Everyone experiences anxiety. Some people are plagued with anxiety and suffer daily from the symptoms that come along with it. Anxiety is a feeling of worry and effects the body mentally and physically. For many people, these symptoms can be debilitating and hard to live with. When one gets to this point, they often seek medical attention and are prescribed pharmaceutical drugs that block the symptoms so the anxiety can be easier to live with. However, the anxiety medication can cause awful side effects sometimes worse than the anxiety itself. Medications become addictive while causing damage to the vital organs in your body like the liver and kidneys. There are ways to try and taking anxiety by treating anxiety naturally.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is the “fight or flight” mechanism in your body. Our ancestors used their anxiety to keep them alive when they were hunting or being attacked. Adrenaline was pumped into their bloodstream, causing them to “fight or flight.” Anxiety is necessary for us today as well. It acts as a warning signal. However, many of our stressors and anxieties are not reasonable to fight or run away from like our ancestors did. If we are worrying about paying a bill or losing a job, we might feel anxiety, but it is not a good idea to fight your boss or run away from the bill like our ancestors did when they were hunting for food. When the symptoms of anxiety are unbearable, it can cause a lot of damage on your body which can result in illness. Rather than taking the pharmaceutical approach to treating anxiety, there are natural ways to help relieve the symptoms of anxiety.
Natural Ways To Deal with Anxiety
Healthy Diet
There is a lot of research out now about how anxiety can originate in the gut. Thats is why, when people experience anxiety, they also have issues with bowel movements. Healthy foods can help a person experiencing anxiety to overcome the symptoms. Reduce caffeine, sugars and dairy and eat more fruits, veggies, grains, seeds and nuts.
Supplements
- GABA – GABA is an amino acid known for its calming effect on our central nervous systems. It is a neurotransmitter that helps nerve impulses communicate. If your body does not have enough GABA, you can experience anxiety. Many with low levels of GABA choose to self-medicate with substances such as alcohol. You may try 500-1000 mg of GABA supplement a day and include foods in your diet that increase its production, like green tea, citrus fruits, bananas, nuts and greens.
- Omega 3s – Omega 3s can reduce the symptoms caused from anxiety.
- Magnesium – Magnesium naturally calms the nervous system. It can be found in coconut water, seaweed, pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds, chocolate and more.
- 5HTP – 5HTP is recommended for anxiety with depression. It is an amino acid that makes serotonin, which helps elevate mood.
Relaxation therapies
- Yoga, Meditation, Breathing techniques, Massage, Acupuncture, Soaking in a Bath, etc. All of these elevate mood and help release the hormones that make you feel good.
Move your body
- Get your heart pumping and it will help circulate the blocked energy that is causing anxiety while releasing those feel-good hormones. Move the body 30 minutes a day and you will notice how much better you feel. Best yet, walk barefoot on the Earth. This will ground and calm you.
Herbs
The Earth holds all the medicines that we need to heal ourselves.Chamomile has relaxing and sedative effects that help with sleep.
- Kava Kava helps to reduce anxiety by activating GABA receptors in the brain.
- Valerian root is used for insomnia by taking a supplement or drinking the tea an hour before bed.
- Passionflower has been used as a remedy for anxiety and insomnia.
- Cannabis high in CBD helps relieve anxiety symptoms.
Aromatherapy
- Essential oils can be added to baths, massage oils or infusers. The best essential oils for anxiety are lavender, ylang-ylang, geranium, rose, bergamot and jasmine.
Do you experience anxiety? Have you tried any natural ways that have worked for you?
Please post comments below!
~Alex
Sources for this article include:
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://www.motherearthnews.com
http://www.psychologytoday.com
Listen to my interview with Tim Collins:
Natural Ways to Treat Anxiety
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