Health

3 Natural Ways To Reduce Anxiety That Actually Work

Anxiety and I used to be a pair that would go hand and hand. I felt like it was my evil stepsister who would follow me around everywhere I would go. If you’re like me and have ever dealt with this shaky shadow, fear no longer!

By Lexi Atkins2 min read
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Shutterstock/Dean Drobot

In my experience, there are a lot of amazing ways to not only cope with anxiety but almost get rid of it altogether. There are many different approaches you can choose from - or, if you’re like me, you can combine any or all of them! As an added plus, these recommendations have many other health benefits besides just calming your anxiety.

1. Supplementation

There are many supplements that ease stress and anxiety. A few of my favorites are:

Ashwagandha

For Anxiety: This ancient ayurvedic herb helps lower levels of cortisol, a hormone that your adrenal glands produce in response to stress. Lowering your cortisol levels will help improve your mood and put your body in a more peaceful state.

Lowering your cortisol levels will help improve your mood and put your body in a more peaceful state.

Extra benefits: This medicinal herb is a type of adaptogen. I’ve written about adaptogens before on Evie, and this is one of my favorite ones out there! Ashwagandha can reduce blood sugar levels, has anti-cancer properties, and can also improve thyroid function, just to name a few!

Magnesium

For Anxiety: Magnesium can act as a nervous system relaxant. This mineral can help soothe feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and even help you get to sleep at night.

Extra Benefits: Not only does magnesium help with anxiety, but it improves bone health, relieves muscle aches/spasms, and even combats constipation.

2. Movement

Movement can play a crucial role in treating anxiety since emotion is created by motion.

Yoga

For Anxiety: Yoga can play an amazing role in treating your anxious tendencies. Anxiety and panic attacks usually come with a slew of uncomfortable physical side effects like tension and tightness. Yoga classes that involve specific asanas sequences can help ease stress and tension by stretching your muscles, calming your mind, and teaching you to breathe through any discomfort stored in your body.

Dance

For Anxiety: Dancing is another fun way to shake off anxious feelings, whether it's in a group class setting, or just alone to your favorite music. Dance has been proven to increase levels of the feel-good serotonin, which is crucial for people battling anxiety and depression. Of all the exercise choices out there that can help with anxiety, dancing is by far the one that helps me the most.

Dance has been proven to increase levels of the feel-good serotonin, which is crucial for people battling anxiety and depression.

Extra Benefits: Dancing is also a fantastic workout that doesn’t always feel like you’re necessarily trying to “work out.” Dancing keeps me in shape, and while I’m dancing the time just flies by! Dance has also been shown to improve cognitive function by helping develop the neural connections involved in long-term memory.

3. Quiet Time

Having some quiet time is always a good idea for anxiety.

Meditation

For Anxiety: Meditation is known to help with anxiety - there’s nothing like learning to quiet your mind to help ease your worries. There are a lot of awesome apps out there to help you get started with meditation, whether you’re new to it or just trying to get back into that state of mind. Some apps worth trying out are:

  1. Headspace App

  2. Calm App

  3. Insight Timer

Extra Benefits: Meditation is also known to have many other benefits. It can lengthen your attention span, reduce any age-related memory loss, and help lower blood pressure, to name a few.

Taking a Walk in Nature

For Anxiety: Taking a walk in nature can help soothe anxiety. Being in nature has been shown to relax individuals and put them into a more peaceful state. It can also boost endorphins that increase your mood, lower stress, and put you at ease.

Extra Benefits: Taking a walk in nature can add a lot of additional benefits to your life. Walking can be a great way to calm your mind, body, and spirit. Being in nature can clear your mind and allow you to be fully present in the moment. Many people also find inspiration in nature, which means that taking a walk in your local nature reserve won’t just relax you - it’ll help you feel more creative, too!

Closing Thoughts

I hope some of these tips help with any anxiety you may be dealing with. Know that you’re not alone and that there are SO many ways to help ease any stress!