How to manage anxiety without medication

Anxiety is a normal part of life; it is normal to feel a certain amount of unease or uncertainty at particular periods, especially in stressful situations. In fact, a small amount of anxiety every so often can be a good thing as it helps to keep you aware of potential dangers and motivates you to be prepared.

But when anxiety becomes frequent and is a daily occurrence, it becomes a disorder that appears in form of panic disorder, anxiety disorder or phobias which interfere with normal daily activities and affect work, home and personal lives.

Dealing with anxiety can be stressful, but it can be managed. And while some take medication, there are natural remedies that help. They include herbs, aromatherapy and performing certain actions that promote relaxation.

Natural remedies for anxiety include:

Exercise helps to take the mind off issues and triggers the body to release endorphins, which are natural feel-good hormones. 

Herbal Remedies: there is a variety of this. Some of the more well-known varieties include: lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, passion flower and kava.

Aromatherapy: This involves the use of essential oils to improve health and overall well-being by using scents to boost the mood, aid relaxation and reduce anxiety.

Scents to use for anxiety include lavender, ylang ylang, grapefruit, clary sage and bergamot

Meditation helps to focus and remove chaotic thoughts from the mind and replace them with calm. Research indicates that meditation can help relieve anxiety symptoms and help to feel more at ease.

Breathing exercises: Rapid, shallow breathing is a common symptom of anxiety. Breathing in this manner can increase your heart rate, make you feel dizzy and may even increase the risk of a panic attack. Deep breathing involves taking deliberately deep and measured breaths to restore normal breathing patterns, which can help reduce anxiety.

Quit cigarettes and alcohol: Both alcohol and cigarettes may appear to calm your nerves at first. After taking a drink, however, your anxiety may worsen. A cycle can develop, leading to alcohol dependence. Several studies also show that smoking can worsen symptoms of anxiety. It’s a good idea to try to avoid drinking or smoking to reduce feelings of anxiety.

While natural treatments can help with anxiety symptoms, some signs may indicate that you need to call your doctor, so when anxiety is chronic (long-lasting) and it interferes with ability to function daily, symptoms have persisted for six months or more and you are experiencing physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate, difficulty sleeping, stomach issues, or chronic fatigue, avoiding people or places and having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, it has become an emergency and requires urgent medical attention.

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