Are you suffering from chronic stress and anxiety? And are you looking for ways to deal with that without reaching for medication, or maybe you are on medication but are looking for things to do that can help control it better without having to adjust your medication?
Here are some common but proven methods to control your anxiety better. Anxiety is one of the most common health issues that we see in our surroundings. So if you are suffering from it right now, you are not alone. It can be quite overwhelming and can start to control your life.
Let’s first know what anxiety really is. The best way that I have found to describe it centers around recognizing a normal reaction in our body that we call the fight or flight response. This is the mechanism that we have developed that when confronted with something dangerous allows our body to ramp up and either fight it or run from it. For example, if you are walking through a forest and a bear charges out at you, what’s going to happen? Your heart rate elevates, your blood vessels constrict to allow more blood to the brain, adrenaline is released helping you to either run or fight for your life. These are normal responses, and they are good responses because when the bear is coming after you, you need to react.
Anxiety is a condition where this response is a little too active. It’s where these normal responses to scary or dangerous situations are overactive or flare up for things that are not dangerous or scary. Normal day-to-day life is triggering that flight or fight response in a way that starts to interfere with your ability to function. There are ways though that can help control these, so let’s get into those.
The first thing that is going to help with treating your anxiety is EXERCISE. We’ve found that 30 minutes a day of some sort of physical exercise or activity can help to decrease anxiety symptoms. And in general, it doesn’t seem to matter what type of exercise you do. So find something that you can enjoy, that gets your heart rate elevated, and make it a regular habit. The more consistent you can be with it, the better results you will see.
The second thing I want you to do is learn how to MEDITATE. Meditation can help slow racing thoughts, making it easier to manage stress and anxiety. One of the types of meditation that you may want to look into is Mindfulness meditation. This is a practice where you focus on yourself, your breathing, and become present with yourself as you are. There’s a lot more to it, so do your own research on how to do it, but a fairly recent analysis of multiple different studies showed that mindfulness meditation was an effective way to help deal with stress and anxiety.
The third thing I want you to do is GET OUTSIDE. I’ve had a lot of patients lately who are worried because of COVID and other issues that they have been staying inside. This is one of the worst things you can do for your health. Get out in nature, be around beautiful things. Get some fresh air and do it on a regular basis. If you aren’t in a position where you can get to the mountains or other beautiful scenery, bring that into your house. Put up pictures of nature, get some plants in the house, watch some relaxing nature videos. There is a lot of benefit that comes from just getting outside.
The fourth thing that we find that can help is INCORPORATING SOME AROMATHERAPY into your life. Smelling soothing plant oils can help ease stress and anxiety. Surrounding yourself with soothing smells. Lavender oil has been studied especially in the realm of insomnia and has been found to be effective in helping. Find some that are calming and soothing to you and give it a try.
The fifth most important recommendation is a combination of exercise and meditation, and that is YOGA. Yoga decreases stress and keeps our body calm and active. Yoga has been found to be a great way for you to work on that stress and anxiety.
The sixth is making a priority to get ENOUGH SLEEP in your life. Sleep recharges the brain and boosts our mood and focus. Getting enough sleep will help you be less anxious. Most adults need anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep. Find ways to make it happen, and if you are struggling, I have some suggestions on things that you can do on your own to get a better night’s sleep that is: sleep in dim or dark room, sleep in noise free area, keep your room lights dim 30 minutes before your sleeptime, keep all your electronics away 1 hour before sleep. These few points enable us to get effective and sound sleep.
The seventh is ELIMINATE THE STRESSES in your life. I want you to write down all your activities, everything that you are doing that takes up time in your life. Make an honest assessment to see if you are overscheduling yourself, are there stresses in your life that you just need to get rid of. What kind of changes can you make that may even be difficult to give up but you know are not helping you. Many times, much of our anxiety can be self-imposed, so take the time and build up the courage to confront those things that are making it more difficult.
The eighth is PRACTICE BREATHING. Take the time several times a day to just sit and breathe. Set reminders on watch multiple times a day telling and reminding you to breathe. Learning how to, and making the time, to take some slow, purposeful deep breaths can help decrease stress and help you cope with anxiety that sometimes can take over your life.
The ninth is to keep a JOURNAL. The act of writing down your life. Writing down your experiences, hopes, dreams, and worries can be very helpful and therapeutic in controlling your anxiety. It gives a place where you can think out loud and keep track of your thoughts. It can also help you look for patterns and figure out what makes you anxious. If you are feeling anxious, putting those things down on paper can help you see things more clearly and avoid having your mind run to places where it doesn’t need to go.
The tenth is soothing music which lowers blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. Upbeat tunes can help you blow off steam. Soothing music not only calms your mind but also helps in reducing the stress hormones concentration in our body. So that our mind as well as body remains calm and stress free. Sometimes, using the soothing music while meditating also helps us in perceiving deep inner peace.
The eleventh is to spend time in natural surroundings. Work in your garden, walk in the woods, or relax in the park. A change of scenery can brighten your mood. Also the greeniness of the plants and trees gives peace to our mind and helps in reducing stress or anxiety. Also the fresh air from the plants and trees help us in performing our tasks more effectively and actively.
Now, certainly, this is not a comprehensive list of things that you can do to control anxiety without medication. It is a good start, and implementing some or all of these in your life can make a big difference in helping control them.These natural ways help you in managing the stress and introduce a little more peace into your life.
