An estimated 40 million people over the age of 18 years old in the United States suffer from an anxiety disorder. Occasional anxiety in response to stressful events in life are normal. When anxiety consistently causes a person a great deal of emotional distress, it is a problem. Anxiety is often a debilitating condition that leads to a loss of quality in life. A person who suffers from anxiety may find that his work, family life and social life suffers. Natural anxiety control methods can be useful in helping a person cope with anxiety.
Step 1
Avoid consuming alcohol, ingesting caffeine or using recreational drugs. All of these items can aggravate or cause anxiety.
Step 2
Participate in 30 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as jogging or aerobics, at least three times a week or whenever you feel stressed. Vigorous exercise causes the brain to release endorphins, which enhance a person's feeling of well-being.
Step 3
Get 8 hours of sleep a night to reduce anxiety. A lack of sleep stresses the body. A tired and stressed body often increases a person's anxiety levels. Unfortunately, anxiety sometimes leads to insomnia.
Prepare the mind and body for sleep by enjoying calming activities such as listening to classical music or reading a book, starting 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Set a time that you will go to sleep each night to get your biological clock back to normal. Every night at your set bedtime, lie in bed with the lights and television turned off to avoid sleep distractions.
Step 4
Visit a licensed auricular acupuncturist when your anxiety levels are high. Auricular acupuncture is a method of acupuncture that is performed on the ear. Auricular acupuncture decreases anxiety by centering the mind and body.
Step 5
Take the herbal supplement kava to reduce anxiety. Kava is useful for reducing anxiety as effectively as benzodiazepine drugs such as diazepam (Valium®).
Step 6
Learn cognitive behavioral therapy techniques from a licensed psychologist. Cognitive behavioral therapy reduces anxiety symptoms by teaching techniques for dealing with and reacting to stress.
References
- National Sleep Foundation - Stress and Insomnia
- Anesthesia and Analgesia Journal 2001;92:548-553; Auricular Acupuncture: A Potential Treatment for Anxiety; Department of Anesthesiology, and the Departments of Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut; Shu-Ming Wang, MD, Zeev N. Kain, MD; 2001
- Medline Plus - Kava (Piper methysticum G. Forst)
