The worry of the future never really does leave our saddle. You think about how things will turn out to be, which can be a fun way to get through the evening at times. But when it becomes a lingering thought that creeps into other aspects of your life, that’s when it gets to you.
Anxiety is one of the major mental health conditions affecting people worldwide. AIt can take scary shapes that compels you to seek a therapist for pills. But would you do anything differently if I tell you how a few minor tweaks in your daily life will give you a narrow escape from the draining side-effects of psychiatric pills?
Before you throw your pills out, you might want to consult your therapist. Chances are your therapist might even recommend these, to begin with, but you can’t be too sure. With that settled, let’s start off with how you can self-treat your anxiety.
Accept The Hard Facts
Whether with a therapist or by yourself, you have to start seeing things for what and how they are. We usually accept only the facts that favor our theories, which is why it’s important to make sure you’re going the right way.
And to do that, you might find breaking a situation down to be quite helpful. It does take some time getting used to, but you get closer every day. And by breaking a situation down, I mean you should compare the reality to what you make up in mind.
Because nine times out of ten, it is usually an exaggerated fear that you view as reality. Maybe your colleague got promoted in your place because he was more qualified, you’re worried about your exams because you haven’t prepared, and whatnot.
Why I call these the hard facts is because there are the things we hate to admit. You have to learn that life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, there are hard days, and you live through them to see better ones.
Get Proper Sleep
Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Also, the quality of sleep matters as much as the quantity. So you might want to look into how well you sleep instead of how much you sleep. This is probably the reason why you still feel tired and stressed even after 9 hours of sleep.
Matching your sleep cycle to your routine or vice versa is always a good place to start. Take note of the hours you are the most productive in and the time your wake-up time a little before those.
There are tons of studies proving how the most productive hours are the ones just after we wake up, so utilize those. But that’s not all, you also may want to put those screens down a few hours before bed. Yes, excessive screen time delays sleep and reduce quality.
And to top that up, try going to sleep and waking up at specific times of the day. This way, you won’t be tossing and turning when you hit the bed. You’re going fall asleep much quicker as well.
You can also try using essential oils to help you sleep. Essential oils like Lavender contain sedating properties that can help correct your sleeping pattern nd also relieves stress.
Cut Back On Caffeine And Alcohol
Alcohol and coffee, what would life even be without these two drinks?
Waking up and pouring yourself a cup of brewed coffee is how most of us imagine the perfect start to a day. But is there as much reality to this as fantasy?
Caffeine is a stimulant, and coffee has a bunch of it, no wonder you fill a kickstart to the day. While studies show that having a coffee cup is helpful in the morning, they also reveal how having too much caffeine or later in the day can affect sleep. So don’t go off on coffee completely because it’s not very likely to happen, but at least keep your last cup before noon if you want to sleep at 9 p.m.
And about alcohol, it goes without saying how drinking too much is bad for you. But did you know that those couple of shots of whiskey might help you sleep better but irritate you? Drinking alcohol near sleeping hours will affect your sleep, and you’ll feel drained the next day because of the hangover.
And so avoiding the grumpiness from too much caffeine and exhaustion from alcohol might even be the greatest contributors to your anxiety. Moderation is the key!
Meditation
So much for the things you need to avoid, let’s move towards what you can do to fight anxiety. You hear meditation and mindfulness thrown around a lot. So much that you never really got into it after your first few failed attempts.
Well, meditation comes with practice, and it hasn’t been in the practice of different cultures for nothing. There are enough studies to prove how meditation helps overcome anxiety. It helps build new neural pathways to help you get another perspective at things.
It truly is a hard thing to get into meditation. But thanks to the internet, you can find yourself some easy guided-meditation programs. These will not only help you get through the initial struggle but also build for a strong base.
Sometimes, you need to slow down a little!
Natural Herbs
It is a whole new world when it comes to herbs. In them, you can find the cure for something as delicate as acne to something as scary as stress and anxiety. Herbs are the oldest form of medication known to man. And many different cultures still use traditional herbal remedies for various daily uses.
Kratom is among the few herbs, along with Cannabis, which help ease symptoms of anxiety. It is so because kratom affects the opioid receptors of your central nervous system. It binds to the receptors and dampens any signals of pain or stress. This helps you ease the tension in your body and relax. You can brew kratom tea and enjoy it if you are a tea lover.
Other than that, using herbs like rosemary, peppermint, cinnamon, etc. will keep your nutritional intake in check. These fragrant petals not only add a savory taste to stew but helps you fight anxiety as well.
Exercise
There is no better thing that you can do than exercise to keep your physical and mental health in check. You don’t need researches to tell you how much exercise can equip you to treat your anxiety, go out for a run, and you’ll find out for yourself.
Rhythmic workouts like running, swimming, and rowing are the most recommended exercises for treating anxiety. Because these are the only exercises that help you recover your mood-to-body connection.
The oxygen-rich blood circulating through your body charges your body up so you won’t even be drained. But no matter how much I go on about the benefits of exercise, there will always be more.
So let’s get down to the main part about how it affects your mental health. During exercise, your body uses up all the stress hormones in your body. And while doing that, it also releases a load of endorphins into your brain, which regulates and improves your mood. As contradictory as it sounds, getting up and moving is what is going to help you feel energetic. It’s more like fake it till you make it.