A recent study shows that 40 million people in America suffer from anxiety and stress. It is usual for any person to get stressed or anxious, but how you manage it matters. These factors can be caused by failed relationships, workplace frustration, sickness, house cleaning, etc.
However, with time the situation might cool down or worsen. In some cases, when stress and anxiety are left unmanaged, some people may start abusing drugs or even buying stress-relieving drugs. But what most people don’t know is that there are several ways of managing stress and anxiety without medication. Affected people can handle the situation with lifestyle changes and anxiety treatment.
If you’ve ever wondered how to manage stress and anxiety without medication, this article is for you. We will discuss several tips you can give yourself and where to get help to relieve stress and anxiety.
Get Enough Sleep
The first step to managing stress and anxiety without medication is getting enough sleep. No matter how stressed you are, you should ensure that you sleep for at least 8 hours. Sleeping while having anxiety and stress is complex, and to some, it is easier said than done. But when you don’t have enough sleep, it might worsen. So if you find you have sleeplessness, you can consult with your doctor to advise on therapies you can apply.
Breathe
Another vital strategy for managing stress and anxiety without medication is to breathe in. When you are stressed and take a deep breath, it helps your body relax and lowers your blood pressure and heart rate. It also helps relax muscles, signaling the brain to stop releasing flight hormones.
Several breathing tricks can help release stress and anxiety.
- Try breathing through your nose slowly by slowly for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Make sure you hold for at least 3 seconds
- After that, breathe out through pursed lips for about 7 seconds.
You can learn this anxiety therapy by joining a yoga class, learning through online sites like YouTube, Google, and learning simple exercises that you practice when you feel stressed or anxious.
Do What You Love
It is good to stop doing your routine work and do what you enjoy most away from daily business when you feel stressed. Just sit and think about what activities make you feel so excited and relaxed, like going for a massage, house cleaning, swimming, fishing, or even traveling. Whatever makes you happy, try doing it regularly, and it will work in managing stress and anxiety without medication.
Avoid Taking Drugs and Stimulants
When most people are stressed and anxious, they think that taking drugs and stimulants will help reduce or manage stress, but they don’t know that it causes more harm than that management. If you have to take any form of stimulant, it is advisable to take herbal tea. When you take stimulants like coffee, nicotine, vape, illegal drugs, or other over-the-counter stress relievers, they will get addictive and promote additional stress and anxiety symptoms.
Ensure You Take Regular Blood Sugar Tests
We stressed you might lose appetite or even skip meals. You can also eat a lot of junk food to relieve stress. It can drop your blood sugar, making you irritable and anxious. Despite being so stressed and anxious, it is advisable to take a three-balanced meal accompanied with a snack every day.
It will help you to reduce the risk of getting diabetes. If you have diabetes already, you should take your medication religiously.
Practice Mindfulness
Managing stress and anxiety without medication can be practiced through mindfulness. You practice mindfulness through meditation, where you focus on the present situation. Instead of being stressed and starting to regret your past mistakes and worrying about the future, you only focus on the current situation and how you feel about it.
Practicing mindfulness for at least 2-3 minutes a day can help relieve your stress levels and good anxiety therapy management.
Exercise
Regular exercising when stressed is one of the tricks that have been tested and worked for managing stress and anxiety without medication. When you feel overwhelmed with stillness, it is good to start doing basic exercises, or you can even join a gymnast class. When you exercise, you feel relaxed and unwind from so many things, which reduces stress and anxiety.
Also, physical activities help raise endorphins and serotonin levels that enable you to feel better emotionally, thus reducing stress and anxiety. If you feel stressed or anxious, you should focus on exercising at least 30 minutes a day for five days a week. Physical exercise should not necessarily be tedious or painful, but you can do something fundamental yet refreshing.
Give Yourself an Exit Plan
Sometimes you might feel very stressed or anxious, and you can feel out of control. You can sit down and look at the factors that might be leading to stress or anxiety. Once you identify the root cause, you can develop a strategy to get out of the situation.
When you do this, it will help you control and manage your anxiety and stress quickly. For instance, if you are going to a place with your friends like partying, you can choose to drive yourself home if you feel overwhelmed by stress and anxiety and find your way out without waiting for others.
Join Support Groups
Another successful trick to managing stress and anxiety without medication is to join a support group. If you have stress or anxiety, you can feel like isolating yourself, worsening the situation. There are so many support groups that help people with anxiety and stress, either online or offline. They make people feel less lonely and loved. They can equip you with knowledge about dealing with anxiety, like how to talk to the right providers, their loved ones, or even at your workplace.
