What are some natural ways to deal with anxiety?

Question

I've gone through alot of traumatic stuff lately, and I think that I'm having anxiety problems. I wake up in the middle of the night to every little sound. All of a sudden, I'll get overwhelming feelings of fear and dread. Some days I feel okay, but other days I can not eat -- or sometimes even brush my teeth!-- because of my extreme nausea. It takes every ounce of strength I have just to make it through the day. I've actually called into work because I've been so utterly terrified of leaving the house -- not because I thought something in particular would happen, but just a horrible dread over the thought of going outside.

I've discussed this with my doctor, who suggests that I should "get a hobby" or "get more exercise" during the day. My doctor refuses to prescribe me any medication, and I don't think that he really takes me seriously. I can't afford to go to a counselor because I have terrible insurance that won't cover it. What are some ways to naturally deal with this?

Answer 1

some natural ways of dealing with anxiety are very simple, first you need to learn some relaxation techniques such as listening to relaxing music, deep breathing exercises, journaling, a technique of tightening each muscle from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes, one body part at a time, and drinking natural herbal teas with chamomile. cut all caffeine from your diet as this can only exacerbate the problem.

Answer 2

Social anxiety can cause these feelings, which can also lead to severe depression,
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/ds...

if not you could be suffering from Generalized Anxiety
Disorder..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/general_anx...

There is hope; I've been there, and still am there, it is a long, hard struggle. I recommend
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_b... worked best for me, with mild anti-anxiety meds. I suffered from social anxiety for over 15 years. I've tried individual therapy, and group therapy and studied psychology for 10 years, as a profession, but also with the hope to cure myself.

Depending on your comfort level, you could go to a psychologist that practices CBT and specializes in anxiety disorders, seek a group therapy, or create one. Usually those that do attend the group therapy are a bit more high functioning because as you know, it can be difficult to speak in a group.

Another idea is to see if there are any local research studies being conducted that you could participate in.

The program that finally worked the best for me is this one: http://www.socialanxiety.us/findinghelp.... and I was lucky enough to have a structured behavioral group to go along with it. Sometimes the people that actually attend this program come back home and form groups.

I recommend a mild anti-anxiety med in addition to CBT therapy.

Any questions, let me know ... I can't tell you how much this has improved my life!

Answer 3

Get another doctor! There are centers that offer free counseling or on a sliding fee scale, that don't cost very much. They sometimes have students who are being supervised by experts, and I have found them to be very helpful. This sounds pretty serious if its preventing you from doing everyday tasks (like going to work!) agoraphobia is the fear of leaving the house.... Do you think you have that? That needs to be researched... and a regular general doctor won't do... You need someone who is trained to deal with this kind of thing... Tell your doctor you insist on getting a referal to see a psychologist or whatever... and don't take no for an answer. Have a friend with you when you do this, if you need moral support... but you must and YOU DESERVE to get the help you need!

Yeah... exercise and all that helps, but you can be doing natural stuff while still seeing someone who knows how to deal with this kind of thing.

Answer 4

I have this problem also, and it has helped to pamper myself a little, to take a little time away from noise and demands, to let my mind relax and focus a bit. If you have a religious faith, it can be a great help to repeatedly turn your troubles over to God. Feeling vulnerable, unprotected, etc. can be a huge anxiety maker. Do you have friends, confidants, or the like that you can just spend time with doing everyday stuff, having lunch, etc.? to get out of your own thoughts? It's been helpful to me. Best wishes and God bless