How to treat anxiety at home without medications?
If you are feeling anxious at home, whether it’s due to a high-pressure career or because of personal problems, you can take some steps towards reducing those feelings without having to go to the pharmacy and buy medication. Most of the time, medication is necessary to treat anxiety disorders. But while they can be very effective, many people are hesitant to take them. If this sounds like you, then try these easy techniques to reduce anxiety at home without meds.
1. Adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy diet
Eating a healthy diet can help reduce feelings of anxiety. This means limiting your intake of sugar and processed food, and instead of eating nutrient-dense foods. Nutrient-dense foods include things like fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as other unprocessed foods like whole grains and lean meats. These types of foods are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can boost your mood. They also keep your energy levels stable so that you don’t go through high peaks and low troughs during the day.
Exercise
Regular exercise can help to reduce tension in your body, which is often experienced during anxious moments. At the same time, exercise releases endorphins, which can boost your mood. If you don’t currently work out regularly then start off slowly by taking a walk each day or doing yoga at home. As you get fitter you can increase the intensity of your workouts to improve their anxiety-reducing effects even more.
2. Healthy sleep habits
Good sleep is vital for good health, helping to lower stress levels and reduce anxiety symptoms. You should aim for at least seven hours of sleep each night but some people need even longer than this to function
Sticking to a set routine will help your body get used to going to bed and waking up at the same time every night. This will increase your ability to relax in the evening and will improve your quality of sleep.
3. Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
Both alcohol and caffeine are substances that can worsen anxiety and trigger panic attacks. Cutting back on your consumption of these items can go a long way towards reducing your feelings of anxiousness. For starters, try having one less cup of coffee or one less alcoholic drink per day for the first week. After that, keep reducing until you feel comfortable with the amount you are consuming.
4. Focus on your breathing
Try a breathing exercise. It’s easy to forget that the way you breathe can affect your mood, but it’s true. When you are feeling stressed or anxious, your breathing may become shallow and quick. This causes a feedback loop in which your shallow breathing makes you feel even more anxious. You can break this cycle by taking long breaths from the diaphragm, which helps to calm you down.
Here is a basic breathing exercise for reducing anxiety:
· Lie down or sit comfortably with one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
· Inhale slowly through your nose and allow the air to reach deep into your belly without raising your chest. Your stomach should expand as you inhale.
· Exhale while relaxing all of the muscles in your body, beginning with your face and working all the way down to your feet.
· Repeat this exercise for ten minutes each day and try to do it when you feel anxious or if you know that something stressful is coming up and you want to prepare yourself for it.
5. Sign up for a meditation class.
Meditation has proven to be an effective way to treat anxiety and has been practised for thousands of years. Yoga is the best example of a type of exercise that focuses on meditation. You can also meditate by yourself or start a meditation group with your family or friends. There are many types of meditations, but in general, it involves sitting still and breathing slowly while focusing your thoughts on one thing. By doing this regularly, you’ll be able to reduce your stress levels and become more aware of what is going on around you.
If you decide to meditate at home, there are many resources available online that can help you get started. If possible, sign up for a class with a certified meditation teacher so that you can learn the proper techniques and get the most out of your practice.
6. Practice mindfulness meditation.
The idea behind mindfulness is to bring your attention to the present moment, rather than dwelling on what happened in the past or worrying about what might happen in the future. To practice mindfulness meditation, find a quiet spot with few distractions, and focus on your breathing and see how it feels as you breathe in and out, and how it sounds as it flows through your nose and fills your lungs. If a stray thought pops into your head, gently push it away.
Research has shown that regular practitioners of mindfulness experience significant reductions in anxiety. This can be explained by the mind-body connection: research suggests that the release of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, is reduced when we concentrate on our breathing.
7. Try Hatha yoga
It’s a known fact that yoga can be used to reduce stress and anxiety. Hatha yoga is a type of yoga that helps you calm the mind, relax your body, and centre your thoughts. It’s ideal for reducing anxiety at home because it teaches you the skills to become more comfortable in your own skin, which is key for living an anxiety-free life.
If you want to use Hatha yoga for reducing anxiety at home, don’t worry if you have never done it before or if you are unable to afford classes. There are many websites that offer free videos with instructions on how to do the poses. Even YouTube has videos!
You can start off by doing some basic poses like child’s pose and triangle pose, both of which are great for calming the mind and relaxing the body. Once you feel more confident, move on to more advanced poses like boat pose and crow pose, which can help with energy flow throughout your body.
8. Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is one of the most effective techniques for reducing anxiety. It aims to relax all of the muscles in the body and can be done anywhere.
To start, sit or lie on a flat surface in a quiet room with your eyes closed.
Take deep breaths to relax your body.
Focusing on muscles, tense them for 10 seconds, then relax for 30 seconds. Repeat this cycle five times with each muscle group while breathing deeply.
After you’ve completed the entire PMR cycle, take some time to assess how you feel before continuing with your day. You’ll likely notice that your level of anxiety has decreased since the beginning of the exercise.
10. Reach out to an old friend. Talk to a friend or loved one. Spend time with pets
A simple phone call can make a big difference to your mood. If you are feeling anxious, call an old friend and arrange to meet up for lunch or a cup of tea. A friendly face can help you forget about your worries for a few hours.
When we are feeling anxious it can be easy to retreat into our own thoughts and become isolated from the people around us. This is why it is so important to talk about what is going on in your life. Talk to friends and family members about your feelings and ask them for advice.
Pets are not only great companions, but studies have shown that spending time with them can help reduce stress levels and lower blood pressure. If you are feeling anxious at home, spend some quality time with your four-legged friends. Whether you take them out for a walk or just sit down and cuddle on the couch, they will be there to make you feel better
9. Try out acupuncture and aromatherapy.
Aromatherapy is a great way to relax and unwind after a long day, but it also has some potential health benefits. Mixing lavender oil with coconut oil or almond oil can help you reduce your stress levels. You only need a few drops of each ingredient to make calming massage oil, which will smell divine while helping you to relax. This is an easy solution if you don’t have much time in the evening but want to wind down before bed.
Acupuncture can be beneficial for anxiety as well, and some studies have shown that it may be just as effective as benzodiazepine drugs when it comes to treating panic disorder. Although acupuncture isn’t something you can do at home, there are lots of practitioners available in most cities, so find one near you and book an appointment, if you think it’s something that could help you.
I very much hope you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
