Anxiety affects 18 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 years and older each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety is an emotional disorder of overwhelming feelings of panic and fear, uncontrollable obsessive thoughts, painful memories and recurring nightmares, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
If left untreated, people with anxiety are more likely to avoid situations that trigger or exacerbate panic and fear, become depressed, abuse drugs and alcohol, and fail at their occupation and in relationships. Anxiety can be cured naturally through psychotherapy and with changes in environment, relationships and lifestyle.
Steps
Step 1
Discuss your anxiety symptoms with a licensed psychotherapist to identify the causes and to help you change the way you respond to triggers in your environment, relationships and lifestyle. The American Psychiatric Association recommends psychotherapy for emotional distress associated with anxiety. Choose a therapist with whom you feel comfortable talking with, is empathetic to your feelings and circumstances, and provides effective treatment.
Step 2
Sit down on a yoga mat and relax for 30 minutes every morning and evening as you focus on something positive and optimistic in your life. This will calm your nervous system, slow down your mind and refocus your energy away from the worry and fear that are associated with many anxiety symptoms. Yoga and meditation are excellent disciplines to follow.
Step 3
Listen to New Age music for 60 minutes every day. New Age music can help you to relax your mind, change your thoughts and create optimism. Kitaro and Paul Winter are two musical artists that have created many compositions published on CDs or are available to download.
Step 4
Read books on relaxation and healing from emotional traumas to gain an encouraging perspective on how others recover from anxiety and change their environment, relationships and lifestyle. Hay House and Llewellyn are two publishers of books on health and healing.
Step 5
Connect with nature by spending one or two days a week hiking on a trail, walking along a beach or kayaking down a river. The beauty can naturally inspire you, plus the exercise will get your lungs breathing in fresh air, your blood circulating and your brain releasing endorphins.
Step 6
Join a self-help group and participate in weekly meetings where you can share your fears and worries. Over time you will make friends and it will be easier to socialize.
Step 7
Eat a diet of natural foods that includes fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy and fish.
Tips and Warnings
- Psychotherapy can help you to learn ways to overcome anxiety triggers and prevent the symptoms from interfering with your life. A yoga instructor can teach you techniques for relaxation, breathing and creative visualization. When listening to music, focus on how your mind and body interact with sound and rhythm.
- Abstain from substances that can alter your brain biochemistry such as drugs, alcohol and caffeine.
Things You'll Need
- Yoga mat
- New Age music
- Books on relaxation and healing
