Natural Treatment for Anxiety - 7 Simple and Proven Ways to Help Yourself With Anxiety
by Vlasta Kuster
In the natural treatment of anxiety we often think of herbs that might be used instead of tablets. Not without a reason.
Did you know that chamomile works against anxiety like pills ?
And that you can be anxious also because you do not have breakfast ?
You do not eat eggs ? Perhaps because of cholesterol ?
A mistake.
Also, because the latest findings show that eggs are not as harmful as they were meant to be in recent years.
Even more - eggs contain an important ingredient that helps with anxiety. So, let's take a look at what you can do for your own well-being:
Option No.1 for natural treatment of anxiety: drink chamomile tea
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is known to soothe. However, it is less known that they have a similar effect as medicines used in the treatment of anxiety (eg, Walium, i.e. Diazepam), which is classified as Benzodiazepin.
Some of the substances contained in chamomile are binded in the brain to the same receptors as these medicines. In a study carried out at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, students who suffered for generalized anxiety disorder were found to have significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety...
....after 8 weeks of chamomile extract therapy compared to the placebo group during the same experiment.
Option No.2 for natural treatment of anxiety: Lavender essential oil (Lavandula hybrida)
The lavender scent works as a tranquilizer, even to people with anxiety it is beneficial, though to a lesser extent.
So that, for example, it was found that Greek patients were less anxious while waiting in the dental clinic when they scattered the smell of lavender in the waiting room.
Lavender works even better in higher concentrations. In humans with generalized anxiety disorder, lavender oil in capsules had the same effect as Lorazepam (known in our country as Lorsilan), a medicine of the same rank as Walium.
Option No.3: Enjoy your breakfast and remember the eggs
It is said that it is good and beneficial to eat breakfast. And this statement is not made up. Let's have a look at why breakfast can be associated with anxious feelings:
in the morning, due to a night-time lack of energy obtained by eating over the day, the body reacts with a greater discharge of adrenaline. A higher level of adrenaline can initiate anxiety.
So if you experience anxiety in the morning, the cause may be right in the adrenaline.
So what should you eat for breakfast ?
In order to increase the blood sugar level – honey (which contains mainly digestible, i.e. simple, sugars quickly absorbed into the blood), or - a fresh juice from mixed fruits (which is now popularly called "smoothie") that should be just fine.
Why then should you eat eggs ?
Eggs, in addition to having a lot of protein, are also an excellent natural source of Choline, one of the B vitamins whose deficiency can cause anxiety, as confirmed by a study carried out in Norway
What about their harmfulness and cholesterol? Nothing in particular - it is agreed that you can safely eat one egg per day without a bad consciousness. That should do.
Option No.4: Enjoy foods rich in omega-3 acid
The feeling of anxiety was reduced by up to 20% in those using omega-3 in a US study...
....Omega-3 acid is best to be consumed by food rather than capsules.
The richest in omega-3 acid are fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines. One usual portion of sea fish should be already sufficient.
But if you do not like fish, then flax oil is also a good solution though it contains a different kind of omega 3 acid (ALA), which breaks down in our body into those, contained in fish.
- 1 tablespoon of flax oil = approx. equivalent to 1 portion of sea fish.
Option No.5: Go to the forest and let go with the flow
The Japanese call this method that you can use in a natural treatment of anxiety - a forest bath. They also made a study on how a 20-minute walk through the forest works, where you can hear the purling of a small stream and smell the wonderful scents of wood found in the forest.
The walk was compared with the group that was wandering around the city.
The level of stress hormones was lower in the first group compared to the other, and also the walk along the forest compared to walking around the settlement positively influenced tension and anxiety, depression, fatigue and work efficiency.
Option No.6: Work-out 20-30 minutes a day - 5 days a week
Option No.6 for natural treatment of anxiety is physical exercise which can be more intense or it may also be moderate. Do it regularly at least 5 days a week.
Choose the area where you most enjoy - if you were involved in a particular sport when you were young, start doing it again.
Cycle, swim or climb the nearest hill.
Regular exercise according to some studies reduces mortality by as much as 30%, and people who engage in regular physical activity are less depressed, and symptoms of anxiety are rarely present as well.
Option No.7: Go to EFT therapy and permanently eliminate anxiety
A pilot study conducted in 2009 in Canada found significant improvements in students with a middle as well as severe form of anxiety, when the impact of the EFT method on eliminating anxiety was examined.
With EFT therapy you can permanently eliminate anxiety.
This therapy is based on the assumption that all negative emotions are related to the electrical system located in our body.
Tapping on the acupuncture points causes the heart rate to decrease, the breathing calms down, the hands are no longer sweaty and the anxiety disappears.
If we want to abolish such complex issue as anxiety, we have to tackle this problem seriously.
You would necessary need the help of a top EFT therapist who will be able to find the real causes of your anxiety and permanently eliminate them in three months.
Natural Treatment for Anxiety - Your Daily To Do list
Now for a conclusion, let's take a look at how the day should look like when you want to tackle anxiety in a natural way:
Breakfast
- for breakfast prepare eggs and drink chamomile tea,
Lunch
- for lunch, eat fish or salad with linseed oil,
After work
- in the afternoon, after work, go to the park or forest for half an hour and be physically active - fast walking, running, cycling, whatever suits you.
At home in the evening
- on your return home or in the evening before bedtime, enjoy a warm bath enriched with essential oils of lavender.
Well, if that doesn't help...
...you can still visit an EFT therapist and let him/her guide you and safely lead you to your inner joy and peace.
Vlasta Kuster, holds an MA degree in Basic Medical Sciences and uses her 3-month EFT therapy in her work to help people to do away with panic attacks and anxiety for good. She has more than 10-year experiences in EFT therapy and achieves at least 90% success in permanently eliminating anxiety and panic attacks. You may contact her through her website freeofpanic.com