15 Incredible Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Depression
At some point in our lives we all end up going through anxiety and depression. While these feelings are normal and affect a majority of people, it’s never fun to feel blue or anxious. Many times, people dealing with depression and anxiety will turn to prescription drugs to help them with these feelings, yet natural remedies for anxiety and depression can help too.
As an advocate for mental health and wellness, as well as natural remedies, I have researched thoroughly to share the natural and safe ways to help anxiety and depression.
Causes
Anxiety and depression are often seen hand in hand since many individuals with anxiety often have depression too. These feelings can be caused by a wide range of environmental and/or personal triggers. For some, there is no true cause to feeling anxious or depressed, yet for others there are more clear causes and sometimes a combination of causes will lead to anxiety and depression.
Depression and anxiety can be caused by the following:
- Genetic makeup
- Experiencing a traumatic event
- Stress
- Health conditions (including but not limited to cancer, chronic pain, etc.)
- Greif
- Changes in your personal like (divorce, loss of a job, moving,)
- Substance abuse
While there are many different causes to anxiety and depression, you need to remember, having these feelings is not anyone’s fault or a flaw in your own character. Sometimes there does not have to be a ‘reason’ for feeling anxious or depressed. It just happens. But the good news is, if you can recognize the signs and symptoms, you can begin to use herbal remedies to help you improve.
Signs and Symptoms
Everyone who suffers from anxiety and depression will exhibit different signs and/or symptoms. It all depends on your chemical makeup in your brain. To give you an idea of how anxiety and depression can affect individuals, here is a list of the most common signs and symptoms of depression.
- Excessive tiredness or sleeping
- Insomnia
- Panic attacks
- Sweating
- Shallow and rapid breathing
- Tension
- Feeling nervous
- Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
- Feelings of despair or loneliness
- Changes in your eating habits- either too much or too little
- Inability to relax
- Feeling cranky or moody
- Constant feelings of worthlessness or sadness
- Difficulty with decision making, memory, or concentration
- Constant irrational fears or worryConstant irrational fears or worry
- Rapid heartbeat
- Headaches
- Abdominal pain
- Hot flashes
- Loss of interests, hobbies, or social life
- Anti-social behavior
Although these are just a few symptoms of anxiety and depression, everyone experiences anxiety and depression in different ways. Signs and symptoms of depression in women and men will vary so it is important to speak to a professional if you are feeling anxiety and depression.
Treatments
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After discussing with a professional, they will be able to diagnose your anxiety and depression. From there the signs and symptoms of depression in men and women can be improved with the help of these herbal remedies.
If you are interested to treat your depression, anxiety and panic attacks with natural remedies, these 15 home remedies for anxiety and depression can surely help you beat the blues and find your calm.
1. Drinking Chamomile Tea
Depression and anxiety will go hand in hand with sleeping problems. Yet drinking a cup of hot chamomile tea can help you relax and get to sleep when you need it. This is due to the flavonoids that are present in the tea. It is a naturally occurring chemical in the plants that induce relaxation. Richard from InsideBedroom Blog has written about the tips to get better sleep which also has mention about drinking tea.
Required Ingredients:
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp of dried chamomile or just 1 teabag
- Dash of honey
Process:
- Boil the water and pour it over the tea.
- Steep for 5 minutes if loose tea. Steep for 15 minutes if using a teabag.
- Strain the tea or remove the teabag.
- Add the honey.
- Drink 30 minutes before bed or when you need to relax.
2. Practice Meditation
Practicing daily meditation will help to improve the signs of depression in women and men. Taking even just 15 minutes to calm your mind and simply breathe will do wonders to help you cope, prevent, and calm your anxiety and depression.
Required Ingredients:
- A calm, quiet space
- Comfortable clothing
- Time
Process:
- Put on some comfortable clothing and find a calm, quiet place.
- Turn off your phone, close your blinds, and take other measures as needed to prevent interruptions.
