As a pharmacist, I’ve seen how traditional anxiolytics work—but I also know their side effects.
If you’re one of the 40 million adults in the US dealing with a racing heart or constant worry, this guide explores evidence-based natural alternatives to quiet your mind
While medication is an option, you can seek natural ways to regain control.
In this guide, we explore evidence-based natural remedies and lifestyle changes to quiet your mind today.
Anxiety is an inherent imaginative fear of a threat that could possibly happen.
It is a mental and emotional disturbance that can be seen during daily life activities.
But if it is longstanding for six months or so, it is a disorder and requires medical help.
The regular medicines used for anxiety relief tend to rely on sedating the mind with side effects.
Hence, alternative natural techniques are safer and effective.
Signs of Anxiety
The general signs of anxiety include nervousness, increased heart rate, sweating, flushing, trembling, irregular breath, etc.
All of us experience some of those symptoms very often. But if these signs last for six months or more consistently, the person is diagnosed as suffering from an anxiety disorder.
Further signs of anxiety differ based on the type of anxiety disorder.
As per The National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are broadly classified into five types.
Types of anxiety disorders & their peculiar signs include.
It is generally categorized into 5 types
| Anxiety Disorder | Core Symptoms & Signs | Primary Focus |
| Generalized (GAD) | Constant worry, restlessness, irritability, and chronic fatigue. | Everyday life situations |
| Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD) | Distressing intrusive thoughts and repetitive “rituals” (like washing or counting). | Managing perceived threats |
| Panic Disorder | Sudden terror, pounding heart, dizziness, and shortness of breath. | Acute, spontaneous attacks |
| Social Phobia | Extreme self-consciousness and fear of being judged in public. | Social interactions |
| PTSD | Hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, and nervousness following a trauma. | Past life-threatening events |
How to stop anxiety / Natural anxiety relief tips
Being a pharmacist, I can recommend a few anxiolytics.
But, while effective for some, many prescription anxiolytics carry risks of dependency, sedation, and cognitive fog.
Natural alternatives aim to support the nervous system without these heavy side effects.
Besides your doctor may prescribe medication as well as recommend psychotherapy for faster and more effective recovery from the disorder.
Medication therapy aims to calm your mind with sedative drugs, while psychotherapy helps you understand and gain control over your anxiety-related behavior.
But, if you wish to overcome it personally, I would recommend overcoming the root cause of the problem. This can be done by following methods like
- Natural medicine.
- Self-help or behavior counseling.
- Meditation
- Yoga
Natural medication
In general, you will be prescribed benzodiazepines for anxiety. But there are better natural alternatives for it. I have tried them and even advised others about them.
These Natural remedies to relieve anxiety are
Though others are also present, for me these are most effective and start showing results in just half an hour.
Using medha vati, one can have a focused mind, a good night’s sleep, and a confident outlook.
Self-help
One with an ability to think clearly and have self-control can overcome anxiety through self-help techniques. For this, they may need little guidance from Panic Away.
- First, try to analyze the situation, and know why or when you are most anxious.
- Also, try to figure out what signs of anxiety you are experiencing during the crisis because not all of us have the same anxiety signs and severity level in a similar situation.
- You may not be able to work, or can’t focus at work.
- Try to talk to those who are calm and confident, and you will feel relief from it.
Mostly you are prone to anxiety.
- When one is reluctant to accept the situation or a person, or a task.
- Even when he is not aware of what will happen next in the situation he is about to face.
- If one is a loner who confides less in others.
- If one is left behind or lacking in the task required to complete and also compete.
- If the situation is so critical that one needs to overcome it and is not sure of the outcome, he expects results in his favor.
♦ Try to visualize the possible ways to handle things if the tense situation’s outcome is unfavorable to you.
♦ Try to have a backup plan for the worst result.
♦ If you are waiting for some outcome and are so anxious about it, try spending time with good company, near water or greenery, open air, etc.
♦ Approach any place or situation you are anxious about, try to collect maximum possible information regarding the place, person, or situation from those who know. And also think and inquire about the ways to have a friendlier outcome.
♦ Share your feelings with loved ones and always keep yourself without confusion about any situation. This helps you be clear of happenings around. Building up unnecessary imaginary threats further enhances your chances of being prone to anxiety.
♦ Try not to wear tight-fitting dresses when you think you are susceptible to anxiety, especially around the waist, in the case of a woman, even around the chest regions, as this provides you with easy breathing and heartbeat.
♦ If you were a loner or brought up in lonely atmospheres, try to expose yourself gradually to some groups of like-minded people where you may fit in.
This is like exposure therapy, and it brings you immediate results. However, if you are sensitive to funny comments by others, you will find it hard to stay in the group.
♦ Have a good amount of natural foods like grams, leafy vegetables, etc., to help you cope with the anxiety. Try avoiding junk food.
Nervous System Regulation & Yoga.
- Yoga and its breathing techniques help relieve natural anxiety.
- They are easy to follow and highly effective, which require minimal guidance.
- They help you control anxiety signs like respiratory insufficiency, high pulse, and heart rate and provide relief to the brain due to an oxygen supply.
- These techniques can be followed in any discipline, like a routine breathing exercise practice in the mornings or anywhere during your work hours for immediate anxiety relief.
Some major ones to try are
- 4-7-8 Breathing Technique or Box Breathing (used by Navy SEALs).
- Alternative nostril breatin
Meditation
Meditation is a best method for overall anxiety related healt relief.
It helps reset the mood, nervous system, breating and heart rate, gut motility, acts as digital detox and many more.
One sould practice mediation based on ae like if you are 40 years, you pratice for 40 minutes.
But, intead everyone can practice for 30minutes a day preferably in the morning.
For this you can use some mediation apps like sattva or heartfulnees.
where a practitioner does try to give the least importance to his thoughts.
In general human mind is ever active in thinking of past memories or imagining future events.
These thoughts could lead to anxiety.
In meditation, the practitioner does not stop these thoughts but instead tries to ignore them. This leads to a reduction in stress and anxiety.
