How to Treat Anxiety Without Medication
Severe anxiety impacting our ability to function can be helped with medication prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional. Although the medicine does not treat anxiety, it reduces the symptoms. Besides medication, there are many natural and healthy ways we can control our anxiety. Here are 5 helpful tips that not only assist in managing our anxiety symptoms but are useful habits to adopt in everyday life:
1 Maintain Stable Blood Sugar
2 Avoid Caffeine
3 Get Adequate Sleep
4 Get More Exercise
5 Increase Magnesium
If you are currently being prescribed medication please do not change your doses without consulting your GP. Check with your doctor if a multi vitamin or magnesium supplement.
Maintain Stable Blood Sugar
Blood sugar and anxiety are connected. Therefore, to manage anxiety, it is a good idea to try maintaining our blood sugar levels by incorporating plenty of proteins, healthy fats, and fibre into our diet. On the other hand, we should avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. Not only can these foods help decrease anxiety symptoms, but they are also great for our overall health!
Avoid Caffeine
Although many of us coffee lovers enjoy the special taste and energy boost the drink offers us; we should not underestimate the relationship between caffeine and anxiety. Caffeinated beverages stimulate the fight or fight response, which can worsen our anxiety or even cause an anxiety attack. The best thing to do is reduce coffee intake gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Within a few weeks, the anxiety symptoms should start to decrease.
Get Adequate Sleep
A good night’s sleep does all the wonders. One of the best protections against anxiety is getting enough sleep at night. The two aforementioned tips are not only helpful in fighting anxiety symptoms but also improve our sleep. So, to get a long good-quality rest, let’s try reducing or eliminating caffeine, work on maintaining the blood sugar levels stable and find ways to unwind before going to bed.
Get More Exercise
Participating regularly in more physical activity is a great anti-anxiety alternative to prescribed medications and can also be fun and fabulous for our physical health. We can even start by simply taking a walk outside or trying to exercise from the comfort of our living room. The general idea is to sit less and move more. Yoga and Tai Qi are incredibly beneficial for anxiety, but what matters is that we find something we enjoy to increase the chance of sticking with it.
Increase Magnesium
Researchers have found that magnesium intake can help manage anxiety symptoms. We can increase our magnesium in a few different ways, such as taking magnesium supplements, eating magnesium-rich foods, using a topical magnesium gel, or enjoying a relaxing Epsom salt bath. Check with your doctor before taking any supplements.
Anxiety can have a significant impact on the quality of our lives. Finding natural alternatives to prescribed medication can go a long way toward reducing symptoms of anxiety. These simple changes to our lifestyle allow us to live an easier life.
As part of our team of 30 counsellors, we have several anxiety specialists who can help. Citizen provides counselling in Birmingham, via secure phone or video link.
Edited by: Eliška Petříková
