Anxiety Home Treatments

Anxiety disorders affect about 18% of adults over age 18 in any given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). While anxiety disorders respond well to treatment, only about one third of people with an anxiety disorder receive treatment, says the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA). Multiple strategies exist to manage both daily stress and anxiety, as well as anxiety disorders. The strategies, while they may take some practice, can provide a sense of calm.

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques include visualization, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation. These relaxation techniques, with practice, can alter your feeling of anxiety to a sense of calm.
According to Edmund Bourne, PhD, author of "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" and specialist in treating anxiety disorders for over 20 years, visualization uses imagery to change your behavior and the way you feel. Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and releasing muscle groups one at a time, thereby ridding the body of tension you may not even know exists. Meditation helps break up obsessive thinking patterns, restructure thoughts productively, and in general has been found to reduce chronic anxiety. Dr. Bourne recommends meditating daily for 20 to 30 minutes, though a beginner can start with five to 10 minutes per day. One method suggested is to sit with legs crossed or in a chair. On each exhale repeat a neutral word such as "one."

Nutrition

Dr. Bourne suggests that avoiding some foods and increasing others can have an influence in the level of stress and anxiety you feel. Over the past 20 years, research has strongly linked diet, stress, and mood. The foods he suggests you avoid or limit include preservatives, hormones in meat, excessive salt, caffeine, nicotine, stimulant drugs, and refined sugars. These foods or substances can stress the body and aggravate the physical symptoms of anxiety such as increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Dr. Bourne provides guidelines for healthy eating that are directly relevant to reducing anxiety. The guidelines he offers include eating fresh fruits, eating whole, fresh foods, eating organic poultry or seafood, drinking at least 48 ounces of water each day, increasing fresh vegetable consumption, and eating from all the major food groups.

Breathing

According to Dr. Bourne, research suggests that people with anxiety breathe high and shallow in their chests. Being tense makes it difficult to breathe deeply. Re-training yourself to breathe abdominally is possible. He recommends practicing abdominal breathing regularly. Breathing from your belly versus your chest has a number of positive effects not only on your physical health, but in managing your anxiety, too.
To practice abdominal breathing, Dr. Bourne suggests placing one hand on your abdomen, just under your ribs. Slowly and deeply inhale to the count of four to the "bottom" of your lungs. If practicing abdominal breathing, your hand should rise, while the chest will move only slightly. Pause after taking the breath, then exhale to the count of four slowly through your nose or mouth. Exhale fully and allow your body to release tension. Repeat this 10 times. If you start to feel dizzy, stop for 15 to 20 seconds and then resume.

Increase Physical Activity

Regular, vigorous activity is one of the most powerful, effective methods for decreasing anxiety, according to Dr. Bourne. Exercise reduces tension, metabolizes stress hormones more quickly, enhances oxygenation, releases endorphins for a sense of well-being, reduces insomnia, reduces depression, and gives a greater sense of control over anxiety.

Talk to Someone

The ADAA recommends talking to family or friends when feeling overwhelmed. You can tell them ways that they can assist you. Dr. Bourne notes that expressing your feelings can have a substantial physiological effect on you, causing a reduced sense of anxiety. Anxious self-talk and mistaken beliefs also play a big role in contributing to anxiety. In airing these to another person, they may provide feedback that causes you to challenge or rethink these beliefs in a more reality-based fashion.