Which Natural Treatment for Anxiety is Right for Me?
There are hundreds of natural treatments for anxiety available all over the world, some growing in your back garden and some already prepared and packaged for sale in stores. The ones that you choose should depend entirely upon yourself, what type of anxiety you are suffering from and what feels right to you.
The main and most effective natural anxiety treatments are all derived from herbs, plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, leaves and roots which grow by themselves in the wild. It’s often beneficial to grow your own, if you have the time and the space in your garden to do so. Some of these remedies might need cooking, mixing or preparing but many can simply be used as they are and have a wonderful calming effect.
Bergamot and lavender oil have calming properties
One particularly effective natural treatment for anxiety comes from the bergamot flower. It’s actually probably far easier (and cheaper) to buy bergamot oil from a local health food store or online, rather than try to get an extract from your own flowers in the kitchen. A 10ml bottle will set you back around $5 and should last 2-3 months. Bergamot oil is great for people suffering from all kinds of anxiety, because if affects the central nervous system directly, calming you down almost immediately.
It’s not simply oils, herbs and plants that can be used as natural treatments for anxiety however. Most experts will recommend breathing exercises, including breathing in through the nose for 4 seconds and out through the mouth for 5. This might seem like the last thing you want to do when you feel nervous but it actually does work, as does a slightly more bizarre method of breathing out as far as your breath will allow, then breathing in to the same degree and then breathing out as fast and as deeply as you possibly can. This is a great remedy for those suffering from ‘air hunger’; a chronic symptom of anxiety associated with hyperventilation. This ‘resets’ the body’s breathing and should stop you feeling breathless.
Along with exercise, massage, yoga and meditation there are many other natural anxiety treatments. You may have to give a lot of them a go before you find the right one, or indeed the right combination as a lot have subtle effects that only make a difference when persevered with. Always remember that natural remedies can have adverse effects when used in conjunction with prescription medication, so ask the doctor who prescribed them to you if you’re going to try any significant natural treatment for anxiety.
