8 Medication Free Ways To Reduce Anxiety

You may be familiar with my good friend, anxiety.

Anxiety is a disorder that comes into our lives as a small worry, and before you know it, takes over completely. Anxiety can take you from being able to enjoy your life to a cycle of worry that is constantly hanging over your head like a dark cloud. If you have never experienced this before, know that it can be completely overwhelming. People who have lived it are often concerned they will be caught up in worry forever.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit my anxiety has been on the increase lately.

If you are living with anxiety, take heart. There are ways to make your life easier and help you reduce the fear and worry that you are feeling. Though many of us see a therapist regularly and take our recommended medications, sometimes you need a little extra help. For those days, we need to employ some tactics that are non-medicinal. Are you feeling anxious? Try these 8 medication-free ways to reduce your anxiety.

8 Medication Free Ways To Reduce Anxiety

1. Exercise – Going for a walk, swimming, running, or any type of physical activity is going to be amazing for you. Exercising regularly helps to give our bodies a shot of feel-good endorphins, PLUS it helps to raise our dopamine levels. Both of those in conjunction with taking our minds off of the source of worry help you reduce your anxiety.
2. Mindfulness – Mindfulness, and meditation are both proven to help reduce the amount of anxiety a person feels. If you have never tried mindfulness before, it is a series of mental exercises that help you to focus on the here and now. Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis can really be helpful for retraining your mind. I have found Headspace to be a perfect training tool.
3. Talk to a friend – There is no worry in the world that talking to a friend won’t help improve. When you are feeling anxiety begin to take hold of you, reach out to the people who love you. We all need human connection and comfort in order to heal and bear our worries. 
4. Routine – One of the things that can help to drive worry away is routine. If we can keep up a regular routine, that can help us to stay grounded in the present when our anxieties about the future come up again. Keep up a regular routine to help to ease your mind.
5. Purge things you don’t need  – This is a big one for me. I find that my external chaos is a direct reflection of how I’m feeling internally.  The weight of extra belongings can weigh heavily on the mind. Are you overwhelmed by all of the stuff that you have? Do you even know what some of it is anymore? That’s ok, it is time for you to do a purge. Get rid of the things that are no longer useful to you and make space for your current life.
6. Organize your space – When you don’t know what you have or where any of it is, your anxiety levels will go through the roof! You’ll lose time by searching for lost items or worrying that you won’t be able to find something when you need it. This is one source of anxiety that you don’t need, and it is easily eliminated. Once your purge is complete, get yourself organized and your mind will be much more at ease.
7. Get a massage – Our muscles hold tension and that alone can keep our bodies on high alert. Over time, holding our bodies tensely can result in some aches and pains. Give yourself the gift of a good massage. It will help soothe your aching muscles and give you some respite from the tension in your life.
8. Get rid of unhealthy relationships – Friendships and relationships are a great source of comfort for us, but they can also be a source of frustration for if we don’t have the right people in our world. Many of us have relationships with people who are stressful, argumentative, or emotionally manipulative. I like to refer to them as emotional vampires. If you find that you have these negative friendships in your life, don’t be afraid to clean house. Keep only the people in your life who are supportive and loving.

Medications and therapies are wonderful tools to help us with our anxieties, and they shouldn’t be neglected. Naturally, I’m not a doctor, so I recommend you speak to a professional for guidance. These coping skills that we have discussed can be used to help you along the way on those days when you need some extra strength. Incorporate them into your regular life and your anxiety is going to give you a much easier time.