off the meds. Now I would have the occasional attack, but under extreme stress and I could identify a cause. Fast forward a couple of years... no symptoms except I would be having extreme hot flashes an being in my early 20's knew I wasn't going through some kind of hormonal change. I went to the doctor who said it was the anxiety disorder and back on meds I went. I'm not against meds and I think some are helpful, but I hated having to take these meds daily to keep calm. I started thinking that there had to be alternatives. So, once again off the meds, I started trying different things. The following is what works for me, it may not work for everyone, but it's worth a try.

Meditation

This is what really helps me. I sit in a quiet room, usually with some music and I just concentrate on my breathing. I relax and try to clear my mind. Let the stresses and worries just roll off you! I like to do this daily, however, that's not always possible, but doing it several times a week helps.

Yoga

Any kind of exercise is going to help relieve anxiety and stress. I have a friend who is an avid runner and when she's stressed she goes for a run. While running helps me as well, I am not an avid runner like she is. Therefore, I turn to yoga. The different movements that stretch your body and muscles feel good and release tension. Depending on the moves you do you can not help but feel either energized or relaxed once you are done.

"Artistic Therapy"

Not really sure what to call this one, so artistic therapy is the closest I came. This can be painting, drawing, music, singing, writing, etc... Something that you enjoy doing that can help you express yourself. It doesn't have to be perfect, it can just be something for your eyes only, something that will help you relax and maybe let out some frustration.

Hot Bath and Hot Tea

I love hot baths and hot tea. Now not necessarily always together, although they are quite nice together. Hot baths just help you relax as well as hot tea. I love hot herbal tea, and will sometimes make my own mixes. There are herbs that are useful for different things, including teas. One that helps me relax is lavender tea. As far as hot baths go, throw in some Epsom salt and soak for a while. It really helps relax you and release tension. I get scented Epsom salts with lavender or eucalyptus in it.

Breathing Exercises

Now I have mentioned several ways to stay relaxed. For me these have really helped me to learn to relax and to get to a calming place in my head quickly if the need arises. However, there are still instances that an attack can occur and hit full force preventing you from getting to that calm place. This is when I usually start taking deep breaths. One technique I use a lot, although not as much as I use to have to, is alternate breathing. This is where you would take your thumb and press against one nostril closing it off. Then inhale and exhale long and deep three times. After this is done remove your thumb from your nose and take a finger from the same hand, I usually use my ring finger it's easier to reach, close off the other nostril and repeat on that side. If you still feel anxious, repeat both nostrils a couple more times each.