Anxiety is a nasty beast. It shows up without warning, sometimes in the middle of the night. It comes with that feeling of being squirming in your own skin. Feeling terribly uncomfortable, with a beating heart, flushed face, heavy breathing. Here we’ve highlighted some of the most effective natural remedies for anxiety based on decades of experience as mental health practitioners.
But there are natural ways to beat anxiety. To be honest, these remedies are often much more effective than medications. If you’re done with this feeling, and ready to make a change, here are some effective natural remedies for anxiety to consider.
Ways to Beat Anxiety in 2022
Mindfulness
Mindfulness has a rapidly growing body of evidence that supports its incredibly positive effects. Anxiety is defined by some as the rumination on the past or future, but not the present. It looks like worries about what could happen or what has happened, neither of which we can fully control. So in other words, anxiety is the worry about things that are out of our control as a means of responding to an overactive central nervous system.
As one of the most effective natural remedies for anxiety, practicing mindfulness works to bring us into the here and now. It trains our brain to be self-compassionate, and attentive to the experiences we are having now, not in experiences that exist in our heads. Mindfulness looks like:
- Meditation, but also…
- The daily practice of being present
- Self care
- Self awareness
- Self compassion
- Self reflection
Ditch the coffee
Coffee does not give you energy. It fools your body into ignoring its “I’m tired” signals. Coffee is also a stimulant. It acts much like your body’s response to anxiety and threat stimuli. Meaning, it makes your body pump adrenaline and/or cortisol through your system, triggering your systems to act as if there is an external threat present.
You read that right. As far as your body is concerned, large amounts of caffeine = anxiety symptoms = perceived threats to safety. This isn’t to say that coffee is your arch enemy. But it most definitely doesn’t not do any favors for those who experience anxiety (which, by the way, is nearly everyone).
If you’re like me, coffee is a part of your routine, part of your daily ritual. It’s hard to give it up. So here are three tips for reducing the amount of caffeine you intake:
- Go with decaf. There are two parts to a habit. The ritual and the sensations. Decaf won’t help you kick the dependence on caffeine, but it’ll help you with the ritual habit of having that first daily cup of coffee, the one on your commute, or however you enjoy it.
- Try an alternative like Yerba Mate tea. Yerba Mate has a more natural form of caffeine that doesn’t provide the rapid spike, the jitters, or the crash. Your body will become less dependent on it, and you won’t feel the quick ups and downs. My personal favorite is Clean Cause. We like this one in particular because it tastes like seltzer, and 50% of profits go to supporting those struggling with addiction.
- Baby steps. Reduce your coffee consumption gradually and slowly. Stopping something cold turkey being easier is a myth. The best way to change a habit of behavior is one little bit at a time.
Natural Ashwaganda Gummies
Ashwagandha has so many benefits for our health and wellness that it deserves it’s own dedicated post. An herb that’s been used for 3,000 years, Ashwagandha tastes horrible (except in these gummies in which Goli Nurition has somehow blended magic and pixie dust and ashwagandha to taste great).
Ashwagandha has myriad benefits in addition to being proven to reduce stress and anxiety symptoms. They include reducing blood sugar, possibly preventing cancer, reducing cortisol levels (the stress hormone), fighting depression, increasing testosterone and virility in men, increasing muscle mass and strength, improving sleep, reducing inflammation and cholesterol, and improving brain function and memory. Yea, that’s all it does.
Exercise
Regular exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety – especially aerobic exercise. Not only does exercise release endorphins and other happy brain chemicals, but regular movement helps your body relieve tension. This is important because body tension can trigger (or enhance) a cycle of anxiety. When your body feels tense, your mind interprets it as anxiety. When you feel anxiety, your body tenses. This becomes a vicious cycle.
So how much exercise is enough? This is an ironic answer. Even a little bit of moderate exercise like a brisk walk can make a difference. So in that sense, just a little bit works. But, studies have shown there are proportionate benefits based on how much you exercise. This means, essentially, the more the better! So walk, run, bike, lift, box, anything! And you’ll start to feel better.
Balance your estrogen with natural DIM Complex
DIM has been proven to provide serious relief from tons of symptoms related to hormone imbalances. Especially for women, the natural hormones in your body connect to every major body system including appetite, sleep, and metabolic systems. Not the least of which is the body’s ability to process stress.
Taking natural DIM extract can balance your hormones and give you the step up you need to change your relationship with anxiety in 2022.
Work with a therapist to accept your feelings
Finding a therapist can be daunting. Making the right match, figuring out how to pay for it, and then the logistics of actually meeting with them regularly. The pandemic has pushed many therapists online, which is also a great advantage. Many therapists are licensed in multiple states, so you have many more options to consider.
By working with a talented therapist, you can learn how to accept your thoughts and feelings and change your relationship with anxiety. This is the real key to “beating” anxiety. It’s not about resisting the uncomfortable feelings so much as its about accepting those feelings. It feels counterintuitive, but it’s truly the key to feeling better.
Change your relationship with anxiety with this book
It takes work to address anxiety. Unfortunately, it takes effort to change habits of thinking and cycles of anxiety. Gather resources like this excellent book. It’ll give you tips and tricks, worksheets, and new was of thinking about anxiety.
In conclusion, anxiety can be an incredibly hard nut to crack. This is because the harder we try to not feel anxious, the more powerful the anxious feelings become.
Consider Fully Legal Delta-8
I have a long relationship with anxiety. And I’ve always been pretty sensitive to marijuana so I don’t smoke. But this is different. Delta-8 is a fully legal cannabinoid (you can even get it in the mail!). I personally take these gummies because I know exactly how much THC is entering my system. And the best part? there are no psychoactive ingredients which means little to no chance of anxious feelings.
In my experience, these gummies from Fresh Bros bring only a subtle relaxation without any of the anxiety that can come with smoking pot. Plus, we’ve partnered with Fresh Bros to offer you 20% off!
Summary of Natural Remedies for Anxiety
There are lots of ways to address anxiety. It’s great to know that the natural remedies are way more effective than medications. While medication is sometimes necessary, it is better for getting over the hump of debilitating anxiety so that you can do the hard self-work of changing your relationship with it.
In summary, anxiety can’t be forced away. You can’t push it out of your mind with distractions (remember: it doesn’t disappear, it just gets delayed or displaced). Try these natural remedies for anxiety to give you the best chance of feeling better.
