Contrary to what most people think, stress and anxiety are very different conditions. Anxiety precedes a potentially undesirable circumstance. Therefore, anxiety produces stress. This makes anxiety anticipatory and means that reducing anxiety can prevent future stress. While there are many causes for anxiety, general health and wellness may be one of the best ways to counter negative feelings. Here are five holistic, drug-free ways to lower your anxiety and help you feel better.
The first way is to clean up your diet. While there’s no such thing as a perfect diet, a few simple changes can help you avoid anxiety. For instance, you should avoid caffeinated or alcoholic drinks, as both acts as catalysts for anxious thoughts and behaviors. Adding natural supplements can also help to relieve anxiety. Abstaining from refined sugars, added sodium, and saturated fats is also key as these damage your bodily system and may contribute to negative emotions.
The second way is to advance your spiritual health. Spirituality is the connective tissue between our values, beliefs, and faith systems. Every time we engage with your spirituality, we move further towards a deeper understanding of who we are. In the process of personal discovery, we find the causes of our anxieties, allowing us to rationalize them and curtain their effects.
The next thing you can do to lower anxiety is practice mindfulness. With mindfulness, we focus on the positive features in ourselves and our environment. We cease all activity, relax the body, and enter a calmer state from which we can appreciate our lives more.
The fourth way is by simply moving your body. A sedentary lifestyle does more than just damage your body—it also takes a toll on the mind. But studies suggest that a walk as short as 10 minutes can significantly lower anxiety. So, in just a few short walks a day we can get in all the recommended daily exercise we need while reducing feelings of anxiousness.
Lastly, getting into a routine can help you beat anxiety. Through consistency, we can begin to root the sources of our anxieties. Very often just getting enough sleep every night is sufficient to improve mood and overall wellness while finding a good eating schedule can help you avoid unhealthy dietary habits that lead to anxiety.