- Regulate your breathing and attempt to release your thoughts.
- Breathe deeply with a clear mind for at least 15 minutes.
- Repeat daily.
3. Get Back to Nature
Getting yourself back to nature is a great way to ground yourself and release your feelings of anxiety and depression. Spending time outside and breathing the fresh air and taking in the sunlight will certainly improve your mood and help you release your anxious feelings.
Required Ingredients:
- Natural park, forest, or path
- Time
Process:
- Go to a place where you can experience nature.
- Spend at least 30 minutes walking around, or just being outside in the open.
- Repeat as often as needed.
4. Eat Your Breakfast
Starting your day right by eating a well-balanced meal will help you through the entire day. Not only will you be giving your mind and body energy to face the day, eating a healthy breakfast will improve your mood.
Required Ingredients:
- A variety of healthy foods
Process:
- Set your alarm and wake up at a scheduled time each day.
- Make yourself a breakfast of healthy and wholesome foods.
- Eat breakfast daily.
5. Inhaling Lavender
Lavender is well-known for its calming and soothing effects. The aroma of lavender is actually considered an emotional ant-inflammatory. Inhaling fresh lavender or lavender oil will give you a sense of calm and relaxation which will help improve anxiety and panic attacks.
Required Ingredients:
- Essential oil of lavender or fresh lavender
Process:
- Place a few drops of essential oil of lavender on your wrists and behind your ears and inhale deeply.
- If you are using fresh lavender, fill your home with a few bouquets so you can continuously breathe in their calming scent.
- Breathe in fresh lavender whenever you begin to feel anxiety and depression.
6. Avoid Coffee
While coffee is a great kick start to your day, it is not so great for those with anxiety and depression. The stimulation from coffee can enhance your feelings of anxiety and depression and even trigger them.
Required Ingredients:
Process:
- Avoid drinking coffee (and other caffeinated drinks) for a couple of days.
- If you truly need a coffee, switch to decaf.
- Avoid coffee and caffeine for as long as you need to prevent triggers of anxiety and depression.
7. Supplement St. John’s Wart
Credit: WebMD
A very popular home remedy for anxiety and depression is the herb St. John’s Wart. This is because of the hypercin that is one of its main components. The hypercin will affect the various neurotransmitters in a similar manner to prescription drugs for depression and anxiety.
Required Ingredients:
- A high quality capsule of St. John’s Wart
Process:
- Take 300 milligrams of the St. John’s Wart 3 times each day.
- Repeat for at least one week.
Notes:
The hypercin in the St. John’s Wart can sometimes interact with other drugs. Be sure to speak to your doctor before you start this home remedy for anxiety and depression.
8. Increase Your B Vitamin Intake
Increasing your B Vitamins will help your brain produce more serotonin, epinephrine, and dopamine, thus resulting in an improved mood.
Required Ingredients:
- Vitamin B capsules
- Foods that contain high amounts of Vitamin B (fish, shellfish, cheese, spinach, turkey, and bell peppers to name a few)
Process:
- Eat more foods that contain Vitamin B naturally.
- Take 300 milligrams of vitamin B capsules each day if you do not eat the foods that naturally contain Vitamin B.
- Make this a part of your regular diet.
9. Increase Your Magnesium Intake
Magnesium is a very important part of a balanced diet. Without a proper level of magnesium, we cannot keep the chemicals within our brain stable, regulate our heartbeats, or synthesize our RNA and DNA.
Required Ingredients:
- Incorporate foods such as spinach, bananas, dry almonds, and/or soy milk.
- If you do not enjoy these foods, magnesium capsules will suffice.
Process:
- Intake magnesium rich foods or a magnesium capsule each day for a highly functioning body and mind.
- Make magnesium a part of your daily diet.
10. Get Some Exercise
Exercise is a fundamental part of maintaining a good mood and a relaxed mind. Exercise will release endorphins which will make you feel good and feel happy.
