Anxiety disorder has become quite a widespread medical condition in many people, varying from teenagers to the elderly. Anxiety is a natural human emotion felt by everyone, yet when someone begins to constantly get overwhelmed by anxiety in disproportionate amounts it is characterized as a disorder.

It is recorded that 18.1% of Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder, although only 36.9% of them actually resort to medication. This could be due to distrust in the medical system or lack of awareness of the illness. Therefore, in order to help these individuals, cope with it better, given below are some alternative treatments:

Meditation

Meditation relaxes your body and mind. This enables you to deal with stress better and gain new perspective. As the main source of anxiety is stress, meditation can play vital role in helping you combat it.

Breathing techniques

Various new breathing techniques have proven to help relieve stress. The 4 7 8 technique has been recognized as being one of the most effective. (Simply breathe in through your nose on a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7 and exhale through your mouth for a count 8)

Exercise

Regular exercise elevates your mood and enables you to turn your focus away from stressful circumstances. Thus, in turn you can avoid feelings of anxiety. Exercise also helps with maintaining a healthy sleeping routine.

Herbal medication

There is a wide variety of herbal medication that relaxes your body and mind to help relieve you of overwhelming anxiety. The most popular of these medications are Kava products. They relax muscles, calms your nerves and relieve pain.

Eating healthy

Having a healthy and balanced diet provides your body with all the required nutrients and vitamins to keep you healthy and sound minded. Staying healthy will also boost your mood.

Rest

Adequate rest is needed for the body to function properly. In order to provide your body with rest, you should maintain a healthy sleeping schedule, with at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep each day. It is during this time that your body begins to heal itself.

Avoiding the consumption of alcohol and nicotine

Consumption of alcohol and nicotine weakens your body’s immune system, making it difficult to deal with any sickness or fatigue. Also, excessive consumption of alcohol and nicotine leads to addiction which is detrimental to your mental health.

Limiting caffeine intake

Caffeine intake over a long period of time has been linked with insomnia, restlessness and nervousness. All these conditions will worsen your anxiety. Hence, moderating or eliminating your caffeine intake will render positive results.

There are plenty of other treatments and practices out there other than the ones noted above. Do some research and experiment with different techniques to figure out which works best for you. Anxiety disorder is a perfectly curable disease and should not be left untreated as the condition could worsen over time. If you are someone dealing with anxiety, reach out to friends and family and get the needed help.