Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Do you suffer from anxiety? Do your thoughts get out of control and leave you overwhelmed and exhausted? Do you wish you had an idea of what you could do on your own to help?

My name is Corey Nielsen, and I am a Licensed Mental Health Therapist specializing in helping individuals overcome anxiety. In this blog post I’ll cover five ways to naturally help you cope with your anxiety. 

1. Calming Your Nervous System.

One of the best ways to help you cope with your anxiety is to rely on centuries old wisdom through diet and exercise, breath work, meditation, and grounding work. Excessive consumption of sugar or caffeine, or too little physical activity can all increase anxiety. One of my favorite techniques to reduce anxiety is a simple grounding exercise called ‘The 5 Senses Technique’ which uses your 5 senses to pull you out of your anxious thoughts and back into the present moment. Using your environment, identify 5 things you can see. Next, identify 4 things you can feel. Then, 3 things you can smell. Then 2 things you can hear. Finally, identify 1 thing you can taste. This technique is often helpful because you can do it anywhere and it gets you out of your anxious thoughts and engaged in a healthy activity, pulling you back into the present moment. 

2. Store bought items that can help.

There are common, easy to find items that can be extremely helpful in reducing anxiety. Journals, fidgets, worry stones and artwork are several examples. 

Journals can be an inexpensive and effective way to process anxious thoughts. You can list and prioritize overwhelming tasks, write letters (to send or not) to those you might be experiencing conflict with, or simply list or write a narrative about your anxious thoughts.

Fidgets are not just for kids! You can go to your local toy store and look for things that spin quietly, pop when touched, or move around in a satisfying way. Spending some time idly working with these is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. 

Worry stones can be found at most stores that sell rocks, stones, and gems. They are a flat stone with an indent in the middle for you to place your thumb. Some people find it helpful to rub their thumb on the stone, or even ‘share’ their anxious thoughts with it, letting the stone carry them for you. 

Artwork can be very helpful in reducing anxiety. You don’t even necessarily have to be a naturally creative person to pursue it. There are paint by number kits and adult coloring books that can be extremely helpful in reducing anxiety by using focus and distraction as a technique. You can also check out the many classes and businesses that offer opportunities to engage in  art, such as painting classes, pottery classes, woodworking classes, or even physical art like drama or dance. 

3. Thoughts that help.

Try to give yourself some compassion when you are experiencing worry, and if you find that the thoughts are unhelpful, try to replace or even talk back to them. For example, a child might see a bug and think, ‘Ew! What if it crawls on me?!’ You might encourage the child to talk back to the worry by saying something like, ‘I’m bigger than that bug! I can handle this!”

For more in-depth information on working with anxious thoughts, see my blog post, ‘Help - my anxious thoughts will not stop!’

4. Putting the ‘Nature’ back in Natural Remedies

Did you know that “being exposed to natural environments improves working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control” (Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2019). Getting outside has many benefits. Sunlight activates the serotonin in your brain, sending positive messages to your body. Trees and plants release oxygen, and more oxygen means improved physical health and healing. So do yourself a favor and get outside for even a little while each day!

5. Getting Support

Support can take many forms. You can speak to a trusted friend or family member, seek a professional therapist’s help, look for a peer anxiety support group locally or on social media, or you can even go to your nearest library to research anxiety prevention. Whatever form of support seems most helpful to you, I recommend you get started with ONE right now. See where that takes you. Sometimes simply knowing that you’re not alone can be extremely helpful. 

Please feel free to schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation with me if you’re interested in exploring therapy for anxiety: