Managing Anxiety Without Medication
Many people suffer from anxiety. It is estimated that 20% of people have dealt with uncontrolled anxiety in the last year. Anxiety that is uncontrolled can greatly decrease your quality of life, and in some cases, the lack of coping skills leads to ruining of relationships, dropping out of school, and job loss. Sufferers of extreme cases of anxiety are always recommended to see their doctor, as medical attention is needed. In less drastic cases there are some non-medicinal methods to help manage anxiety symptoms.
Exercise
Physical exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and that includes mental health. When you exercise your body releases endorphins, which are the feel-good chemicals of your mind. The increase in blood flow is also shown as an effective way to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. Some people suffer from a high heart rate as a symptom of their anxiety. Aerobic exercise, like running, can make this work. Sticking to more moderate exercise is recommended. A nice walk or some yoga are activities that will provide great relief for a moderate case of anxiety. Check out this amazing video by Adriene to learn how she copes with anxiety while doing yoga.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Skills to cope with anxiety come down to being mindful. Taking time to center yourself, and release the tension and anxiety allows you to learn to cope with life. A gentle yoga practice can teach you the skills to remain mindful, and assist you to deal with your anxieties. Yoga is a practice, and finding mindfulness is a journey. It is unlikely that you will find your cure for anxiety in meditation or yoga right away. Sticking with it and growing in your practice will give you the long-term results if you continue to work on it. In this video, Adriene teaches us how to get rid of anxiety while meditating.
Breathing Techniques in the Moment
There are times when anxiety is just overwhelming. When your body goes into full fight or flight mode, you are pumped full of adrenaline. With anxiety, this dump of adrenaline can throw you into a panic attack. Having a panic attack is terrifying, but having some methods to calm yourself in the moment is going to help you immensely. Breathing techniques are going to be a way to bring your body back to normal. To be able to implement these techniques during a panic attack, you must practice your relaxing breathing patterns when you are not having one.
All of these methods of managing anxiety takes time to get results. Due to this delay, it is important that people who suffer from severe anxiety see their doctor for more timely interventions. In many cases, these methods will be recommended to go alongside a medical treatment plan. However, they can be used separately if coping still seems possible for you.
Ensuring that you get enough gentle activity will eventually help stabilize your body, and you can add some additional benefits by getting that exercise with yoga. Yoga will help you practice meditation, and increase your mindfulness, both of with can lower the severity of anxiety. Lastly, the breathing techniques can be used as a method of treating a panic attack in your yoga practice.
