Healthy Dozen: 12+1 Natural Anxiety Treatments

There are many natural remedies to help treat anxiety, or alleviate the symptoms associated with anxiety, and there is no one size that fits all. It is essential to pay attention to how anxiety manifests for you, what symptoms arise, the time of the day, any and all factors that exacerbate your symptoms, and so on. Every person has a different experience of anxiety, which can present as worry, a sense of ‘being out of control’, fear of the unknown, anticipation, or dread. Natural therapies and treatments are always helpful that can be used alone or in conjunction with other modalities. It is vital to remember that “you cannot medicate yourself back to health and wellness” and that it requires “you as an active participant in your own process of health and healing”.

The following 12+1 natural ways to help calm your anxiety, or use in conjunction with other methods that you already have in place.

1. Stay active.
   • Exercise and move your body daily
   • Walk
   • Run 
   • Jump
   • Bounce
   • Lift weights
2. Nutrition. Nutrition is derived from nutrients, nourish; “diet” is not nutrition. 
   • Eat plants, different colors (eat your rainbow!). 
   • Eat mushrooms. Fungi are an excellent source of immune support. 
   • Experiment with spices.
   • Eat your fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts and seed, and so many options), because both your brain and your nervous system love them. Fat is an important part of the cell membrane.
   • Eat regular meals. Keep your blood sugars even. Not snacking all day, but regular meals.
3. Sleep. This is essential for rest and repair of your body, your mind, and your spirit. 
   • Cortisol (this is your stress hormone) drops at night, and that drop is what allows you to get to sleep and stay asleep. Meanwhile your growth hormone rises (yes, even as an adult). The importance of your growth hormone is that it plays an important role in repair of cells and tissues in your body.
   • Make sure you go to sleep and wake up at the same time. Even on the weekends. No, you cannot get sleep-credits, so stick to a routine. Your body loves routine and rhythms. In fact, physiology is all about cycles and rhythms, and hence your body loves routine.
4. Meditation and breathing. There is no one way to sit, one way to breathe, or one single way to meditate. The focus of a meditation practice is to reach a place of “stillness”. In a way, when you are sitting in a place of stillness, you lose your sense of self, time, and place. 
   • Learn to breathe from the abdomen, which allows your diaphragm to expand.
   • Daily meditation does not need to be a long endeavor. 10 minutes, or 40 minutes, simply commit to a daily practice and you are ninety-five percent of the way there.
5. Connect with nature. 
   • Energize with sunrise, and rest with sunset. Watch the sunrise, because that energy is uplifting and literally energizing. Don’t forget to watch the sunset, that energy is calming.
   • Walk in the forest, not the sidewalks of your neighborhood. Although walking in general is good.
   • Go to the ocean, a river, a lake. 
6. Herbal treatments or teas for anxiety. Pick your favorite calming herbs and tea for anxiety to soothe your nervous system. 
   • Passionflower
   • Chamomile
   • Hops
   • Rose
   • Valerian
   • Skullcap
   • Fennel
   • Lavender
   • Peppermint
   • Lemon balm
   • Many other herbs
7. Aromatherapy and essential oils.
   • Bergamot
   • Clary sage
   • Lavender
   • Ylang ylang
   • Lemon balm
   • Jasmine
   • Many other oils to consider
8. Get rid of your “bad caffeine habits”. 
   • Do not drink caffeine any later than 11 AM.
   • Do not exceed one cup per day.
   • Avoid caffeinated teas after 11 AM. Have your fill of herbal teas.
9. Journal. You do not need to write a book. 
   • Practice automatic-writing. The moment you wake up, while you are still half-asleep, this is a good time to pick up your pen and write anything that is simply your stream of consciousness.
   • Choose a time during the day, or your week to write. 
   • Write a letter, or a poem.
   • Write anything creative.
10. Create art. Choose your medium of any kind.
    • Paper
    • Wood
    • Paints
    • Thread
    • You choose
11. Take a bath. Use Epsom salts in your bath.
    • Epsom salts are simply magnesium. And magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant, which helps to relax your nervous system and alleviate anxiety.
    • Use 2-3 cups of salts in your bathtub.
12. Natural nutritional support and supplements for anxiety.
    • B vitamins
    • Magnesium
    • Kava
    • Ashwagandha
    • L-theanine
    • GABA
    • 5-HTP
    • Lavender
    • Many others as well
13. Manage what you consume as your information.
    • Pause before you consume. Pay attention to the type of information that you seek out and consume.
    • Limit the time you spend on ‘infotainment’.
    • Feed and nourish your mind with what is helpful and beneficial to you and to others.

Sometimes we still need a trusted advisor, doctor, and teacher (yes, this is where I come in).