14 BEST NATURAL REMEDIES FOR ANXIETY, ACCORDING TO EXPERTS

Anxiety is a word we all know — and a feeling most of us experience at some point in our lives. Its prominence has risen in our culture in the past years (especially during the pandemic), making anxiety disorders now the most common mental illness in the U.S. And while it can certainly feel lonely to have anxiety, you're definitely not alone: 40 million adults in the U.S. struggle with anxiety disorders every year.

“A lot of people struggle with some sort of anxiety — it’s very normal and common,” says licensed psychologist and health and wellness expert Rachel Goldman, Ph.D., who takes a holistic approach to mental health. “Even Simone Biles stepped away [from gymnastics] to take care of herself and was able to come back so much stronger and make Olympic history, so let that be a message to us all that we need to do what’s best for us.”

While many people find relief through medications and professional therapy, you don’t have to start there. There are a slew of natural remedies that have been shown to possibly help decrease symptoms of anxiety — from herbal supplements to lifestyle changes — and one of these natural remedies might just help soothe your stress.

Here, we asked mental health experts to share some of their top natural remedies for anxiety.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress and is actually a beneficial evolutionary trait, since it helps us protect ourselves in dangerous situations. But chronic or intense feelings of worry and fear can be signs you’re dealing with anxiety in a more serious way. High-functioning anxiety can manifest in a myriad of ways, including sleep problems, muscle tension, gastrointestinal issues, irritability, difficulty concentrating and even panic attacks. But the good thing is, there are lots of ways to help ease your anxiety, ranging from small daily-routine additions to altering your mindset.

Natural remedies for treating anxiety

Keep a consistent routine

One possible cause of anxiety is a lack of routine in your day-to-day life. “Creating structure to your day is going to make you feel more in control,” Dr. Goldman says. Dr. Goldman asks her patients to look at four key aspects of their daily routines: sleep, diet, movement and stress management. Consistency in these behaviors, like getting eight hours of sleep a night, eating a balanced diet, taking a walk once a day and practicing mindfulness before bed can help reduce anxiety.

Just breathe

It sounds simple, but focusing on your breath and practicing deep breathing exercises can calm you down both physically and mentally. A 2023 study found that deep breathing exercises can control feelings of anxiety or panic by countering hyperventilation and lowering blood pressure. Regularly engaging in these exercises can have positive long-term effects on mental health as well. There are many deep breathing techniques to try, including the three-part breath, box breathing and Bahya Pranayama (yogic breathing).

Dr. Goldman recommends the 5-finger technique, especially for children with anxiety; put one hand out in front of you and trace it with your other hand, inhaling when you trace up the finger, and exhaling when you trace down the finger.

Nurture your gut health

Our gut health and our mental health are more intertwined than we might think. In fact, the gut microbiome impacts neurotransmitter function in the brain, which affects things like risk for depression, anxiety and other cognitive or mental health issues, found a study from 2024. Translation: Good gut health supports good mental health. How to nurture this crucial gut-brain connection? Cater to it daily by eating fiber-filled foods like fruits and veggies, nuts, beans and whole grains, says BreAnna Guan N.D., a licensed naturopathic physician, as well as drinking lots of water and loading up on probiotics through yogurt, kefir or fermented foods.

Move around

Exercise is one of the biggest mitigators of anxiety, but don’t sweat at the thought of lifting weights or running sprints on a treadmill every single day to keep on top of it. Instead, focus on getting some sort of movement every day, such as taking a walk outside or doing some stretching. Sometimes, when you have a lot of pent up anxiety and feel the need to get it out of your system, a higher intensity workout, like going for a run or doing some weight-work, can be beneficial. “Other times, people might feel out of control, like they need to reground themselves,” Dr. Goldman says, “and that would be the time to do a slower movement, like a yoga pose or meditation.”

Sip some chamomile tea

Chamomile, a widely recognized herbal remedy, is known for its calming effects, and these days, chamomile tea is pretty ubiquitous. Study after study has found an abundance of evidence that chamomile may help improve anxiety symptoms, not only in people with diagnosed anxiety disorders, but in those with mild symptoms of anxiety as well.

Look into lavender and other herbs

Dr. Guan recommends a few other herbal remedies along with chamomile. She likes lavender for its calming quality that helps with sleep; she blends culinary lavender flowers into smoothies and suggests diffusing it to quiet your mind before bed.

Another stress-relieving herb whose popularity has been on the rise in the past few years is ashwagandha, which may help balance stress hormones and thyroid function, and can be taken as a capsule, gummy or powder mixed into a beverage. “It’s energizing and balancing without being stimulating,” Dr. Guan says. She also recommends schisandra berry an adaptogenic herb that may also help modify cortisol (our main stress hormone) response in stressful situations to help us stay calmer.

