4 Natural Self Care Remedies for Anxiety

Anxiety can prevent you from thinking clearly, keep you feeling tired, cause emotional distress, and impact just about every area of your life.

There are many natural self-care remedies which may help you to find more peace when you notice the stress creeping in.

Some anxiety is normal and can even be healthy, as it can help you to navigate stressful situations, but if you find yourself feeling consumed by that anxiety on a regular basis, you may benefit from the following four self-care practices to ease anxiety.

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1. Breath Meditation

Anxiety occurs when we are not living in the present moment. One of the easiest ways to bring yourself back to the present is to connect with your breath which is always happening in the present. Try this easy breath meditation to ground you fast!

1. Set a timer for one minute or as long as you would like. This will keep you from checking the clock or using energy to try to guess how long a minute is.
2. Find a comfortable seated position.
3. Notice your breath.
4. Begin to count the breath. One with the inhale. Two with the exhale. Three with the inhale. Four with the exhale. Continue until you get to ten, and then start over at one.
5. Without pushing them away, notice the thoughts that come up. When you get distracted by those thoughts, call yourself back to your breath.

2. Crystals

Crystals can be beneficial in calming nerves because of their unique properties which naturally rebalance energy.

The ancient wisdom within crystals interact with our body’s electromagnetic field and help us to make the energetic shifts we need.

When choosing a crystal, notice to which ones you are naturally drawn. Often that is the one you need the most.

A few crystals known for being beneficial in finding more calm are Blue Lace Agate, Lepidolite (this stone has lithium in it which is often used in anti-anxiety medications), and Rose Quartz.

Simply carrying one of these crystals in your pocket, setting it on an altar, or making a necklace with it can help reduce anxiety.

3. Smudging

Smudging is a traditional Native American practice in which you burn a bundle of herbs, often sage, to purify yourself and your space.

Because we, and everything around us, are made of energy, stagnant energy can gather and makes us feel stuck. This feeling of being stuck is often what causes anxiety.

The practice of smudging is thought of as psychic spring cleaning and helps to clear out what we no longer need. We recommend burning sage in the same way you would incense. You can carry it around your house, making sure to get the corners, as well as smudge yourself.

4. Drink tea

Most herbal teas are naturally de-stressing.

Chamomile tea reduces stress and anxiety as well as helps in treating insomnia.

Peppermint tea has menthol in it which is a natural muscle relaxer. Since we tighten our bodies when we are experiencing anxiety, peppermint can help us to soften that tension.

Even the process of making and drinking tea can be a practice of mindfulness if you allow yourself to slow down and fully experience each sip.

Take time for yourself.

There are many natural remedies for calming anxiety. Often it is more about the intention behind what you do than the actual tool or activity.

Taking time to cultivate more self-care will help us to live more in the present moment and release the tension that anxiety brings when we are busy worrying about the future or the past.