3 Holistic Ways to Reduce Anxiety
If you struggle with anxiety, like I do, you know how frustrating and crippling it can be. Sometimes medication helps with anxiety, and sometimes it doesn’t cut it. When I’m overly anxious I have a hard time focusing on simple tasks because everything seems overwhelming, my appetite is off, and my sleep is TERRIBLE. But after trying a bunch of different holistic ways to try and alleviate my symptoms, I found three things that have really worked for me, so I thought I’d share them here:
Giving Up Coffee
Ok probably 50% of you will see this first one and say “fuck that, I’ll keep the anxiety.” But I swear, since I have given up coffee so many parts of my mind & body have improved, including the reduction of anxious feelings. When I’m drinking too much coffee, my appetite is suppressed and I find myself drinking less water. The combination of caffeine and dehydration (and being hangry) makes me so much more jittery and anxious in the morning, and then by 4pm I feel like death when I crash. I’m not a maniac, ok? I still drink matcha and black tea, but I find that anything caffeinated after 12pm brings about that hollow-stomach jittery feeling, and makes it harder for me to sleep at night, which brings me to…
CBD & Lavender Oil
One of the worst side effects of my anxious mind is insomnia. In the fall of this past year, I got really fed up with not being able to sleep when it was time for sleep (!!!!) and did some research & asked friends what helps them get it done. I’ve found that CBD oil is great for anxiety reduction during the day or night, but I mostly take it at night, and then I put lavender oil on my temples and wrists as I’m going to sleep. The combination has been successful for me. I have less anxiety falling asleep and therefore less anxiety the next day because I’m actually well-rested.
Short Runs & Long(er) Meditations
Finally, when I’m feeling really anxious, ie: there’s something burning up inside my chest and I don’t know how to get rid of it, a short run is all it takes to make me feel better. It’s seriously amazing how I can feel my body relax after about 10-15 minutes of running at a moderate pace. Sometimes I’ll stay and actually work out more after said run and sometimes I’m like “ok that’s enough— I’m out.” I also try to meditate at home, but I’m most successful at meditation during yoga. Even if I only make it to a class once or twice a week, I can feel that calmness carry throughout the other days and it’s really helpful. Not to mention, both of these activities give me a quick separation from my phone, which can be a huge anxiety trigger. It’s great to take a break once and a while.
Let me know if you try any of these and they work for you, or if you have other suggestions for how to holistically reduce anxiety! I love learning and trying new things to see what works best.