9 Natural Remedies to Calm Anxiety Without Medication

At some point we all are experience fear. But when it starts to hinder your daily functioning, it can become an anxiety disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association, approximately 30% of people experience anxiety disorders. This more recent estimate is considerably higher than the 19% reported in the early 2000s by the US National Institute for Mental Health. Fortunately, anxiety is treatable and there are a wide range of treatment options.

Medications and therapy are two of the most common treatments for anxiety, and they are very effective. But there are also natural remedies for anxiety, such as exercise, meditation, and breathing exercises, that may be able to address your symptoms.

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What is fear?

Anxiety is – in small doses – a normal part of human life. However, it can become a serious problem if it happens too often, becomes too intense, or becomes disconnected from reality. Healthy anxiety levels can help alert us to potential threats and increase our reaction speed. But people can feel like they have an anxiety disorder overwhelming worries or fear of otherwise mundane matters. In these situations the brain can no longer function normally. Some of the most common types of anxiety disorders are listed below.

• Generalized anxiety disorder: This is the most common type of anxiety disorder. When anxiety can occur around many different situations or events, with no apparent connection to one type of anxiety, it is often categorized as generalized anxiety.
  
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: OCD involves a combination of obsession and compulsion. The compulsions are often rituals or methods to prevent or reduce the intrusion of obsessive thoughts and feelings.
  
• Panic disorder: Panic is similar to anxiety, but is dramatically increased. A panic attack can feel like a heart attack or other life-threatening event and is accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of fear or anxiety.
• Posttraumatic stress disorder: PTSD is a response to a specific traumatic event or series of events. The impact of these events is so extreme that the body and mind can feel it repeatedly.
• Social anxiety disorder: Many people feel some anxiety when they engage in or think about social situations. However, it can be a social anxiety disorder if these feelings are disabling and return.

9 Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Although natural remedies for anxiety can be helpful for many people, they are not always sufficient to address anxiety disorders. If you find that natural remedies aren’t helping your anxiety enough, consider talking to a mental health professional about anxiety treatment.

1. Limit caffeine intake

Caffeine is a stimulant and anxiety is in many ways a state of overstimulation.

Caffeine intake can affect anxiety in individuals, but the relationship is sometimes complicated. Some studies have shown that high caffeine consumption is linked to increased anxiety in men, but not women. However, other examples have shown that low caffeine intake may be associated with reducing anxiety.

How caffeine affects your body can vary significantly from person to person. Suppose you notice increased anxiety in the first two hours after consuming caffeine. In that case, you can try consuming less next time and see if this reduces anxiety.

2. Use aromatherapy to relax

Scent plays a special role in the human body. This feeling is more directly connected to the brain than the other senses. Based on smell, our brain can determine important information about our environment and how we should respond. For example, in a state of fear, the sense of smell becomes biased toward detecting threats.

Pleasant, comforting scents can be a helpful way to break this cycle. Removing scents associated with threats and replacing them with scents associated with comfort, pleasure, and safety can alleviate anxiety. One study has shown a strong link between inhaling certain scents (in this case rose water) and reducing anxiety in some patients.

3. Try herbal teas or supplements

If you experience a lot of anxiety, you can drink a hot cup of coffee herbal tea can help in more ways than one. The ritual of sitting still and drinking tea, as well as the consumption of warm liquid, can all help to soothe and calm the body. Add to that the fact that research has shown some positive links between drinking some tea and reducing anxiety, and this home remedy for anxiety starts to look even better.

Studies have selectively shown that herbal tea consumption is linked to a decrease in anxiety. These studies were limited in the scope of teas used and demographics involved. However, many of them have provided important data. One showed that lavender herbal tea can have a strong soothing effect on anxiety in older people. Another study examines the long-term effects of chamomile on generalized anxiety disorderswith preliminary research showing some promise.

4. Practice deep breathing

Many therapists and psychologists recommend this breathing techniques for reducing anxiety and finding calm. An advantage of deep (diaphragmatic) breathing is: reducing the presence of cortisol — the stress hormone — in the body.

One deep breathing technique that has shown promise is known as box breathing. The core of this technique consists of taking a full breath and holding it for four counts in each breathing phase. The simple version looks like this: inhale four, hold four, exhale four, hold four and repeat the process.

5. Meditation and mindfulness

Both meditation and mindfulness techniques have been shown to reduce anxiety. However, studying these approaches within a clinical framework has been challenging and further research is needed.

Many people report positive mood and anxiety effects from meditation and mindfulness exercises. A meta-study of research into the effects of mindfulness-based therapy has shown a significant correlation between mindfulness exercises and a reduction in anxiety. Similarly, a meta-analysis of research into meditation as a treatment for anxiety promise shown. However, in the latter case, it was specified that although these practices may reduce experiences of anxiety, their clinical impact on a disorder requires further investigation.

6. Exercise daily

Regular exercise is one of the most recommended home remedies for anxiety. The Mayo Clinic states that exercise can help by releasing endorphins, keeping your mind busy, boosting self-confidence and encouraging social interactions.

While you technically don’t need to exercise every day, it’s recommended to stick to five days a week. Less exercise may still have benefits for anxiety, but these will likely be less pronounced.

7. Use a journal to process things

Journaling is a technique that is used help deal with anxiety for a long time. With anxiety, the mind often fails to process emotions and events in a healthy and coherent manner. Recording these feelings and events can help the brain slow down and process the individual components. While journaling may initially make emotions feel sharper, it can also help achieve resolution and catharsis.

Regular journaling can help reduce or prevent increased anxiety, although the impact varies from person to person. Some studies have tried to bring journaling into the digital age and tested it online positive influence journaling. Like other studies of journaling as a coping mechanism for anxiety, the online PAJ study found that people reported some improvement in symptoms after using this technique for a sufficient amount of time.

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8. CBD products

Recent studies and trends have looked at CBD, a cannabinoid found in cannabis and hemp plants, as a treatment for anxiety. A limited meta-analysis of such research has shown this to be the case CBD can be a useful tool in treating anxiety. However, more research is needed to understand which conditions and under what circumstances CBD would be a viable treatment.

Partly due to the legal status of CBD and the plant from which it is derived, quality research has been limited. As the market and legislation stabilize (CBD can be derived from hemp, now federally legal) more research will be done. Until then, using CBD for anxiety is likely to be controversial among medical professionals. Ultimately, more clinical studies are needed to determine the benefits and possible side effects of CBD products.

9. Sleep with a weighted blanket

Studies have shown the use of weighted blankets can help reduce anxiety. Research in this area is limited and further research is needed before weighted blankets become a clinically accepted anti-anxiety remedy. But for most people, there is little to no risk in trying weighted blankets to relieve anxiety. The feeling of being under these blankets can be like receiving a hug.

The bottom line

While treating chronic and severe anxiety often requires the help of a medical professional, many everyday anxiety symptoms can be somewhat alleviated through natural anxiety remedies. If you still experience chronic or severe symptoms despite using home remedies for anxiety, contact a medical professional (probably a therapistpsychologist or psychiatrist) to discuss treatment plans for anxiety. Although they often focus on counseling and medications, many of these plans may include natural remedies for anxiety.

For more mental health advice, Here are five tips to reduce bedtime anxiety and sleep betterplus seven stress relief strategies that actually work.