Natural and Quick Anxiety Remedies When You Need Them

Everyone has anxiety at some point in their life. When anxiety strikes, you need fast relief. Here are six ways to tame your mild anxiety, prior to seeing your doctor.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem in the U.S., affecting about one out of five people at any given time, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Anxiety can take many forms — generalized anxiety disorder (constant worrying about everyday things), obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder.

While medications to treat these anxiety conditions are often an important component in the management of anxiety, there is also many natural, do-it-yourself techniques that can help calm you down, either in place of medications or as a supplement to them.

Next time you’re too tense to cope, consider trying one of these natural options for relief.

1. Laugh it off. Laugh. Laugh out loud. Laugh at anything. Make yourself laugh.Even if you do a fake laugh, you get an instant hit of dopamine. Dopamine is a brain chemical that controls feelings of reward and pleasure. If you’re too tense to laugh on your own, try using technology.. For example, find a laugh track phone app. Just google phone apps for laughing.
2. Schedule relaxation. Consider sitting down and looking at your schedule. Find some time to schedule it in and put it on your calendar if necessary. Studies helping shy men with social anxiety found that a period of relaxation helped them, lowering their heart rates after they interacted with people.
3.  Ask your doctor about taking GABA. Gamma-aminobutyric acid, (GABA) is a brain transmitter that counteracts the action of another neurotransmitter, glutamate that increases your excitability.The supplement may help calm anxious people.

   Studies have shown that individuals who ate chocolate enriched with GABA before tackling an arithmetic task were less stressed after completing it than those who didn’t have the GABA-infused chocolate.

4. Try lavender. Try lavender essential oil to calm yourself,The smell of lavender is very relaxing. You can put it into diffuser, spritz it on yourself during the day, or rub it gently into your temple.
5. Ground yourself. When anxiety hits, do something tangible and change the subject within your brain. For example, take your house keys out of your pock, run your fingers along the keys. Or grab an ice cube and hold it as long as you can. That sensation will give you ‘grounding and distract you from the anxious feelings.
6. Face the fear. If something makes you scared, and gives you anxiety, face your fear. If you feel shy, go out to social functions. Scared of heights, climb higher than you have before and face your height fear. Exposure therapy, or facing the fear, helps you learn to live with risk and uncertainty.