13 Natural Remedies for Anxiety That Therapist Swear By

Leigh Weingus
·7 min read

From an anxiety perspective, the past few years have been a lot. After all, we lived through a pandemic—and a lot of us are still working to claw our way out of the mental health issues that arose from that.

If your anxiety is interfering with your life to the point where you're having a hard time functioning, it's important to seek the help of a mental health professional immediately. But if you're experiencing a lower grade, more manageable anxiety—or simply want to make therapy more effective by taking extra action—there are a lot of natural remedies for anxiety that can really help.

We talked to five people who are experts on the subject. Here are their top suggestions for natural remedies for anxiety. As a nice bonus, they're all highly enjoyable.

Natural Remedies for Anxiety

1. Take a bath

When we think of self-care, a warm bath is one of the first things that comes to mind—to the point where it's almost a cliche—but there's a reason for that: Baths are incredibly relaxing. "Warm water will relax your muscles and body, which in turn can help calm an anxious mind," says holistic psychotherapist Alison Stone. "If baths aren't your thing, a hot shower will work just fine. fact"

2. Try a magnesium supplement

Magnesium does wonders for the brain, according to Stone: It has a natural anti-anxiety and calming effect, can help guard against depression, relieve muscle cramps, and reduce insomnia. "Though naturally occurring in many foods, most of us are deficient in magnesium, and a daily supplement can be a big help," she says.

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3. Connect with someone

This is easier said than done right now, but a quick phone call or even a text can be really helpful for anxiety. "A lot of times our anxiety becomes exacerbated by too much time spent inside our own heads. Now, more than ever, we need to prioritize human interaction," says Stone. "Text, call, or FaceTime a friend. Even a few minutes of connection can help calm our nervous system."

4. Play music

Got a favorite song? Great—blast it if you're feeling anxious. "Music can have such a powerful impact on our mood," says Stone. "I miss my daily commute for this one reason—it was the time I listened to music! Incorporate music during your shower, part of your morning routine, or any time you notice yourself feeling particularly stressed."

5. Take a deep breath

Courtney Tracy, a licensed clinician and therapist also known on TikTok as "The Truth Doctor," says deep breathing is a must when you're going through an anxious time. "Deep diaphragmatic and controlled breathing supports a natural reduction in anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system," she says. "When anxious, we tend to breath faster or hold our breath. Extending the exhale longer than the inhale and activating the vagus nerve within our gut by 'belly breathing’ using our diaphragm allow us to tell our body it’s time to calm down."

6. Try a mindfulness technique

Engaging in the present moment through mindfulness exercises allows us to reduce future rumination or thinking about past anxiety-provoking situations, Tracy says. "One of my favorite mindfulness techniques include the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique where you use all five of your senses to explore the present moment," she explains. "The 5-4-3-2-1 technique involves the following: Observe your environment and says five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can feel, two things you can hear and one thing you can taste."

Related: 30 Best Mental Health Apps

7. Create

If you're not exactly feeling your most creative when you're anxious, we don't blame you—but taking a moment to activate the creative part of your brain can really help. "This allows us to tap into what’s called a ‘flow’ which is almost like a mindful meditation in itself," Tracy says. "As such, we focus on the present moment and the materials we are using to create versus what we are anxious about in the future or upset about in the past which could be activating an anxious body response."

8. Meditate

We know you say this one coming, but good old-fashioned meditation really can do wonders for anxiety. "Start your day with a brief meditation," suggests Dr. Lise Deguire, a clinical psychologist and author or Flashback Girl: Lessons on Resilience from a Burn Survivor. "I listen to Headspace, which offers a 10-minute daily guided meditation. To be clear, every morning I wake up and think, 'Oh let’s just skip meditating.' I always want to barrel ahead with my daily activities. But, when I engage in meditation, I feel much better: clear-headed, relaxed and refreshed. It is a wonderful way to start the morning."

9. Accomplish something

Every day, do something you've put off doing, whether it's that messy desk or a difficult work task. "I organized my closet, turning hangers in the opposite direction so I would have a system to know if I ever wear that shirt or if I should give it away. (This system is currently thwarted by the fact that I only wear sweatshirts now, but I’m hoping for the best)," Deguire says. "Then, I shined my silver earrings. Every day, I do something that I normally wouldn’t have time for. It helps."

Related: Millennial Burnout Is Real—Here's Your Anti-Burnout Action Plan

10. Try Yoga Nidra

Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist, head of Huberman Lab at Stanford, and member of the Madefor Advisory Team says Yoga Nidra is an important practice for anxiety. “Yoga Nidra is the single best non-realtime tool I am aware of for buffering stress,” he says. “Despite the name ‘yoga,’ it involves no movement and is very different from meditation. You sit or lie down and listen to an audio script —these are freely available online—that directs you to breathe in a particular way (typically, exhale-emphasized breathing) and to place your mental attention on different aspects of the body. It’s a deeply relaxing, easy and restorative practice. I use it any time I feel overworked or lack sleep. I’ve noticed many positive effects on stress management, and better transition to deeper sleep when I sleep at night.”

11. Move 

No, you don’t need to run a marathon if you want to start feeling less anxious—but moving in some way will really help.

“Stress always involves the release of chemicals in the brain and body that prompt us to move, speak or emote in some way,” says Huberman. “When able and appropriate, I channel that stress-induced agitation into movement—usually a run or walk or if I can’t get outside,e pushups. Running and walking also activate visual optic flow patterns that are known from quality science to reduce limbic and stress pathways in the brain. De-stressing is not always about shifting the body and mind to a less alert state. Sometimes it works better to ‘be a channel, not a dam’ when stress and agitation hit.

12. Drink tea

Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist in New York City, suggests sipping on a warm cup of herbal tea. "There are small studies that have pointed to the scientific validity of chamomile tea for helping reduce anxiety and stress symptoms," she says. "Whether it is the actual power of the herb or the practice of focusing on making the tea and slowly consuming something warm that is also physically relaxing to the digestive system, tea is often recommended as part of a winding down routine to help people with high stress and anxiety."

13. Journal

If you've ever journaled, it probably doesn't surprise you that regular journaling can help with anxiety. "When we leave our feelings simmering within us, they become more powerful as they ferment inside us, unresolved," says Hafeez. "While journaling cannot fix all our issues or give us complete closure, what it does is get our thoughts on paper and out us, helping us feel alleviated from that tension and weight. It also gives us clarity to better respond to what is making us anxious."

Next up, here's how to overcome social anxiety.

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