When you visit a healthcare professional or doctor about your anxiety, the most common recommendation is drug therapy. There are so many prescription medications designed to treat mental health issues, from anxiety to depression that we rarely ever hear about natural cures. Unfortunately, many of these drugs have dangerous side effects, which is why we should be more motivated to try natural treatments. Interestingly, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that non-drug treatments for anxiety are not only safe, but very effective as well.
- Mind-Body Exercises: Yoga, meditation, focused breathing, and other exercises aimed at improving relaxation can be very useful in the treatment of anxiety. Even physical symptoms of anxiety respond well to mind-body exercises; so the next time you're feeling the symptoms of anxiety give it a try. Deep breathing exercises are easy and can be done anywhere, simply focus on taking slow, deep breaths and then imagine your anxiety symptoms disappearing as you exhale slowly. You'll likely find that your anxiety is greatly reduced or gone all together. If this simple exercise is effective for you, speak to your doctor about where you can learn more mind-body exercises for treating anxiety.
- Massage Therapy: Regular massage can be as expensive as prescription anxiety treatments, but it helps to relieve muscle tension and extremely reduces stress. When you're dealing with anxiety, your goal should be to improve relaxation and decrease stress, so massage therapy is a great alternative to drugs.
- Aroma Therapy: Similar to massage therapy, aroma therapy helps to reduce stress and relieve tension. Lavender is a particularly helpful aroma, but other essential oils including jasmine, rose, and sandalwood have also been shown to be effective in relieving anxiety.
- Herbal Therapies: Herbal therapies are another natural cure for anxiety that you may not have previously considered. Passionflower, Valerian root, and magnesium are just 3 examples of herbs and nutrients that are effective in combating anxieties. You can find many of these treatments at your local pharmacy or health food store.
- Sound Therapy: Recent research has shown that sound therapy is useful in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Specialized sound therapy activates neurons in the cortex and other regions of the brain to strengthen neural pathways and ultimately balance brain functions. Through this activation, dopamine and serotonin levels can be naturally increased to improve motivation and happiness. Moreover, focusing on relaxing music helps to clear the mind and enhance mood so you can achieve relaxation more quickly.
While many of us may benefit from these natural cures for anxiety, you should not allow yourself to get stressed out if they do not. Anxiety is a very serious condition for many people, and in some cases the most effective treatment is a combination of prescription drugs and psychotherapy. Neverheless, if you are a reductor to rely on drug treatments, you can at least try these 5 natural cures for anxiety.