Strategies for Treating Anxiety
How to Treat Anxiety at Home with These Easy Strategies
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The last few months have been a time of great change in the world and it’s understandable if this is causing an increase in anxiety.
Many people are experiencing fear, anger, worry and a general sense of unease and uncertainty which can all kick start our sympathetic nervous system into overdrive where we are stuck in fight, flight or freeze mode.
With so much in our world in flux, it’s normal to have these heightened emotions but this does not have to be our new norm.
We do not have to be ruled by anxiety. Instead, we can learn to manage our anxiety, and move into a more natural state where we are able to be present with uncomfortable feelings but not paralyzed by them.
It’s also important to address anxiety because it can begin to impact your sleep and exacerbate pain conditions when left unchecked.
Let’s commit to starting TODAY to address your anxiety head on.
Below are some simple, yet effective strategies to help relieve your anxiety at home whenever feelings begin to feel a bit out of control. Pick one that resonates with you or try them all!
Use an Ear Seed Kit
Did you know that you have acupuncture points all over your body, including your ear?!
Treating acupuncture points on the ear, whether with a needle, acupressure, pressball or ear seed, is called auriculotherapy.
The ear is considered a microsystem of the body, meaning there are points on it that can treat your whole body from head to toe.
This is similar to how reflexologists can treat the whole body with just pressing different areas of the foot!
Auriculotherapy has been used to treat many conditions and may be best known for its use in treating substance abuse as well as treating anxiety and PTSD.
In fact, an organization known as Acupuncturists Without Borders, helps acupuncturists travel to areas after natural disasters or other catastrophic events to treat people on the front lines who are suffering from PTSD and anxiety with auriculotherapy.
People can experience great emotional release and a greater sense of calm by stimulating just a few points on the ear. It’s fantastic and amazing.
To help relieve your own anxiety or feelings of unease at home, you can use auriculotherapy too.
The easiest way is to purchase this ear seed kit. The kit comes with ear seeds, a pair of tweezers, and detailed instructions to help you locate and place ear seeds on specific ear acupuncture points that address stress and anxiety.
The ear seeds can be left on the ear for several days for lasting relief.
Try Acupressure
You can also stimulate acupuncture points on the body to calm your mind, reduce stress and anxiety and feel a greater sense of calm.
You can stimulate these points with acupressure – applying pressure with a finger or thumb for several seconds on a point, or use something to stimulate the point for you like magnets or phototherapy patches.
What Acupuncture Points Treat Anxiety?
If you’re feeling anxious, maybe a bit restless, and maybe experiencing a heaviness in the chest or difficulty falling asleep, you can practice acupressure on the point, Heart 7 (HT7).
This point can be found on the inner arm at the wrist crease, just inside the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon. I like placing a hand magnet on this point to stimulate it throughout the day and night whenever I need relief.
If your anxiety is more fear based and includes symptoms such as frequent urination, low back pain, increased menopausal symptoms or low libido then you could practice acupressure or place a hand magnet on the point Kidney 3 (KD3).
Kidney 3 is found on the inside of the ankle, just behind the ankle bone, in the space between the ankle bone and the Achilles tendon.
Another option would be to purchase a set of Sea-Bands.
These wrist bands are sold as an anti-nausea device but the acupuncture point that they stimulate also treats anxiety and helps open the chest if your anxiety is causing shallow breathing.
For more information on acupressure and the best acupuncture points for this condition, check out my acupressure guide for treating stress and anxiety here.
Use Phototherapy Patches
Phototherapy uses the energy of light to stimulate internal changes in the body making it a wonderful, natural treatment option for many health conditions.
An easy and effective way to use light therapy to treat anxiety is with phototherapy patches. Because they are non-transdermal, they do not put any medication or chemicals in the body.
By reflecting infrared light from your body, the patches are able to induce biochemical changes, just like SUNLIGHT triggers the body to make vitamin D. You simply stick them onto the body and they work for 12-24 hours.
Click here to learn more about phototherapy.
Aeon Patch
The Aeon patch is one treatment option for relieving stress and anxiety with phototherapy.
It has shown in research to reduce stress and cortisol as well as balance the brain.
To use this patch to reduce stress and anxiety, you would place it at the back of the neck under the vertebrae where the neck meets the back.
The patch works for approximately 24 hours or if you need it for a shorter period of time, just remove and use again later.
I’m a big fan of phototherapy because they are an easy way for people to get results at home between acupuncture treatments.
Plus, they work naturally with the body, addressing the root of the problem internally instead of masking symptoms.
Take a Media Time Out
Honestly, if I had to pick just one of these tips to help you ease your anxiety, I would highly recommend taking a media time out. I’m not just talking about the news, though that is a must.
Give your mind and your heart a breather by stepping back from television news, media apps, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – all social media - even email!
A one day reprieve is great, but consider taking at least a three day break, or even a week or more.
I can bet you will feel so much lighter without having reminders of violence, anger, discord on a constant wheel on your mind, even feelings of comparison or lack that can surface from social media.
Your thoughts are extremely powerful. Whatever you think, your subconscious works to bring to reality. So why fill your mind with unhappy or unsettling thoughts from various media outlets?
I can’t recommend a break from media enough to relieve anxiety!
Create a Mantra
Piggybacking on the idea that your thoughts bring about your reality, why not use your thoughts to help ease your anxiety?
