Sometimes anxiety can be a natural bi-product of a hectic and busy life. It can be something that makes you aware of a danger in your life or a project you need to finish or the problems in a relationship you need to resolve. But sometimes it can be an unhealthy and crippling thing in your life. If it does become something unhealthy and dysfunctional, you need to act upon it and make sure it doesn’t ruin your life.
Here are 10 natural solutions for anxiety.
First the “Don’t’s then the “Do’s”
1. Don’t smoke – People who smoke sometimes tend to smoke because they are stressed. But research and studies have found that it actually raises the heart rate and creates anxiety disorders later in life as well as the fact that the chemicals in cigarettes like nicotine and other chemicals change the pathways in our brains linked to anxiety. In essence, smoking will make you think you are helping your stress and anxiety but you are actually making it worse.
2. Don’t drink caffeine – Research has shown that caffeine makes people’s anxiety worse and that is increases anxiety symptoms. You need to try to drink something else, like decaffeinated tea for a while. Try chamomile tea and see how that goes instead of your cup of coffee.
3. Don’t drink alcohol – Alcohol is a sedative but when the alcohol high and sedation is over, anxiety can come back even stronger and make you miserable. Drinking alcohol to sedate yourself or try to make your anxiousness go away will also make you dependent on alcohol making a solution for one problem actually create another problem. And as stated, when the anxiety comes back, now you realize you have two problems instead of one.
Now for the Do’s
4. Try taking CBD oil. – You can read about CBD oil here and if you are interested in buying CBD oil, you can check that out on our CBD Product page here. Studies have shown that CBD oil can alleviate people’s anxiety and stress as long as they are using it continuously like a vitamin supplement; meaning that if you use it for the first time in a day, you may not see all the effects later in that day but in a week or so you will if you are using it every day.
5. Get sleep – Lack of sleep, or insomnia, is a bi-product of anxiety. What you need to do is: sleep when you’re tired, try to sleep at a reasonable time at night, don’t watch TV in bed, avoid large meals before bed, try to eat your last meal a few hours before bed time, keep your bedroom dark, stay away from personal devices like cell phones or tablets (studies have shown that staring into the screen at night is not only bad for your eyes but will keep you up longer), stay away from caffeinated drinks or cigarettes before bed time and do your best to shut your brain down (meaning tell yourself you will not think of anything because it is bed time).
6. Meditate – Meditation is one of the greatest ways to calm yourself down and basically tell all your thoughts (including stressful obtrusive thoughts) to go away. Clear your mind and relax before bed time with a few minutes (15 minutes if you can) of good meditation.
7. Deep breathing exercises – We’ve all heard of the phrase “This too shall pass.” When you have a very stressful situation and you are full of anxiety. Take a deep breath and hold it for 3 slow seconds. Then let it out as slowly as possibly and think to your self, “This too shall pass.” If you want, you could say that phrase after you breath out completely. But do this for about 3-5 minutes. Some people find that just taking 3 or 5 slow breaths and holding it in and then letting it out slowly is enough to lower their anxiety level.
8. Eat healthy – Studies have found that eating food high in artificial colors, preservatives and other chemicals cause changes in a person’s mood including including high blood pressure, higher heart rates, and temperament. Eat a healthy diet because not only is it better for you but it will make you FEEL better and you actually will probably have less anxiety and it actually might put a smile on your face. Stay away from processed foods if possible and replace them with fruit and vegetables and lean proteins like free range chicken or beans.
9. Focus on something – Focus on someone you love. Focus on something you like (like a band, a song, a place you want to visit or a place you have visited, etc..). Try to focus on reading a great book. Focus on doing something creative (like painting, playing music, writing, etc…). This is almost like meditating except that you are in the act of creating an idea or a thing. The creative process and focusing on that will take you away from what is giving you anxiety or stress.
10. Aromatherapy – Studies have shown that aromatherapy reduces your heart rate and blood pressure. Aromatherapy can also help you create a better mood, relax and sleep. It’s no wonder that department stores and companies (like airlines) use aromas and scents to spray to boost people’s mood or get them to relax. Some essential oils you can think of that will help are vanilla oleoresin, lavender, lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, and ylang ylang.
So there you have it; ten ways to relieve anxiety and stress