Natural Treatments For Dealing With Anxiety
The millions of people that suffer from anxiety are all too familiar with the horrible grip it has on their lives. You know you have to deal with your anxiety before it destroys relationships, jobs, and your own health. You may be leery of taking medication out of fear for all the side effects, or maybe the cost is prohibitive. Many people with anxiety issues are too anxious to set up an appointment with a physician trained in cognitive therapy. Several options exist for those longing to follow a natural path of healing and restoration.
Alcohol plays an often misunderstood role in elevating the suffering of an anxious person. Eliminating or at least reducing alcohol consumption may help keep the problem in check. Those who drink only occasionally may be able to continue without trouble, but be on the alert for anxiety episodes following a drink.
The caffeine and sugar in that morning coffee, afternoon chocolate bar, or game day soda could be eliciting your anxious responses. Reducing these stimulants in your body requires you to earnestly watch what you put in your body and make changes. Slowly replace your current foods and beverages with unsweetened or decaffeinated versions. Do not drop all sweeteners and caffeine cold turkey, or you may feel deprived, thus increasing your anxiety instead of reducing it. While investigating your body’s response to these foods, you will begin to know what does and does not affect your anxiety and what needs to go.
Besides removing unnecessary additives from your diet, you will do well to focus your eating and supplementation around healthy foods. Protein and healthy fats work together to maintain stable blood sugar levels and avoid spikes in mood as well. Supplement your diet with a vitamin high in a broad range of B vitamins to calm your mind and fill in the nutrient gaps in your eating.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day until it becomes a habit and you wake up naturally at the proper time. Even those who do not suffer anxiety cannot successfully face each day with continual sleep deprivation. Your mind similarly needs the time to process the day’s activities, to rest, and to exist in a state of calm for a few hours. The ideal sleep requirement varies for everyone, but falls somewhere between seven and nine hours.
Train your thoughts away from your anxiety or anything that exacerbates it. Clear your mind of any worries prior to going to bed. Don’t dwell on it during the day. Keeping relaxing pictures and cherished mementos at hand may help. Whenever you feel yourself sinking into anxiety, draw yourself out by refocusing your mind on an activity, mission, or even a pet.
The best way to achieve immediate relief is to get up and get moving. Exercise distracts your mind while flooding it with oxygen’s healing and common influence. Exercising in the fresh outdoor air in a natural setting has an even greater settling effect.
