5 Effective Ways To Manage Anxiety Naturally

Anxiety is one of those things that is difficult to describe to someone who has never had it. Primarily because it often makes no sense and has varying symptoms from person to person. I’ve had much experience lately with it with an inflammatory syndrome that struck about 6 months ago. I will say that among the laundry list of other symptoms this condition comes with, the anxiety is the worst to handle and manage. That said, it is not impossible to make better or even overcome completely. Before I go any further, make sure to talk to your doctor about your anxiety symptoms as soon as possible. He/she may have some good advice about how to control it. In the meantime, here are some effective ways to manage anxiety.

A Few Things You Should Know

Anxiety often shows up at the least expected times, varies in intensity, and can even go away just as quickly. It’s unpredictable and can leave you wondering if you’re losing your mind. It can also be difficult to manage, depending on the source and severity. I do know, however, hope and awareness are imperative to keep your joy as you work your way through it.

Finding what works for you will take some experimentation and likely some help from your doctor, therapist, and support team. I’ve taken all the help I can get lately, and, I’m happy to say that I’m much better than I was several months ago.

Manage Anxiety #1: Meditation and Deep Breathing

Though a meditative practice may not change your circumstances, it can help you cope with adversity by calming your mind and body. The key to success with meditation is consistency. I recommend practices at least daily if not several times a day during anxiety bouts. I also couple my practice with setting a daily intention and being present. During some of the really bad days, I would literally take five minute periods of time to get through as a goal. It helped me to stay focused in the present moment so I didn’t get overwhelmed with the thought that it was going to be a long, miserable day.

Manage Anxiety #2: Exercise

I know during times of crisis and anxiety the last thing you may want to do is go for a walk or pick up a weight. Trust me, I understand. However, I do know that the days I make myself move more tend to go better mentally and physically. Simply going for a short walk with my daughter brings my focus to the beauty of nature and the feeling of fresh air in my nose and lungs. 

Exercise creates feel-good brain chemicals that do help you fight anxiety and depression. Again, the key is to get moving regularly. Set a special time every day to walk, practice yoga, stretching, or some other easy form of exercise. 

Manage Anxiety #3: Eat Well

Eating a quality diet is crucial for overall good health. Because anxiety can pop up from underlying conditions, changing your diet could help you manage or overcome it. Discuss an eating plan with your doctor or dietician for the best results.  There are some obvious things that you could change though. Try to limit sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and anything that is hard for the body to digest, especially before going to bed. These things are naturally stimulating and can add to a cortisol rush, which can be a culprit behind some anxiety symptoms.

Manage Anxiety #4: Ask Your Doctor about Supplements and Tests

Two of the top things that my functional MD recommended for me was the supplement L-Theanine and getting my Pregnenolone and DHEA levels tested. Keep in mind, your mainstream MD or specialist may not know about these tests or supplements. My practitioner is a functional doctor who specializes in getting to the core of illness and fixing it at the grassroots level.

Anyway, my pregnenolone level was rock bottom, basically causing my brain to interpret everything as a threat…the best definition of anxiety I could give you. After just a short week of taking a pregnenolone supplement under his advisement for dosing, the anxiety was basically cut in half in frequency, intensity, and duration.

Secondly, he advised me to start taking a supplement called L-Theanine. He advised a gradual increase of the dosage until I had relief. I recommend that you find a functional practitioner who can help you understand how these or other supplements can help you.

Manage Anxiety #5: Other Methods 

Hypnosis 

Though I have not tried hypnosis for anxiety, I have a friend who swears by it. I recommend getting a referral or doing some research online for information. Here is one company that has services for anxiety, weight loss, stress, money issues, etc. https://www.siliconvalleyhypnosiscenter.com/lose-weight-with-the-help-of-silicon-valley-hypnotherapy/

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy 

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, or CBT for short, is a therapy technique that many counselors provide which sets out to try and examine the way that we deal with particular situations. It then helps to retrain the brain to create a new way of dealing with that problem in the future. 

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

I’ve used EFT extensively during times of anxiety and for other reasons. It is easy to use anywhere, anytime and does help you to refocus your attention consciously and subconsciously. Here is a link to EFT basics you can try today.

Acupuncture and Acupressure

These two therapies are my go-to for many ailments, including anxiety. The first time I got acupuncture, I noticed a distinct improvement in the intensity of the anxiety while I was on the treatment table. I’ve never had anything work so fast!

I also do acupressure on myself at home in between acupuncture treatments. I just search online for the appropriate points and work on them as needed. You can also get acupressure treatments done professionally as with acupuncture.

**** This post is strictly informational and is not meant to replace the advice of your healthcare provider. Women’s lifelink, it’s owners, administrators, contributors, affiliates, vendors, authors and editors do not claim that this information will diagnose, treat, or improve any condition or disease.