5 Tips to Manage Anxiety Without Medication
1. Get Up and Get Moving
Anxiety, along with most mental health disorders, can cause you to feel out of sorts and zapped for energy. When your brain is hyperactive, engaging in physical activity probably seems like the last thing you want to do.
Even in these moments, it’s important to get yourself moving. Exercise has many benefits for your mind and body, but it is also one of the best ways to fight back against your anxiety naturally.
Exercise increases your endorphins and serotonin to naturally give you a mood boost. When you’re feeling physically good and accomplished, you’re bound to feel better mentally. Plus, partaking in some form of physical activity will distract your brain, alleviating your symptoms quickly.
Get yourself in a routine of at least 30 minutes three to five times per week. Choose activities that help counteract your heightened state. Go for a walk, follow a yoga flow, ride a bike, or take a swim.
2. Re-evaluate Your Relationship with Caffeine
Coffee, soda, and chocolate are common go-to’s for many people, whether it’s to jump-start your day, accompany your afternoon snack, or finish your nighttime meal. Unfortunately, the caffeine vice can also be fueling your anxiety, especially when you’re already amped up.
However, the thought of cutting out caffeine entirely from your life may also sound unappealing. Start by making small changes to scale back your consumption. If cutting back goes smoothly, wean yourself away more.
As an alternative to caffeinated beverages, increase your water intake and try out an herbal tea variety, which can also help calm your mind.
3. Assess Your Sleep Hygiene
Whether it’s racing thoughts or worries about project deadlines, your anxiety can interfere with the quality and quantity of your sleep. For your brain to rest and recover, you should get the recommended sleep hours each night. For most adults, that’s seven to eight hours. Sleep deprivation can also cause your anxiety to become worse over time.
Schedule yourself a bedtime and try to stick to it every night, weekends included, to the best of your ability. Create a space that promotes restful sleep with a cooler temperature, darkness, and comfortable bedding. Limit electronic use within the bedroom area and leading up to going to sleep.
4. If it Doesn’t Serve you, Say No
You’re allotted one energy bank each day. Choose wisely what you’re willing to spend it on. Do you often find yourself over-extending to help other people with their problems? Are you putting yourself into social situations or participating in activities that don’t bring you joy or add value to your day? Either of these could be adding to your anxiety.
Get comfortable saying no to things that don’t serve you. Reserve your energy to address your needs first, then divvy out the rest later. Have clear boundaries for interacting with your peers and what you want to participate in.
5. Be Present
Anxiety can spiral you into a place of what-ifs and future woes. Are you going to be financially set? Will you be a good parent? Where will you be in five years?
Rather than worrying about matters in front of you, you’re off somewhere less productive in the future. At the end of the day, you can’t control the future. You can only change what’s happening today.
Be mindful and ground yourself, especially when you notice your mind wandering off to future problems. Practice meditation to clear your mind and create mental space for the here and now. Take a few minutes with a grounding exercise.
Anxiety may be an uphill battle, but it is not impossible to overcome. Contact us today to learn more about your options.