Natural Remedies For Anxiety – A Simple Five Step Approach

by Rakka

Natural remedies for anxiety have continued to gain popularity in the marketplace. Perhaps a great deal of their success has more to do with the long list of side effects associated with anti-anxiety prescription medications. For example, Benzodiazepines which are commonly prescribed for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobic disorders cause sleepiness, impaired coordination, and slowed reaction time.

They can also lead to drug dependency not to mention the withdrawal symptoms. Don’t get me wrong sometimes in cases of severe anxiety medications can be an important part of any treatment plan but in cases of mild to moderate anxiety one could argue that natural remedies for anxiety could be a better alternative.

Run of the mill anxiety is a form of the flight or flight mechanism our ancestors used for survival. The defense mechanism boosts blood pressure and provides the body with the necessary energy and strength to deal with threatening situations. Nevertheless, when this important defense mechanism starts to get in the way of our basic ability to function effectively and starts to crop up frequently it is important to rein it in before it gets out of control. Let’s explore a five step approach to do this.

* Stay in the present: Are you worrying yourself silly over something that hasn’t even happened yet? The fact is that only ten percent of what people worry about ever happens. This means that ninety percent never happens and if it does it rarely produces the dire outcome imagined. So when you get right down to it the things people worry about only produce the catastrophic result imagined about one or two percent of the time. Is it really worth it to stress out over that one in one hundred probability?

* Embrace it: Fighting anxiety will only make it worse. If you learn to accept feeling a bit anxious, it will tend to disappear much faster than if you try to force the symptoms to go away.

* Learn to breath: When a person becomes anxious there breathing becomes shallow and rapid. To defeat this natural response consider adopting a relaxation breathing technique. Give this a try: inhale deeply through your nose; hold your breath for four seconds or so; slowly release the air through your lips; repeat ten times. I think you will be surprised at the results. 

* Exercise: When you are feeling anxious your body is flooded with adrenaline. Adrenaline makes your heart beat faster, causes your muscles tighten up, and generally creates that uncomfortable anxious feeling. Nothing burns adrenaline faster than exercise and if physically able exercise should become a cornerstone in your quest to find natural remedies for anxiety. 

* Herbal remedies for anxiety: There are a handful of herbs which have been scientifically studied as treatments for anxiety. The two that seem to be the safest and most effective anxiety natural remedies are St. John’s wort and Passionflower. Herbal remedies for anxiety containing these two ingredients are certainly worth investigating further. Herbal remedies for anxiety can be uses both as a stand alone treatment or in conjunction with other non prescription alternatives.

What Next? Integrate into your daily schedule an anxiety busting treatment plan implementing the natural remedies for depression listed above. Many people have found success by implementing these simple anxiety natural remedies. Nevertheless, if your anxiety worsens or fails to improve consult your doctor for a more detailed evaluation as well as additional treatment options.