Stress is the pandemic of today’s world. Contemporary life is so complicated, that we’re always under a lot of pressure in our daily lives.
That takes its toll and we end up not only feeling miserable, but with health issues too.
Fortunately, there are various natural remedies for anxiety, some of which people have known from ages. From herbs to breathing exercises, there are various ways to deal with stress and get rid of the anxiety that makes your life a nightmare.
How to Beat Stress in Natural Ways
Even if you consider yourself emotionally stable, stress is still going to reach you in some way or another. Since stress and anxiety can result in a lot of health issues, it’s understandable why so many people are seeking therapy.
Before going to therapy and taking serious medication, however, there are a lot of things you can try to naturally reduce your stress levels and become more resilient. Below are the 7 most effective of them.
1. Take Vitamins or Minerals
When the body is suffering from vitamin or mineral deficiency, it becomes much more sensitive to stress, because all the resources are concentrated into replenishing the supplies.
Certain vitamins and minerals, like magnesium, vitamin C and vitamins B6 and B12 are quite efficient in combating stress in particular.
A good way to supply your body with those nutrients is to find which foods are rich in them. For example, leafy greens are quite rich in vitamin C and magnesium, which is why you’re likely to feel a boost of energy and a rush of good mood after consuming them.
2. Try Adaptogens
Adaptogens are a group of herbs that make you more resistant to stress, or they make you more adaptable, hence their name. Their greatest benefit is that they not only provide short term relaxation, but they make you stress-resistant in the long run.
Such herbs include Ashwaganda, ginseng, rhodiola, macca, and many others. You can take them in the form of supplements or consume them as herbs added to drinks and food.
3. Passion Flower Supplements
Passion flower can be taken by supplements and teas too, and it also has a long term relaxing effect on the brain. The reason why it works is that it stimulates the production of GABA (gamma amino-butiric acid), which relaxes the neurons when they’re overstimulated.
The herb can also help with insomnia and disruptive sleep, but don’t take more than the recommended daily dose because it may cause sleepiness and drowsiness.
4. Cut Back on Caffeine
Caffeine may give you a quick boost of energy, but it will make matters worse in the long run. It can worsen anxiety and make your brain more stressed instead of focused.
In the long run, coffee even stops giving you energy, but instead it only worsens anxiety.
Try to gradually limit your caffeine intake or replace coffee with black or green tea, which also have caffeine but their effects are much more mild.
5. Relaxation Techniques
There are plenty of breathing techniques and other types of easy exercises aimed to relieve the tension from your body. We usually don’t notice how tense we are, how we’ve brought our shoulders upwards, or how we’re clenching our teeth.
All this tension is the result from stress.
Things that could help relieve it include breathing exercises like the ones that you can see in yoga. It’s even better for you if you do the breathing exercises while doing yoga.
The poses in yoga or the exercises in pilates are able to take the pressure away from the deep muscles that cannot be reached by massaging techniques.
Speaking of massaging techniques, that is another quite popular natural remedy for stress. You deserve going to a massage session every once in a while to relax your muscles and take the pressure away.
Meditation and visualization techniques are also a good example of effective relaxation techniques.
6. Regular Exercise
Exercise makes your brain produce endorphins, which are responsible for making you feel good and satisfied from your achievements. That’s the fastest natural way to uplift your mood and decrease anxiety.
When you make exercise a regular part of your daily routine your brain will make you feel good in the long run, making you a lot more emotionally resilient.
7. Healthy Sleep
Healthy sleep is the most important pillar of stress management. You can’t expect your brain to process stress factors effectively when you leave it tired and overworked.
If you struggle with falling and staying asleep, then you should look for different methods to deal with that problem if you want to effectively manage stress in the long term.
You have probably noticed that you feel a lot happier and calm after a good night’s sleep, so try to make that a regular thing.
