5 Ways to Relieve Anxiety in a Natural Manner

5 Ways to Relieve Anxiety in a Natural Manner

I think we can all agree that today’s fast-paced modern world is a tough place to live.

The incessant bombardment on our self esteem caused by our social media addictions, the fear generated by crisis-obsessed rolling news channels, tribal politics, global warming and overpopulation – basically the list of things that generate anxiety and stress is almost endless.

It’s enough to have you reaching for some industrial strength anxiety medication in order to calm your nerves. And many people do. Before you take that drastic step why not try instead these five ways to relieve anxiety in a natural manner first.

Do a digital detox

Smartphones and social media are two of the most important developments we’ve ever seen. Never before has the human race been so connected. The omnipresence of technology in our lives has seen a radical and profound shift in the way we interact with the world and each other.

The consequences of the technological revolution are still be fully understood but one thing is certain – we’ve become a society of tech addicts.

Our smartphones rarely leave our hands and we are hooked to the feeling likes and retweets give us, each one releases a tiny dose of dopamine into our bloodstream and it feels great. The downside of our technology addiction is like that of any other drug, we need more and more and when it’s taken away from us we get anxious.

Taking a step back from social media, and our smartphones in general, is a great way to see exactly what power they have over us. A digital detox of a week, or more, is a great way to reduce anxiety levels and to rediscover a little calm.

Laugh more

Laughter really is the best medicine.

Having a chuckle is an unbelievably potent and tragically overlooked tool when it comes to stress reduction. Whether it is sharing a great big belly laugh with your friends or putting on your favourite funny film and sniggering away for ninety minutes. The more we laugh the less anxious we are.

Researchers have even found that you can cheat the system. Simply remembering a funny memory, say that time your Aunt Mary’s hat caught on fire for instance, is enough to flood your body with a cocktail of stress reducing hormones.

Get a massage

When we are anxious it’s reflected in the health of our body. A hard week in the office will more often than not manifest itself in a sore back and tight shoulders. stretching exercises are a great way to help minimise this pent up anxiety. A relaxed hatha yoga class is the perfect combination of deep breathing and gentle stretching.

Another means to relieve this anxiety from your poor body in a natural manner is to get a massage. Have a well trained professional go to work on your problem areas and ease the stress away with their magic fingers. When it comes to stress relief a good masseuse is worth their body weight in gold. If you find a good one, treasure them.

Sleep more

We’ve always known that sleep is good for us but it’s only in the last decade that we’ve come to truly understand exactly how good for us sleep really is.

Sleep is now being referred to by many experts as not only the best natural performance enhancer available but also the best natural stress relief available. This is because when we sleep, our system is able to flush the body of cortisol, the so-called ‘stress hormone’.

Individuals who sleep badly, that’s less than seven hours a night, have been shown to have much higher levels of anxiety, stress and depression. Insomniacs have a far higher rate of suicide than their well-rested counterparts.

Knowing you should sleep more and actually being able to do so are two very different things entirely. For some tried and tested expert advice on how to improve your odds of a good night’s rest head on over to the Sleep Advisor blog. Thank me in the morning!

Exercise more

Alongside sleep, getting regular exercise is probably the best thing you can do to reduce anxiety levels naturally.

When we worry the body releases cortisol, this triggers a fight or flight response that was very useful in our caveman days. In today’s desk-based world fighting or fleeing are no longer usually an option, as a consequence raised cortisol levels remain in our system and cause a myriad of health problems, such as stress and anxiety – amongst many others.

When you go for a jog, shoot some hoops, dance the tango or simply run around the park with the kids, you are mimicking the fight or flight response and your body is able to burn off cortisol. That’s why you feel so relaxed after getting outside and getting a bit sweaty.

There you have it, five ways to reduce anxiety without a prescription in sight. Give them and whirl and here’s to many calmer and stress free days on the horizon.

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