Can someone please put air back into this room? We know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by anxiety, and how frustrating it can be searching for solutions that help solve, not sedate. Below, we’re sharing a few favorite anti-anxiety remedies that chill the flurry fast so we can take a deep breath and find our way out.
Dealing with anxiety is like hosting a terrible house guest: she leaves a mess that touches everything, eats all the food we need for nourishment, and just when we think she’s left for good, comes barreling back home in the middle of the night… loud, chaotic and with friends. We can’t always kick anxiety to the curb (she does some good too, after all), but we can develop healthy ways to feel more at home.
Explore our favorite all-natural anti-anxiety tools at every price point, from free and effective to pricey but powerful, and let us know which ones work best for you!
LOW: Yoga, Meditation + Mindfulness
The easiest — and cheapest — way to get out of your head is to get back into your body by doing what it does best: breathe. Instead of thinking about thinking, try a breathwork practice like this one to focus on inhales and exhales, and watch as the nervous system instantly slows. Yoga works in this way too with the added benefit (read: distraction) of movement. Mindfulness can be practiced in many other forms, even just walking around in nature. Incorporating a meditation practice into your wellness regimen gets us increasingly familiar with a centered state of calm (and the work we need to do to get outselves back there). We love using these meditation apps and this 5-minute destress meditation.
MID: Supplements from l-theanine to CBD oil
The difference between supplements and a prescription quick-fix is that these all-natural anxiety busters can — and should — become a regular part of your routine. Instead of sedating, they work with your body’s chemistry to cool the fire and so we can calmly deal with the cause of anxiety, not just the feeling of it.
Our office fave (we all have a bottle on our desks!) is l-theanine, an amino acid that’s found in green tea leaves. Research shows it stimulates alpha waves in your brain, which are associated with a relaxed, focused, but awake state of mind, ability to calm the body without compromising mental clarity.
Ashwagandha is another Ayurvedic favorite known for slicing into stress responders so we can see things more clearly.
And if you’re not already privy to the buzz around CBD oil and its benefits, click here to learn all about how this (non-psychoactive) plant extract helps calm the body and mind without turning either off.
High: Private Sound Bath
The science behind sound therapy is very real — learn all about this amazing modality here — and if you have a few bills to spare, why not book a private sesh? Sound Bath LA offers them for a pair or a small private group to gather in a soothing environment, where calming sounds can work their magic, stimulating certain parts of the brain and shutting down others. The different bowls each resonate at a specific frequency that can help free stagnant energy, and unblock the chakras associated with anxiety (throat, solar plexus, root).
The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.
