Panic attacks are sudden bouts of intense fear that peak within 10 minutes and subside in another 10. They can occur as frequently as once a week or once a year, last for just a few minutes and leave you feeling like you can’t catch your breath. As one of the most common anxiety disorders, panic attacks often strike those who experience general anxiety the most. Many people with panic attacks also suffer from depression, agoraphobia, or social anxiety. Even though there is no cure for generalized anxiety and panic attacks, there are some simple changes you can make to help combat these feelings. These food supplements target the underlying causes of stress and anxiety by changing your diet, exercise routine, sleep habits, stress management techniques and spiritual practice. Here are my favorite foods, supplements, and herbs for anxiety and panic attacks.
Diet And Nutrition For Anxiety
There is a lot of research that suggests that our diet and nutrition are related to our stress levels, anxiety, and mood. The Paleo diet and the Mediterranean diet have been shown to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. Certain foods have a direct impact on anxiety, too.
Protein for neurotransmitter balancing. Amino acids like tryptophan are precursors for serotonin and dopamine. This can help ease stress and anxiety.
Magnesium for relaxation. This mineral is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including helping with muscle and nerve function.
The B vitamins for mood regulation. B vitamins are used in the creation of serotonin and melatonin, which are neurotransmitters that regulate mood.
Zinc for stress management. Zinc is needed to create the stress hormone cortisol and dopamine.
Exercise For Anxiety Relief
Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety and improve your mood. It works by releasing endorphins, which are chemicals that act as natural mood stabilizers. Exercise also helps you sleep better by lowering cortisol levels and releasing norepinephrine, which is helpful for falling asleep. Research shows that aerobic exercise is particularly helpful for managing anxiety. For example, one study found that aerobic exercise helped people with generalized anxiety disorder reduce their symptoms by 40%. The most important thing is to find a type of exercise you enjoy, because that will make it more likely you’ll make it a regular part of your life. If you’re not used to regular exercise, start out slowly and avoid exercising right before bedtime so you’ll be more likely to fall asleep. Start with 30 minutes a day and work your way up from there.
Throw Out The Bad And Keep The Good: Re-Evaluating Your Relationships
Building a healthy lifestyle also means re-evaluating relationships that contribute to your stress. If you have a friend who is always complaining and bringing you down, it may be time to distance yourself from them. If you have a friend who is constantly stressed and taking things too seriously, try to lighten the mood when you can. If you have a negative relationship with a family member, it may be worth trying to end the relationship peacefully if it’s possible. If you have a job that causes you excessive anxiety, it might be worth speaking with a career counselor about switching careers.
Try Breathing Exercises
This may seem like a strange exercise, but it’s actually been shown to help reduce anxiety by increasing the amount of magnesium in the body. This is because the body uses magnesium to help control the breathing process. To do this exercise, sit in a quiet spot and focus on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Try to breathe at a normal pace, but slow down if you find yourself breathing too quickly. As you do this, try to relax the muscles in your arms and legs, and in your face. You can even close your eyes if that helps you relax even further. Try to do this for 5–10 minutes every day if you can, especially during times of high anxiety.
Make Yoga Part Of Your Routine
Yoga is a great way to help you relax and feel more at ease. It may even help reduce your overall anxiety levels if you do it regularly. If you have anxiety, it’s best to start out with a gentle yoga class that’s designed for beginners. Avoid more intense yoga classes if you have anxiety, as they can actually make it worse. Yoga poses that are helpful for anxiety include the cobra pose, warrior pose, tree pose, and the cat pose. There are also certain breathing techniques you can use while doing yoga that are helpful for anxiety. If you want to try yoga, but you don’t know where to start, there are plenty of online resources to help you out.
Supplement With Vitamin B And Magnesium
It’s important to note that none of these things will work overnight. Therefore, it’s a good idea to continue these practices for at least a few months. Once you see positive results, it will be much easier to keep up the healthy habits.
Vitamin B – Vitamin B is a crucial nutrient that’s needed to metabolize serotonin. Deficiencies in vitamin B have been shown to cause anxiety, so it’s important to get enough of it. Vitamin B is found in foods like fish, eggs, whole grains, legumes, and some vegetables.
Magnesium – Magnesium is another crucial nutrient that’s helpful for managing anxiety. It’s found in almonds, cashews, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and spinach. If you struggle with anxiety, try to make some of these changes to your lifestyle. They can help reduce your anxiety and make your life a lot easier.
Herbs & Tinctures That Can Reduce Anxiety
This is a curated list of some of the most wonderful herbs for anxiety that can appease and relax your stress and even panic attacks.
Motherwort
Spiritually all about inner trust, calms nervous system, improves mood, sedative, Sleep, ANXIETY (rapid heart), soothes lung issues, helps heart disease, antiinflammatory, maybe THYROID SUPPRESSOR – Nervines support and relax the nervous system while nourishing and strengthening it. They fortify the “Vital Spirit” and gently support the Kidney and Liver Networks, Mother Earth Hugging You
Chamomile
Of all the herbs for anxiety you hear about, chamomile is the most popular on the shelf. For sleep, it is also one of most effect sleep aids, ragweed family can create allergy.
Banyan “I Sleep Soundly” – Valerian, Skullcap
Ingredients Valerian, Skullcap & More – Sleep, ANXIETY, THYROID SUPPRESSOR
Magnolia Bark (Houpu)
Houpu; stagnation of Qi, ANXIETY, anxiolytic, control of stress hormone, sedative, anti-cancer, Honokiol (compound in the bark) stronger than Diazepam in reducing anxiety and nervousness, neuroprtective, nervine, nootropic, antimicrobial, antiinflammaatory, plant-based nutrient rich in fiber aids in digestion, improves cardiovascular health
Chai Hu Mu Li Long Gu Tang (by company Blue Poppy)
Herbs for ANXIETY, panic, acts quickly, releases heart heat downward, great for nightime before bed, more than 1 can irritate stomach
Phosphatidyl-serine (PS100)
ANXIETY and sleep according to circadian rythm, stops hyperactive production of cortisol – take at night
Saffron (Crocus Sativa)
Anxiotlytic, hypnotic, sedative, sleep, ANXIETY, protective nutraceutical, protects the liver
Herbs for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Having a panic attack can be a terrifying experience, and it can leave you feeling like you’re losing your mind. But with the right treatment and self-care, you can feel better and regain control of your life. There are a lot of misconceptions about anxiety and panic attacks, so it’s important to address these issues in order to reduce stigma. It’s also important to remember that these feelings are completely normal and that you aren’t alone. You can reduce anxiety, panic attacks, and stress in your life by making some simple changes to your diet, exercise routine, sleep habits, and stress management techniques.
Hopefully with these foods, supplements, and herbs for anxiety and panic attacks, you can begin to get relief.
Meet Paul Wagner
Paul Wagner is an Intuitive Life & Business Coach, clairvoyant reader, and a five-time EMMY Award-winning writer. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships. Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.
Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE