While anxiety medication is certainly one way to help manage the condition, prescription medications aren’t for everyone. Some have serious side-effects or don’t work at all, depending on the individual and the severity of the condition. Luckily, there are plenty of natural ways to help manage anxiety safely, without the risk that comes with prescription drugs.
We’ll cover five of the most popular ways to help naturally manage anxiety, so you can take back control of your life and your mind.
1. Try CBD Oil
From generalized anxiety disorders to everyday anxiety, CBD oil seems to be effective at reducing the effects of the condition(s) and helps to improve focus. The research into CBD’s effectiveness in treating generalized anxiety is still minimal, but there have been some promising results in preliminary studies.
This study shows that CBD may be effective at reducing the symptoms of/helping to manage several disorders, such as GAD, PTSD, and more. This is promising research, as CBD is growing in popularity and generalized anxiety disorders are some of the most common in the world.
CBD has a calming effect on the mind and the body, so users often find it much easier to relax and minimize the effects of their anxious thoughts on everyday life. When anxiety gets bad enough, it can actually prevent the victim from living a normal life. I recommend checking out Penguin CBD, as their oils are entirely natural, THC-free and lab-verified.
With this natural compound, it looks as though anxiety can be managed without the need for harmful prescription drugs. Only further research will confirm or deny the preliminary results, however.
2. Learn To Meditate
This suggestion is cited in almost every “how-to” on anxiety management, but for a good reason: it works. Meditation can drastically affect the brain in a positive way, slowing down your thoughts and allowing you to focus on something other than what’s making you feel anxious.
The trick with meditation is that it’s not an overnight fix, but rather something that takes some time to master. However, once you’ve mastered it, the benefits are numerous.
Being mindful of your surroundings and what’s affecting you can lead to progress and successful management and eventual conquering of the things causing your anxiety.
All of us can benefit from taking a moment to stop and think in a world that’s always on the move, and meditation allows you to truly take in the moment and ignore everything else.
Many supporters of meditation report feeling a calmer state of mind once they’re finished, which allows them to focus better and tackle their feelings/stressors in a healthier way. The best part about meditation is that you can start at any time, and it can be done anywhere.
3. Stop Drinking Alcohol
You might be thinking “whoa, that seems drastic”, but keep reading! Alcohol is a natural sedative and depressant. Read that again. It’s a depressant. That’s why you feel so awful after a night of heavy drinking; it wreaks havoc on your body, but also on your mind. You’ll feel depressed, exhausted, and even more anxious once you start drinking.
Overall, drinking isn’t a very healthy habit, to begin with, so tackling your anxiety is just one more reason to quit.
People who drink alcohol on a regular basis are at risk for all kinds of health problems, from liver disease to severe depression and beyond. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer with friends, but it does mean you’ll want to cut down on your drinking and focus more on improving your health.
4. Your Morning Coffee Isn’t Helping
That’s right; your morning coffee is loaded with caffeine, which doesn’t help anxiety one bit! Caffeine is a pretty intense stimulant, and while you might feel energized, you’ll eventually start feeling more anxious the more you drink it. Caffeine can make you nervous, jittery, and overall more anxious because of the way it affects the brain and the body.
Caffeine essentially sends both into overdrive, and it’s actually been shown to make generalized anxiety disorders worse when consumed on a daily basis. Don’t want to ditch the morning coffee? Not a problem! Try consuming less instead of cutting it out altogether.
You don’t have to drink five cups of coffee during the day if you can rewire your body to operate on less caffeine. This means going through the initial challenge of not having as much, but once you’re over the hump, you’ll feel a lot better!
5. Better Sleep
Sleep is one of the most crucial components to a healthy lifestyle, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you need more sleep (unless you’re getting significantly less than you should be). The quality of your sleep has a huge impact on your mind’s ability to manage stress and anxiety, so if you’re not getting a good night’s sleep, you’re going to struggle throughout the day.
Don’t forget that both the brain and the body need proper sleep to function at maximum capacity, and what happens to one affects the other. Anxiety can cause stress hormones to release, which can negatively impact your heart health.
Getting better sleep starts with creating and maintaining a sleep schedule, which is something a lot of people struggle with. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can take practice and discipline, but it’s well worth the effort. People who get better sleep tend to live longer, healthier lives and are more effective at managing their anxiety.
Don’t Let Anxiety Rule You
There’s much more to life than being a victim of your anxiety. Each of these solutions is natural and doesn’t require a visit to a doctor, therapist, or other specialists. That being said, if you feel like your condition becomes uncontrollable, you should definitely consult an expert.
Be sure to cut down on your stimulants, increase the quality and consistency of your sleep, and try a natural remedy like CBD oil; you might be surprised by the results!