Today, in the United States, more than 40 million people suffer with an anxiety disorder. This could be generalized anxiety, PTSD, Social Anxiety, or OCD just to name a few. Out of those suffering from one of these, less than half are receiving treatment. Fortunately, many of these are treatable with and without medication. Since we are a chiropractic office, we are gonna go over the DRUG FREE WAYS you can use to help with Anxiety.
**Please note, if you are taking medication, never ever EVER stop taking your medication with out discussing it with your health care professional first. Also, many of these can be combined with medication to help achieve better results, but always check with your doctors first. **
Ok medical disclaimers are over… let’s get into it.
Here are a few ways to calm your anxiety:
Acupuncture
Acupuncture helps with anxiety by hitting certain meridian points that affects the brain. Most people describe acupuncture as calming and soothing. Treatments for this last between 25-45 minutes depending on the needs of the patient. Dr. Gebaide provides a personalized treatment to her patients.
Therapy Journal
Journaling helps understand your mood by expressing your problems, fears, and concerns in your day to day life. Not everything is black and white when it comes to your mood. There may be things that trigger it and by writing it down on paper, it allows you to brainstorm solutions, organize your thoughts, and gives you space to vent and rationalize.
Exercise
“Movement is medicine.” If you’ve been a patient of Dr. G’s, you’ve probably heard her say this. Exercising like walking, stretching, yoga and weight lifting all helps to release endorphins. Endorphins are feel good hormones and they help to combat anxiety and depression. Several studies have found 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week is beneficial. So get out there and start moving.
Breathing techniques
When you start to feel your chest tightening and your heart is racing, a good thing to try is deep breathing. Most people use their shoulders to breathe, however you’re only using the top potion of your lungs. When doing deep breathing, it best to sit or lay down. Place your hands on your stomach and envision breathing down into your diaphragm. You should feel your belly rise up. Then just count for to 4 during your inhale through your nose and hold your breath for 2 seconds, and blow out of your mouth for 4 seconds. If you feel light headed or start to yawn, congrats, that’s your brain getting some much needed oxygen. Repeat the cycle 10 times. Feeling sleepy after doing that, that’s awesome, that oxygenation is causing relaxation. These are healthy metabolic processes to aid with Anxiety.
Therapist
Talk about IT! Therapy is a fantastic form of treatment for Anxiety. Now it is available through in person, phone calls and through virtual visits. Make sure to check with your health insurance to see what they cover. Unfortunately, not all insurances cover this. There are options like Betterhealth.com that offers affordable options and access to a certified therapist. Therapists can provide coping skills, someone to just listen with an unbiased ear, and assistance to help bring clarity to a difficult situation. Worried about what they might think? You shouldn’t, these are trained professionals that are there to help you to sort out your feels and get you on a path to better mental health.
If you know of someone that might find this information helpful, please pass it along. If you feel like you might hurt yourself, the Crisis and Suicide hotline available just dial or text 988. Just reach out, they are always there to help.