18 natural remedies to help ease anxiety and stress
Traditional and non-medicated ways to deal with the treatment of stress and anxiety
Text: Akhila N
With mental health issues rising, it's increasingly common for anxiety and panic attacks to strike. Fast-paced breathing, an increased heart rate and, in some instances, jittering hands are some common markers of an anxiety attack. Before you seek medication, there are some safe, drug-free remedies for anxiety that may offer an alternative solution, from mind-body techniques to forest bathing techniques to calming teas. Some start working right away, while others may help with symptoms over time. Here are 18 tips and tricks to practice and add to your daily routine to help curb anxiety.
Get moving
Exercise is a cure-all, as it can benefit your physical, emotional, and mental health. According to Healthxchange Singapore, regular exercise can have a lasting impact on your wellbeing, and just one vigorous session can help alleviate anxiety symptoms for a couple of hours. So get your body moving either with a sport, an outdoor activity or a quick gym workout.
Yoga Therapy
It's no secret that yoga is an incredibly therapeutic activity that leaves you feeling relaxed, destressed and energized mentally and physically. But what if you have a specific issue that needs an extra layer of personalisation? Enter yoga therapy. Offering a blend of holistic counselling and yoga practice, it aims to empower and support individuals to improve physical health and mental wellbeing along with curbing symptoms of anxiety as well.
Sleep
Are you stressing out over a presentation at work, reliving a cringe conversation or just worried about the general state of the world right now? Not getting a good night's sleep can sometimes add to anxiety and impact your mental wellbeing. We can take a few steps to curb anxious thoughts and catch up on a much-needed shut-eye.
Soothing scents
Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils to improve overall mental wellbeing. According to Mayoclinic, smelling soothing plant oils can help to ease stress and anxiety. Certain scents work better for some people than others, so consider experimenting with options. Some calming scents include lavender, passionflower, lemon balm and valerian.
Forest bathing
The Japanese call it Shinrin-yoku, which translates to "forest bath”, you and I know it as a 'walk in the woods’. Japanese researchers measured body changes in people who walked for about 20 minutes in a beautiful forest; the forest bathers had lower stress hormones after their walk than they did after a comparable walk in an urban area. Trying to relax and relieve your anxiety through natural remedies may not be as simple as a 'walk in the park'... but what if the answer wasn't too far off?
Practising mindfulness
Our fast-paced world, coupled with the ongoing pandemic, has made our lives more stressful than ever. With so much going on, it's no surprise that we often catch ourselves feeling overwhelmed by uncomfortable emotions. These are the moments we need to allow ourselves to stop, take a deep breath and practice a few mindful techniques that will help prevent our anxiety from spiralling out of control.
Sound therapy
There is something compelling about sound and music that resonates with us at a deep inner level, and it has the power to change our emotions and mental wellbeing radically. According to Healthline, Sound can shift or intensify our emotional state at any given point in time, so it can help people who are suffering from issues such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia, and other medical conditions as well.
Animal therapy for when we need some puppy love
Pets offer companionship, love, and often emotional support even when they might not realize it. According to a study published by Medical News Today in 2020, it states that pets can be beneficial to people with various mental health issues, including anxiety. Spending time with animals can also reduce anxiety and stress associated with post-traumatic events.
Eat something
It's no secret that food, in general, is often associated with cheer and mood-boosting. Even the slightest whiff of freshly baked bread, a devil's chocolate cake, or an extra cheese-loaded pizza is sure to put a smile on most of our faces. It's not simply about inhaling a bar of chocolate when we're feeling anxious or stressed that would improve our mood, but the very art of eating is said to help curb anxiety levels. Our gut is often referred to as a second brain, thanks to increased research pointing to a connection between digestion and mental wellbeing. According to an article published in 2018 by Medical News Today, foods like Brazil nuts, dark chocolate, eggs and turmeric are said to manage anxiety and its symptoms.
One with nature
Nature has the glorious power to improve and soothe our mental state. Asher Low, Co-Founder of Limitless, states that the environment we have created around us and our daily routines can often feel claustrophobic and stressful. We tend to associate it with work, anxiety and stressful situations. The openness of nature and the great outdoors is the antithesis of that and therefore has a calming effect.
Tea for the soul
The process of making and drinking tea is often associated with a soothing art, but some teas may have a more direct effect on the brain that results in reduced anxiety. Tea contains a type of amino acid called theanine which is similar to caffeine in coffee. Theanine promotes a heightened level of awareness, focus, and energy. Still, theanine differs from caffeine because it incorporates its stimulating effects, such as a sense of relaxation, calmness, endurance, and attention.
Meditation
Meditation can help to slow racing thoughts, making it easier to manage stress and anxiety. Through meditation, we familiarise ourselves with anxiety-inducing thoughts and storylines. We learn to see them, sit with them, and let them go. In doing so, we know two crucial things: thoughts do not define us, and thoughts are not real. Within this newfound perspective, we can gradually change our relationship with anxiety. Although it can be a bit difficult to calm and clear the mind, there are a couple of techniques one can use to ease into a meditative state of mind.
Pen down your feelings
Some research suggests that journaling and other forms of writing can help people to cope better with anxiety. By committing to a journal, with just a couple of lines of self-reflection and your thoughts each day, you can cultivate the habits of listing down your causes for your anxiety and trying to find a way to solve them. Over time you'll develop a more optimistic mindset, cultivate better relationships with yourself better your overall mental wellbeing.
Practice gratefulness
To count your blessings often leads to heightened wellbeing and the cultivation of positive emotions. Sometimes we need to try and think of all the things we have and be grateful for it rather than stress over the things we don't have. One thing the pandemic has taught us is to be grateful for the things that matter because in the end not everything is under our control. Once we are able to list out these feelings of gratefulness it has the power to decreases feelings of anxiety and depression, and is especially useful if you're going through certain hardships.
Improve that gut health
When we think of mental wellbeing and ways to improve it we often think of therapy, fitness, yoga, meditation and sleep (lots of sleep!). We tend to forget that nutrition and the food we eat plays a huge part on our mental and physical wellbeing. Probiotics are a great way to improve gut health which translates to your brain health as well.
Talk it out
Often times when anxiety builds up, it may help to get things off your chest by talking to someone close whom you trust. Being vulnerable and an open book isn't easy, but a different perspective may help you see things in a different light, or find solutions to problems that you couldn't have thought of on your own. If you rather not speak to someone close to you, seek out professional help from a therapist or a councillor.
Maybe sex is the solution
Sometimes sex is the solution to everything (well almost!). The physiological responses our bodies have to sex can often minimize the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Deficiencies in nitric oxide are often associated with irritability, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and less energy. Having sex often increases your body's nitric oxide levels. Sex also increases dopamine and serotonin, linked to a better mood, behaviour, and emotional wellbeing.
No more morning cuppa
While a strong latte may probably be your drink of choice to help you face your day, it can do more harm than good if you are aiming to overcome anxiety. Caffeine can more often than not worsen your anxiety symptoms, raising your heart rate and causing jitters and intense sweating. Instead, look for caffeine alternatives such as herbal tea, hot water and lemon or even a can of kombucha.
This feature is not an alternative to traditional therapy. If you are facing symptoms of stress and anxiety that affect your mental well-being, consider seeking professional help from therapists and doctors regarding the same.
