We all experience anxiety at some point in our lives, but some of us don’t know it. Since most don’t know what an anxiety attack feels like, we mix it up with other things.
Have you ever experienced sweaty palms, a throbbing heart when a tough moment arrives? Yep, that’s anxiety. The feeling of nervousness, feeling light-headed, or worse, a sense of failure.
Anxiety is not dangerous if you know how to deal with it, and as long as you don’t, get it much often. However, if the attacks keep hitting you daily, then be alarmed as it can result in depression and insomnia.
What is anxiety? Anxiety is our body’s natural response when scared or nervous. Figure out what triggers you. Identifying your triggers can take some time and self-reflection. It can be anything, your job interview, first day at college, meeting your beloved’s family.
Controlling or getting rid of your anxiety may seem impossible. However, there are ways to deal with your anxiety.
Let’s discuss a few ways to tame your anxiety the natural way.
Stop and Breathe
When you get anxious, try taking time out and question what is making you so nervous. Anxiety is most commonly experienced as worrying about a past or a future event. For instance, you get jittery feelings about something terrible that is going to happen in the future. You could also be upset over an event that occurred in the past. The main problem that occurs is that anxiety stops you from being mindful of the present moment.
The next, you feel that you do not know how to deal with anxiety attacks and regain control by simply sitting down and breathing in and out slowly. Just stopping and breathing can help you restore your balance and return you to the present reality. However, if there’s more time available, try taking this exercise a bit further and experiment.
Practice technique by:
- Start by getting into a comfortable seated position.
- Shut your eyes and breath in slowly through your nose. Follow the inhale with a deep exhale.
- Continue to breathe deeply, inhale, and exhale out of your nose. Make your breath the guide that brings you back to the present.
Breathing exercises are brilliant anxiety relief techniques that help you ease your mind and body of anxiety while bringing your attention back to the present.
Figure out what’s the reason
The physical aspects of panic attacks, like chest pain, rapid heartbeat, and trembling, tend to be more apparent than recognizing the root of your anxiety. Hence, to understand the cause of your anxiety, you need to find out what is bothering you. One of the best anxiety management techniques is, to get to the bottom of this, give yourself some time to explore your feelings and thoughts.
Keeping a journal is a great way to understand the root of your anxiety further. Keep a notepad or a journal on your side table if you have trouble sleeping at night. Jott down everything that is bothering you. This way, you can analyze your anxiety better. Talking to a friend can be beneficial as it can help you understand and discover your anxious feelings. Try making a habit of regularly expressing and uncovering your feelings of anxiety.
Focus on what you can change
Most of the time, anxiety stems from being afraid of things that haven’t even happened yet and have a chance of never occurring. For instance, when everything seems okay, you may still worry about things such as becoming ill, losing your job, or the safety of your loved ones. You can not predict the future, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t always control it. Nonetheless, choosing how to deal with this is in your hands.
Replace your fear by transforming your point of view on them. Rather than fear about losing your job, try being grateful for having one. Instead of fearing about becoming ill, try to keep your body and mind healthy by regularly exercising, eating the right food, and relaxing your mind. After a while, you may start seeing the bright side of things.
Try focusing on other things.
Sometimes, redirecting your attention to something other than your anxiety can be the most efficient method of relieving stress. Try focusing on something else, such as engaging in an activity or a hobby that you enjoy, doing some work around the house, or even reaching out to other people. Here are some ideas you can try to distract your anxiety:
- Try activities that calm down the nerves, such as painting, writing, or drawing.
- Go for a light stroll or try some other form of physical activity.
- Pray or meditate
- Listen to calming music
- Read a good book
- Watch a heartwarming movie or binge on your favorite tv show.
Try Food and Supplements That reduce anxiety.
Do not jump straight into medicines to help your anxiety calm down. If all the previous exercise and activities do not work, try opting for foods and supplements that help you control and reduce your anxiety. Here’s a list of some of the most helpful anxiety-relieving foods and supplements:
Salmon
Salmon is highly beneficial for reducing anxiety. It has nutrients that improve brain health. It contains vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These nutrients help regulate our serotonin and dopamine levels. Thus, calming and relaxing our minds.
Chamomile
Chamomile is an herb that assists in reducing stress and anxiety. It possesses high amounts of antioxidants that are proven to reduce inflammation. Hence, decreasing the risk of anxiety.
Bananas
Ever heard anyone say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?” well, we have a saying too, “two bananas a day keeps the anxiety away” eating two bananas especially before doing something that usually triggers your anxiety, can alleviate your mood. Consider bananas as a natural anxiety reducer.
They are natural beta-blockers; they prevent adrenaline from binding to beta receptors. Have you ever seen the color represented as a symbol for “happy”? Nah, not what you are thinking, just trying to grasp your attention just if you stopped reading. Yellow is just a happy color. Looking at it makes you happy. That’s about it.
Kratom
Kratom is famous for its magical abilities when it comes to relieving anxiety. If you want to use kratom for anxiety, go for the red strain as it is the best for relieving anxiety. Here a few methods to consume kratom:
- Kratom tea
- Kratom capsules
- Kratom tincture
- Kratom powder
You can find these all online. Also, let us tell you how to make kratom tea if you don’t know how to. It’s easy, just take some kratom leaves and mix it in some boiling hot water. Make sure you don’t boil it for too long as that may burn the properties of kratom.
Green tea
Green tea has L-theanine. This amino acid has been found to have a positive effect on anxiety reduction and brain health. These effects can be attributed to L-theanine’s potential to prevent nerves from becoming manic. It also increases serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Thus, providing anti-anxiety effects.
Furthermore, green tea also contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is an antioxidant that also promotes brain health.