One of the easiest ways to do this is to create a mantra for yourself to repeat over and over, either silently or out loud, whenever you become overwhelmed or anxious.
A mantra is simply a word, phrase or saying that is repeated frequently. You can easily make up your own mantra that resonates with you or use a mantra someone else has created.
Louise Hays was a motivational speaker and author of the widely popular book, You Can Heal Your Life.
Over the course of her life, she created and used several mantras which she has shared in her books and in her teachings. One of my favorite audiobooks is her 101 Power Thoughts.
Listen to it and see if one of these power thoughts fit as a mantra for you.
One of her favorite mantras that can help ease anxiety is: “I am safe. All is well.”
Repeat this phrasing over and over whenever you feel a growing sense of anxiety and let it bring you back to a state of calmness.
Try Rescue Remedy
Another quick and easy remedy that I like to use is Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy. Bach flower essences are made by infusion of wild plants and flowers, and are considered homeopathic remedies.
“Dr. Edward Bach was a British Physician, who began to see disease as an end product, a final stage, a physical manifestation of unhappiness, fear and worry. He therefore, began to look to nature to find healing flowers… The Bach Flower Remedies is a safe and natural method of healing. They gently restore the balance between mind and body by casting out negative emotions such as fear, worry, hatred and indecision which interfere with the equilibrium of the being as a whole. The Bach Flower Remedies allow peace and happiness to return to the sufferer so that the body is free to heal itself.” (source)
Typically individual flower remedies are chosen based on a person’s specific symptoms, but when you are in need of immediate relief or don’t have specific remedies to choose from, Rescue Remedy is a great choice.
The flower essences included in it are all natural and non-habit forming.
Rescue Remedy is actually a blend of 5 different Bach flower remedies. It includes:
Impatiens: For alleviating impatience and lowering stress.
Star of Bethlehem: For recovering from trauma and shock.
Cherry Plum: For alleviating the fear of losing control of one’s thoughts and actions.
Rock Rose: For recovering from feelings of panic or terror.
Clematis: For those who are unhappy and withdraw. It also brings clarity and alertness to the present moment.
Rescue Remedy comes in many forms, as a spray, drops, pearls or my favorite pastilles. The orange and elderflower flavored pastilles are my favorite!
When you are in need of immediate relief of anxiety or stress, pop one pastille in your mouth to get you through.
Take a Magnesium Supplement
In this post, I share several reasons why magnesium is one of the best supplements you can take to treat anxiety and stress.
I often recommend magnesium for someone struggling with anxiety because research has found a link between low magnesium levels and the symptoms of anxiety.
Supplementing with magnesium has shown to not only improve mild to moderate anxiety, but it also improves depression and helps to stabilize mood. (source)
Magnesium is also a useful supplement because it can help decrease the stress response in the body.
When you are under stress or feeling anxious, several areas of the brain get activated and are collectively called the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPAA).
It is this axis that controls how our nervous, endocrine and behavior systems respond to the stress and anxiety we are experiencing.
Supplementing with magnesium however has shown to regulate the HPAA, specifically in reducing the amount of ACTH and cortisol released in the body during times of stress.
This can help not only reduce the overall feeling of stress in the body, but also improve concentration. (source)
Magnesium comes in many forms but I typically recommend taking magnesium glycinate as it is easily absorbed by the body.
Also, magnesium glycinate does not have a laxative effect on the body like some other forms of magnesium such as magnesium citrate.
Magnesium glycinate is also a great choice for treating stress and anxiety because it is bound to glycine, an amino acid found in the body which has a calming effect on the brain.
I recommend this magnesium glycinate supplement as the pills are on the smaller side compared to most magnesium pills.
Whichever brand you choose, just be sure that it does not have any added, unnecessary fillers and is made from and shipped from a reputable company. If you prefer magnesium in a powdered form, this supplement would be a great option.
Get Coloring!
Coloring is a great activity to help relieve anxiety and it’s not just for kids!
I’ve found coloring to be a great stress reliever because it’s a practice in mindfulness. If I need help shutting my mind off, I simply pick up my book and color.
Even if it’s just 5 minutes or even 30, I can escape into a picture with nothing else vying for my attention. And the best part is that the most pressing decision I’m forced to make while coloring is what color to use where.
It’s no wonder that adult coloring has shown to have the same relaxing, anxiety-busting qualities as meditation (though it’s far easier for some to pick up than meditation!). Even the father of psychology himself, Carl Jung, supposedly had his patients color mandalas as a way to unlock their subconscious and focus (source).
Coloring can help someone who’s struggling with anxiety, stress or even PTSD because it can calm the part of our brain that controls the fight or flight response which is the amygdala.
The focused action of coloring helps to dial back the fight or flight response so your body feels more relaxed and your mind feels more calm. (source)
You needn’t stick to kids coloring books either though I have fond memories of coloring Elmo and other Sesame Street characters with my kiddos when they were little.
Adult coloring books have exploded in popularity in recent years.
My favorite coloring book is this one. It’s the perfect size to fit in my bag and has great pictures with simple doodle designs that I love.
Anxiety can feel very overwhelming and all-consuming when it strikes. However, you don’t have to feel like a prisoner to your anxiety.
It does not have to be your new norm. Instead, whenever you feel anxious, fearful or a bit on edge, turn to one of these strategies above to help you get grounded and back on track.
