Seven Holistic Remedies to Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the top mental health concerns in the US, with about 20% of the population dealing with some sort of anxiety disorder. While there are many remedies out there, I believe that taking a holistic route can have a big effect on your mental health. This list can serve as something you add to your daily or weekly routine, or to use in seasons where you feel your anxiety heightened. They will help you reduce your anxiety in a holistic way, and they also are overall beneficial for your health and wellness!
Anxiety is something that I have struggled with, but using my holistic background, I have learned natural ways to reduce my anxiety. This list contains remedies that I use for myself and that I have found to be very effective.
Limit caffeine intake
Limiting my caffeine intake has led to a significant difference in my anxiety. When I was struggling the most with anxiety, I also happened to be drinking large Red Bulls and venti Starbucks. I quickly started to realize that the more caffeine I drank, the worse my anxiety would be.
Interestingly, too much caffeine has been shown to have the same symptoms of anxiety, such as nervousness and a fast heart rate. Caffeine affects the central nervous system which produces adrenaline and can cause you to feel anxious or nervous. However, it is possible that too much caffeine can lead to caffeine-induced anxiety or panic attacks.
I think a safe caffeine consumption varies from person to person, and it really takes you to know your body when you’ve had too much. For me, my morning cup of coffee is totally fine, but I will start to feel the effects if I have an extra cup. I also know that I need to steer clear of any energy drinks or any triple lattes.
Tips to reduce caffeine
- Drink only one cup of coffee a day
- If you want a second cup, try drinking decaf or order your latte as “half-caf” which means the barista will use half normal espresso and half-decaf.
- Do not drink energy drinks or any beverages with a high caffeine content.
- Try matcha instead of coffee for a lower-caffeinated drink.
Cut out alcohol
It’s so easy for us to lean on drinking alcohol to de-stress or relax, and while it may work for the moment, it can actually make your anxiety worse.
Why? Alcohol affects chemicals in our brains, including serotonin, and also dysregulates our nervous systems. It causes sleep disruption, dehydration, and mineral depletion. Alcohol is essentially a poison in our bodies and we have to go through a mild detoxification process, even from just one drink, which can cause you to feel jittery or anxious.
If I am going through a season where I feel heightened anxiety, I will completely remove alcohol. If I feel like I need a drink to unwind, I will make a mocktail, or drink something such tart cherry juice to help with sleep. I love to mix half tart cherry juice and half sparkling water as an easy mocktail.
Increase your veggie intake
I wrote a whole paper while in school for my bachelor’s degree in nutrition all about fruit and vegetable intake and how it affects anxiety and depression. It is WILD how much this affects us! Study after study suggests that eating a diet with at least 5 servings of vegetables is correlated with lower levels of anxiety and depression. One study showed that the more fresh fruits and veggies you ate, the lower your anxiety and depression, whereas the more ultra-processed foods you ate, the higher your anxiety and depression.
Eating vegetables certainly isn’t something that you will feel immediate effects of (although I wish broccoli could make your anxiety immediately go away!) Instead, it is a lifestyle factor that can have huge effects on your anxiety.
I know how tempting it is to eat all the junk food, ice cream, and fast food when you are feeling stressed or anxious, but this can just make your anxiety worse. Instead, try to incorporate a good meal and nutrient-rich foods as you can.
Tips to increase your veggie intake
- Add an extra veggie to every meal. You can do this by just adding in an additional veggie, or adding an extra side of veggies to your meal.
- Make sure you are getting veggies for breakfast! Make a veggie scramble or have sliced veggies on the side
- Prep your veggies ahead of time. If the veggies are already cut, they are so much easier to snack on or to add to your cooking!
- Try a new veggie. Find a recipe for a veggie you’ve never had, or browse the grocery store and pick out something new! You never know what your new favorite veggie will be!
Take magnesium glycinate
This form of Magnesium has been shown to help regulate cortisol levels and balance neurotransmitters. It has a calming effect and can also help promote good sleep. You can take this as a single supplement, but my favorite way is to take Needed Sleep and Relaxation Support. It is a powder you mix in water for a sleep-supporting and relaxing drink. It contains 3 forms of magnesium, L-Theanine, L-Glycine, and chamomile. I love that it is a blend of beneficial supplements and herbs to promote relaxation which can also help with anxiety reduction. This drink is great to unwind with and to use as an alcohol replacement.
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Incorporate Lavender
Lavender is hands down my favorite herb. Not only does it look pretty, and smell and taste amazing, it also has so many medicinal qualities! Lavender has a calming effect without sedation and can help reduce anxiety by affecting our bodies’ fight-or-flight response. Lavender helps with sleep, stress, anxiety, and depression. Amazing, right?
One way to incorporate lavender is to use an essential oil diffusor with lavender essential oil, be sure to use high-quality oil- it really does matter! Or you can use bath or body products with lavender essential oil as well.
Lavender is pretty popular for its aromatherapy and essential oil applications, but I also love it in tea form! You can sometimes find teas at the grocery store that have lavender in them, but I like to just get a bag of loose-leaf tea from Amazon and brew a cup to sip on.
This is my favorite lavender for tea, and I use a simple tea infuser, like this one, to easily brew the tea. Drink plain or add a bit of honey to sweeten it.
You can also make my Lavender Simple Syrup recipe to add to coffee, lemonade, mocktails, or to sweeten other teas such as chamomile!
Get up and move
Scientists have found that just 5 minutes of aerobic exercise can start anti-anxiety effects including elevated mood and decreased stress levels. One study suggested that people who exercise regularly are 25% less likely to develop anxiety and depression! Exercise can also help release pent-up nervous energy you may have from anxiety as well.
The best part is that it doesn’t need to be any sort of elaborate workout. Going for a walk, stretching or yoga can all help relieve anxiety.
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Go outside in nature
Where are my “Grey’s Anatomy” fans at? There is an episode where one of the doctors creates different rooms to see how the environment can affect people’s physical well-being. One of the rooms was a plant room- a room completely filled with plants!
Spending time in nature helps relieve stress and anxiety and even helps boost your mood. Just 10 minutes of “Nature Therapy” gives you the beneficial effects! And you don’t need to do anything fancy, just be in nature! You can go outside and go for a walk, or just simply sit in your backyard. Even being around houseplants can give you similar effects!
Dive in deeper
If you want to dive deep into your health, wellness, and nutrition, book a free 15-minute consult to learn how working with a Holistic Nutritionist can help you reach your goals!
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