How to Deal with Anxiety Without Medication
Dealing with anxiety is one of the primary mental health issues affecting people today. There are a number of reasons anxiety is increasing, all of them mostly due to our constant lifestyle changes. Finding ways to reduce anxiety is important in helping us lead more mindful and peaceful lives, no matter what we do for a living. High stress and anxiety levels can keep us in fight or flight mode, rather than being calmly responsive to the world around us. For many, that can be a significant difference in quality of life!
Some symptoms of anxiety disorders may include increased heart rate, sweating, hyperventilation, fatigue, or trouble sleeping. Low blood sugar can be another reason one experiences anxiety more easily. Make sure to consult your doctor before making any serious life changes.
There are many ways to treat anxiety. For milder cases, many people find that they experience undesirable side effects from some anxiety medications. There are a number of things we can do as an alternative to help reduce our anxiety levels.
Mindful Meditation
Meditation can be one of the most beneficial and immediate ways to reduce anxiety. It works almost instantly! When we pay attention to our breath, the body focuses less on the outside world and more on the peace within us. The more often and longer we are able to do this, the less our anxiety is able to creep up on us or be as bad. For easy ways to manage our anxiety throughout the day, try one of Altyr’s mini-meditations that focus on improving mood, calming nerves, or boosting energy.
Deep Breathing
Our breathing technique may also be improved to have better overall mental health. Hyperventilation is caused by shallow breaths, leading to a lack of oxygen. Taking full deep breaths can help the body calm itself as well as slow down the mind. For those that need a little bit of help, our Be Calm Altyr Toolkit contains all the things you need to get started. Sometimes setting a space or getting help with our practice can help it sink in better and faster.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is another proven method of treating anxiety without medication. CBT is a form of psychotherapy that states that what we think, how we feel and how we act are all related. The relationships between these states can have a notable effect on our well-being. CBT improves this effect by changing negative thoughts and their impact on us into positive ones. This can be done with recordings, journaling, and affirmations, and using more than one method can help support the entire process.
Physical Activity
Physical activity gives us endorphins and endorphins make us feel good. It can also lower muscle tension, which alone can reduce anxiety. Exercise in all its forms is nature’s best cure for depression and anxiety because it helps us get into the body and out of our heads more easily. In addition, it helps keep us stay in shape and fight a number of other diseases that can also contribute to anxiety and stress.
In Closing
Anxiety can seriously affect our lives in minor and major ways. Learning how to manage our anxiety can improve the quality of life drastically, while teaching us how to calm down anywhere. Those seeking anxiety treatment without medication can choose from different options or a combination that works for them.
These methods have been proven to work by scientific studies and have no side effects. Trying one or more of these anxiety reducing techniques can show us how our lives begin to change. We notice how our perspectives begin to change in situations that would have made us anxious before.
While this information is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, medical reviewers worldwide have found anxiety to be related to heart disease and other disorders. No matter how much anxiety you have, you can always benefit from reducing it, but make sure to seek a doctor’s advice for any serious medical conditions.