Before joining a support group, you should look for the one that fits your needs and schedule. Support groups come in many forms, like anonymous message boards, personal meetings with therapists, or online sessions.
Social Support
Most people don’t understand that people with anxiety or stress need a lot of support from their loved ones. Families should get education on managing their children when stressed or anxious. Also, people are supposed to get an education on accommodating people suffering from anxiety at the workplace. In most cases, people with anxiety are looked down upon by their bosses and might get terminated. But you can avoid it through social support education.
Diet and Nutritional Changes
Most people find that a change of diet helps in managing stress and anxiety without medication. Here are some things to consider
Drink Less or No Alcohol
People think that when they take alcohol, it helps reduce anxiety levels. However, a study on heavy drinkers showed that their stress and anxiety were reduced once they stopped alcohol intake.
Reducing Caffeine Intake
If you are stressed, you should avoid or mitigate taking caffeine intake during or before bedtime. Caffeine itself is a stimulant, and when you take it, it will speed up brain activities and the body, making you feel anxious and stressed. Several studies were conducted and showed a strong link between stress and anxiety.
Keep a Food Track
If you are stressed or suffering from anxiety, you should start by keeping a food log that will help you assess the foods that aid in stimulating fear. A study done in 2019 shows that when you take highly saturated fats and excess sugars, it will lead to anxiety, especially in adults. Also, the study showed that poor dieting might affect mental health, but the researchers did not establish any causal link between the two.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is one of the many effective ways of meaning stress and anxiety without medication. The American Psychological Association shows that therapy treatment is more effective than medication. With psychotherapy, a stressed person is given a chance to speak out about his problems, explore some coping strategies, and have an opportunity to walk through the experiences behind their anxiety.
Also, when a person with anxiety takes cognitive behavioral therapy, the chances of it working are high. This treatment therapy helps one understand the connection between their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. After this anxiety therapy, a person can learn how to stop thinking positively and find other alternatives to anxious patterns of looking at things.
Stress Relief Techniques
Several stress relief techniques can help in managing stress and anxiety without medication. However, the right approach will depend on the person and the type of anxiety or stress. A good example is that people who work with an insurance company have a lot of pressure to meet targets, leading to stress. A person with search problems will find the right organizational plan to relieve their fear of missing a deadline.
Here are some tips that help in managing stress and anxiety without medication.
- Writing a journal or a book
- Doing self-care activities like going for a pedicure or manicure, reading your favorite books, or watching movies.
- Start a tutoring service
- Progressive muscle relaxation aids in relaxing all muscle groups.
- Spending time with your friends and family or even pet
- You can also buy a massage chair and do it in the comfort of your home.
Other Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Some people tend to find complementary and alternative treatments such as massage or yoga exercises, helping reduce stress and anxiety levels. Therapists recommend complementary treatment as a good way of managing stress and anxiety without medication. Various studies on complementary therapy and anxiety were conducted, but no conclusive report showed effectiveness. However, you can try alternative treatments that might help you reduce stress and anxiety.
Take Omega 3
Taking Omega 3 might be of great help in managing stress and anxiety without medication.
Every heart loves omega three, and so does the head. A study conducted on 68 medical students who were given 2.5 milligrams of omega-three supplements every day for 12 weeks showed less anxiety when seated for their exams than those given a placebo for the same period.
You can find omega 3 in various supplements, like salmon, walnuts, edamame, salmon, grass-fed beef, etc.
Unfriend, Unfollow, and Block them.
If there is someone in your life or social media behind your stress and anxiety, it is best to practice the no-contact technique. You block, unfollow, unfriend them to avoid them feeding you with more negativity. You don’t need that person and you also should have no business with them.
You don’t need them and should not explain anything unless you want to. Just don’t keep putting yourself through it.
Know That You are Stronger Than You Think
The moment you are stressed or have anxiety, a part of you tells you that you are not strong enough to face or overcome the situation. When you feel this way, you think that you are safe. But in a real sense, it will hold you back and thus increase more anxiety and stress.
The best way of managing stress and anxiety without medication is to ensure that you remain vigilant and strong. Dealing with anxiety and stress is not something small, so you can deal with almost everything if you can handle it.
Keep encouraging yourself that you are strong and will make it, and everything will be fine. Start believing in yourself through baby steps, and you will come out strong.
Conclusion/Outro
Dealing with stress and anxiety at the same time can be overwhelming. But we have discussed various tips for managing stress and anxiety without medication.
If you’ve been wondering about ways of managing stress and anxiety without medication, you now know of several tips that can help you reduce stress at home. Some of them have been seen to be effective while others have not, so it depends on your type of anxiety. If you are not sure about your mental state, you can consult with a psychologist or a lifestyle coach.
