Coping with Anxiety: 3 Natural Strategies to Calm Anxiety

I think you will agree with me when I say:

We are all living in some strange times now and it is hard not be overwhelmed with college, work, and other personal issues. We also feel anxious about the whole situation. I know what it feels like, being isolated from family and friends is hard, college can be overwhelming and we feel that things won't be the same again.

If you want to read more about anxiety self-help or natural remedies that calm anxiety like diet, exercise, and meditation, look no further. I will give you advice and share some tips and hopefully you will find this blog post useful. Fellow students have to help each other, right?

Please note that the following anxiety coping strategies are not a cure.

What is anxiety?

You have all heard this word by now, but do you know what it truly means?

The American Psychological Association describes it as ‘an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure’.

You may experience:

• A sense of worry
• Muscle tension
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Rapid heartbeat

We all experience feeling anxious at some point in our lives, however, the problem arises when this feeling is constant and negatively affects our daily lives.

Diet

Vitamins and minerals found in various foods help to calm anxiety. They should be a part of our well-balanced diets and I am sure that some of the foods that I am about to mention are already a part of your diets.

• Vitamin B:
  
  Research shows that vitamin B helps to reduce stress and anxiety levels and balances out depressive moods. It also balances out blood sugar levels which is a good thing because people are more at-risk suffering from anxiety when they have high blood levels as noted by Megan Sheppard in the Irish Examiner. Foods with vitamin B include, liver meats, potatoes, lentils, beans, bananas, avocados, citrus fruits, broccoli, spinach, seeds and nuts.

• Vitamin D:

Sheppard notes that people with lower levels of vitamin D are more prone to suffer from anxiety. The best way to provide the body with vitamin D is to spend time on the sun and absorb sunlight. The body can then make its own vitamin D. However, that is not entirely possible during winters or in the Irish climate. If you want to increase your vitamin D levels, eat fatty fish such as tuna and salmon, beef liver, egg yolks and cheese.

• Magnesium & Calcium:

Did you know that low magnesium levels are linked to high levels of anxiety? As noted by Sheppard, magnesium has a calming effect on the nervous system and therefore it is important that we eat foods that contain magnesium.

Calcium deficiency is also linked to higher levels of anxiety and just like magnesium, calcium helps to nourish the nervous system. According to Sheppard, it leads to the reduction of anxiety levels and helps us coping with anxiety.

Leafy green vegetables, fish, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds are high in magnesium. Leafy green vegetables are also high in calcium, as well as milk, cheese, and sardines. If you are a vegan, eat soybeans, they are also high in calcium.

If you are allergic to any products I have mentioned or if you are a vegan or a vegetarian, you can take vitamin and mineral supplements or an alternative to the foods that I have mentioned.

Exercise

Exercise is the second one of natural remedies for anxiety. As unbelievable as it may sound, just 5 minutes of aerobic exercises is enough to help stimulate anti-anxiety effects as noted by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. We should aim to include aerobic exercises in our daily routines. As a result, our mood will improve, and our stress levels will reduce.

Aerobic exercises include:

• Jogging
• Dancing
• Brisk walking
• Swimming
• Hiking
• Biking
• Tennis

Here is a photo of my cousin, keeping fit during lockdown.

I exercise for 20 to 30 minutes every day, except Sundays when I take a rest. I usually jog and brisk walk. I used to hike but I can't do that now that we are in lockdown. Do whatever aerobic exercise you find the easiest or the one you enjoy the most, it's all up to you.

It was a challenge to begin exercising and to keep exercising so my advice is to start off by few minutes of exercise every day and gradually increase your exercise time. You can set daily and weekly goals to motivate yourself.

Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is effective when managing stress and anxiety. My secondary school religion teacher used to meditate with us before exams and speaking from experience, coping with anxiety through meditation does help.

Meditation is used to calm down the mind and body. It can also be used as a relaxation technique in a case of a panic attack and is a great anxiety self-help method as noted by Katharina Star of the Verywell Mind. Star meditated following the same steps as I did with my class.

How to meditate in four simple steps:

1. Find a quiet and a peaceful spot. This can be your bedroom, your garden or the park for example.
2. Sit on the ground with your legs crossed or sit on a chair with your body against the wall if you are home. Find your most comfortable position.
3. Think about the present, not the past or the future. You should acknowledge your thoughts and your worries.
4. Open your eyes when you feel that your meditation is over.

A well-balanced diet with vitamins B and D and minerals such as magnesium and calcium is an excellent way to calm anxiety and help you cope with it. Aerobic exercises and meditations can also help. You should find out what works the best for you, at the end of the day, use the strategies that you find most helpful.

Please note that these strategies do not cure anxiety and they are not a substitute for medical advice. You should not hesitate to seek professional help if you experience severe and regular anxiety.

Let us know in the comments if you found this blog post useful and by liking our Facebook page which can be found here.

If you are interested in healthy, vegan meals, Emma's blog has some great vegan recipes that are nutritious, delicious, and cost friendly. If you want to learn more about exercise, check out Kyle's blog  and Cathal's blog.