Required Ingredients:
Process:
- Take a minimum of 15 minutes each day to exercise.
- Repeat daily and make it a part of your regular schedule. Not only will you feel better mentally, you will feel better physically.
11. Utilize Light Therapy
Light therapy is great to do if you happen to have seasonal affective disorder. Your mood drops in the winter months due to the limited sunlight, but light therapy can also help with depression. This is because the light will help activate the circadian pacemaker in the brain which will help to regulate your sleep cycles.
Required Ingredients:
- Bright light made for SAD and depression
- timer
Process:
- Turn on the light and shine it on you (not directly in your face though)
- Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- Repeat a few times per day after the sun has set.
12. Intake Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds will contain healthy fats as well as magnesium- both will help to lighten your mood. In addition, pumpkin seeds contain L-tryptophan which is an amino acid that helps your brain produce serotonin.
Required Ingredients:
- One cup of cooked or raw pumpkin seeds
Process:
- Eat one cup of the raw or cooked pumpkin seeds once per day.
- Repeat daily while you are struggling with depression.
13. Face the Fear
If something is making you feel afraid, face the fear. This can help you understand your anxiety since most anxiety stems from the uncertain. Exposure therapy or facing your fears will help you learn how to live your life with uncertainty and risk.
Required Ingredients:
- Time
- Exposure to your fears and uncertainties
Process:
- Take it slow and set aside some time to face the fears or what is causing your anxiety.
- Repeat as often as needed until the fears or causes of anxiety are no longer there.
Notes:
Speaking to a therapist or friends and family for support will help you through this process.
14. Partake in Laughter
They always say, laughter is the best medicine. And it’s true! Cultivating a good sense of humor, even if you do a fake laugh, will boost your mood and your dopamine production.
Required Ingredients:
- Humorous movie
- Funny jokes or people
Process:
- Spend time indulging in something humorous and laugh.
- Take time each week to find laughter.
15. Administer Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is an herbal remedy that can help reduce your stress and anxiety, as well as help you with your sleep. Lemon balm extract can be found in a tincture, capsule, or tea form. No matter which form you choose to use, start with the smallest dosing schedule and be sure to follow the directions and soon you will be feeling less anxious and more calm.
Required Ingredients:
- Lemon balm extract
Process:
- Take the smallest dose of lemon balm extract and follow the directions closely.
- Repeat daily as needed.
Notes:
It is important to follow the directions accordingly because taking too much can actually make you feel much more anxious.
How to Prevent Anxiety and Depression
Battling anxiety and depression is not easy. However, if you make effort to take certain measures in your day to day life, you will certainly notice an improvement in these conditions. Along with the help of natural remedies for anxiety and depression, the following methods can be used to help you manage and cope with these issues.
- Exercise daily, for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Keep a journal and write in it each day.
- Make sure you get plenty of sleep. SleepAdvisor.org got some advice for reducing anxiety before bed.
- "The Quality of sleep matters as much as the quantity." Check out this article on how to get a higher quality of sleep.
- Limit alcohol and caffeine.
- Learn and understand what triggers your anxiety and depression.
- Get support from friends and family.
- Keep a positive attitude.
- Get involved with a volunteer organization.
- Accept and understand that you cannot control everything.
- Get your daily dose of sunshine.
- Learn more about anxiety and depression by reading articles.
- Do things that will make you feel good- even if you don’t feel like doing them.
As an advocate for mental health and wellness, I hope you have enjoyed this article. If you found something in this article useful for signs of depression in men and women, or anxiety and panic attacks, please comment to let me know! Or if you would like to share the 15 incredible home remedies for anxiety and depression, please do!
Really like this article of home remedy. I am convinced that it is good advice. I work for the UN and PAHO and so world health is my life. I consult doctors working with us from many countries and they concur with your summary recommendations. Thanks you for sharing.
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