8 Natural Anxiety Fighters

Living with anxiety isn't easy. The unsettling feeling of impending doom, the racing heart and wiggly skin, the inability to truly enjoy the things that make you happy. If you're struggling with anxiety, there are a number of medications that can transform your life so completely that you can't even remember what it's like to live in constant fear of all the things in life that could possibly go wrong.

However, anti-anxiety medications have undesirable side effects, including nausea, clumsiness, a reduced sex drive, weight gain, and dizziness. Additionally, some natural supplements that claim to reduce anxiety either don't, or they have their own side effects and can reduce the effectiveness of other medications, like birth control pills.

The good news is that there are a number of highly effective ways to control your anxiety. Any or all of these 8 all-natural remedies for anxiety can be combined to attack your anxiety from all angles, or you can test them all out individually to decide which work best for you.

1. Drink chamomile tea. Not only is chamomile soothing and delicious, but it also contains compounds that bind to the receptors in the brain to which drugs like Valium also bind. You'll have to drink several cups, but if you sip on it throughout the day, you may find that it's all you need to feel a sense of inner calm.
2. Drink green tea. Green tea contains an amino acid known as L-theanine, which helps lower your blood pressure and heart rate. While more research is needed, small studies have found that drinking green tea regularly can help reduce anxiety.
3. Try aromatherapy. Hops contain volatile oils that have sedative properties, and breathing into your pillow can reduce feelings of anxiety. Lavender has been proven in many large-scale studies to considerably reduce anxiety. Apply a couple of drops of lavender essential oil on a cotton ball and inhale when you're feeling anxious, or put a few drops in your bath water.
4. Exercise. Moving your body is one of the most powerful ways to combat anxiety and depression. Research shows that it takes only 21 minutes for the anti-anxiety effects to kick in, and they'll often last until your next workout.
5. Practice deep breathing. Try Dr. Andrew Weil's 4-7-8 breathing method, which can relieve anxiety almost immediately. Exhale until your lungs are totally empty, and then inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four. Hold the breath for a count of 7. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 8. Practice this exercise whenever you're feeling anxious.
6. Eat healthy food. A whole-foods, plant-based diet with or without high-quality meat as the main protein source is an excellent remedy for anxiety, but it may take some time before you reap the benefits. Add plenty of omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, and always, always eat breakfast.
7. Heat up your body. A soak in a warm bath or hot tub, sitting by a warm fire, or snuggling up under warm blankets may alter brain circuits that control your mood, according to recent studies.
8. Practice mindful meditation. Learning to exist in the here and now is a practice that's becoming more and more mainstream as large-scale studies continue to show that meditation is highly effective at reducing stress and anxiety. Simply sit quietly, and focus only on what's happening exactly right now. Let thoughts pass through your mind without dwelling on them. Learn to live the moments in your life as they happen, and do all things with intention.