Are There Ways To Manage Anxiety Without Medication?
Anxious, racing thoughts, overthinking, feeling on edge, and tense all over? These are some of the hallmark and life-altering symptoms of anxiety. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), more than 32% of Americans experienced anxiety in 2023. And yet, general medical advice falls somewhere between calming down and filling a prescription, leaving little room for alternative ways to manage anxiety. Whether you’re interested in navigating your treatment with medication or not, here are some ways to manage your anxious mind.
Wellness Check
Start off by conducting your own wellness check. You are, after all, the one who knows most about your life. List out the following areas of life and rate them on a 0-10 scale where 0 is poor, and 10 is excellent. How are the following: Sleep Length, Sleep Quality, Food Intake, Exercise length, Exercise Quality, Water Intake, Work/School, Homelife, and Relationships. Once you’ve quickly rated each area of life, circle the three lowest scores.
Sleep
Improving your sleep quality and length is crucial to your anxiety management protocol. Without adequate sleep, your mind will default to anxious loops. Unfortunately, this can lead to a pattern of anxiety and sleep issues. To help with sleep, keep your room dark and cool. Try limiting screen exposure by using blue light-blocking glasses or putting your devices away at least an hour before bed.
Exercise
Moving your body may be the last thing on your mind when your anxiety has you in paralysis. Go for a 10-minute walk outside or do a few squats. Not only will your heart thank you for the rush, but your mind’s ability to connect to your body movement is a typical anxiety buster.
Here-and-now
Anxiety is a trip that takes you out of the present and transports you somewhere into a future world. Try some of these coping skills to keep you in the here-and-now:
5-4-3-2-1: Look around the room. Find five things that you can see. Four things you can feel/touch. Three things you can hear. Two things you can smell. And one thing you can taste.
Rollercoaster Breathing: place your hand in front of you with your fingers spread. Take your pointer finger on the opposite hand and trace your outstretched hand. When you trace up a finger, breathe in. When you trace down a finger, breathe out. Go Slowly and try to pause for 1 to 2 seconds at the top and bottom of each finger.
Grounding: Place your feet on the floor in front of you. Imagine your body is a tree with roots grounding through your feet, through the floor, and into the soil somewhere beneath you. Imagine those roots secure you to the ground. Then imagine your thoughts connecting you to the sky. Let the thoughts become little clouds, growing taller and taller, rooting you to the cosmos. Breathe in, drawing wisdom from the ground. Breathe out, letting your anxious thoughts float into the clouds. Repeat for 5-10 cycles of breath.
Reduce Substances
Take a look at your substance use over a week. Are there times of excess that need to be pulled back? Are there times of the day that you crave a drink? How much are you smoking? Drugs and alcohol can alter our body’s ability to process information, increasing anxious thoughts.
Look to the Sun
Try to watch the sun rise and set every day. Allowing yourself early sunlight on your eyes helps reset the body’s natural rhythm and hormone release. Watching the sunset helps shift your awareness to the passing of time and prepare the body for sleep. Taking these mindful moments can also reduce symptoms of anxiety.
Remember, anxiety is a common mental health diagnosis. While on your path to reducing your anxiety naturally, find a mental health provider to support you along the way. Anxiety can appear in many ways, and a trained clinician will help assess your needs and symptoms to provide the best care.
Reach out to us to learn more about anxiety therapy.