Keep a journal

There are lots of different ways to journal. You may have watched satisfying videos of someone filling out a bullet journal or heard about keeping a gratitude journal. But if you’ve never kept a journal before and are wondering where to start, Dr. Goldman recommends doing what she calls a “brain dump.” It is what it sounds like — a way to get all your racing thoughts out of your head and onto a piece of paper. “Don’t censor it, just write all those thoughts. Many times those thoughts keep hitting repeat until we do something about it,” she says. If you’re looking for a more guided type of journaling, Dr. Goldman recommends picking one journal prompt each day and responding to it.

Ground yourself with the 3-3-3 rule

Much of the time, anxious thoughts center around things that we can’t control, like the “would’ve, could’ve, should’ves” of the past. But if we turn our focus to the present, it helps ease that anxiety, Dr. Goldman explains. One way to focus on the here and now is to try a grounding exercise, like the 3-3-3 rule. It’s simple: All you have to do is focus on one thing you can see, one you can hear, and one you can touch right now. “Remind yourself of where you are,” Dr. Goldman says. “Focus on what’s in your control.”

Find a fidget toy

There are hundreds of fidget toys to ease anxiety out there, from fidget spinners and stress balls to spinning jewelry and keychains. While they may look like toys for children, don’t discount their calming abilities. A 2023 study found that adults who wore fidget rings over the course of a week reported a reduction in anxiety and stress. “Fidget toys are helpful especially when you can’t necessarily escape the situation you’re in,” Dr. Goldman says. For example, if you’re in a meeting and can’t leave to take a walk, you can get some of your anxiety out by spinning a fidget ring or shaping putty.

Up your magnesium intake

Magnesium is a mineral that supports relaxation and reduces tension, but many people are lacking in it, Dr. Guan says. Not getting enough magnesium means you may feel tired, be less able to fend off illness and your cortisol levels may stay elevated after experiencing stress or anxiety since magnesium can help balance this stress hormone. If you can't get enough of the mineral through your meals (foods that are rich in it include green leafy veggies, beans and nuts and seeds), there are plenty of magnesium supplements to choose from nowadays, and you can also check out our list of the best supplements for anxiety for other beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Snuggle under a weighted blanket

Another stress-reducing product that has been gaining popularity in the past few years is the weighted blanket. It works by exerting deep pressure on the user, which is thought to release serotonin, a chemical in the body that makes you feel happy and calm. “Weighted blankets are a form of grounding yourself, like having a hug. The pressure can calm you down,” Dr. Goldman says, noting that weighted blankets can be especially helpful for people who find focusing on their breath to be more stressful than helpful.

Meditate

It’s said that the people who don’t have time for meditation are the ones who need it the most. Whether you’re a mindfulness pro or someone who finds the idea of sitting alone with your thoughts boring or even painful, there’s a meditation practice out there for you. Check out our guide on how to meditate for anxiety for some general pointers, or try out a meditation app.

Try a cold plunge

You might have heard of cold plunges as a new wellness trend, and there’s science behind how taking the plunge may help ease anxiety through boosting feel-good chemicals like dopamine and other endorphins. But if soaking in ice isn't your style, you can still reap the chill-out benefits without fully submerging yourself — simply splashing cold water on your face or neck, or holding an ice cube could help. “It comes from this idea of shocking your body and telling it to do something else,” Dr. Goldman says. If you’re stressed or anxious on the physiological level, you might be sweating, or your heart might be racing, and putting cold water on your face can kickstart a change in these symptoms through activating your parasympathetic nervous system.

Hum along to the music

Here's one anxiety-tamer that you might already do quite often, without even realizing it: Humming along to a tune. “Humming activates the parasympathetic nervous system and can slow down your stress response, so that is a unique thing that is easy to incorporate to manage the symptoms of anxiety while you’re having them,” says Dr. Guan.

More research on humming for stress or anxiety relief is needed, but one recent small study found that the practice appeared to have a positive affect on stress; humming may also increase attention and improve sleep quality.

When to seek professional help

While these natural remedies can certainly help ease anxiety in the moment, seeing a therapist or talking to a psychiatrist about whether medication could help may be necessary if you're experiencing constant or severe anxiety. If your symptoms are impacting your quality of life so much that you aren’t able to carry out your daily tasks, or if your social and professional relationships are being impacted, or if your anxiety feels all consuming, it might be time to seek professional help.

“Natural things can be really nice to experiment with and explore at home with a low level of anxiety, but if your anxiety is prohibiting your normal activity, I’d start with [seeking professional help] and then working backwards and incorporating those natural lifestyle things,” says Dr. Guan. The natural remedies are more of a “band-aid” fix, she says, while therapy and medication can help more in the long run.

Dr. Goldman also stresses the value of seeking professional help in more extreme cases and notes that there are some anxiety medications that are “take as needed” as opposed to medications that need to be taken everyday, which can be helpful for people who are worried about committing to a medication regimen.

2024-08-31T13:02:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd