Exploring holistic ways to manage anxiety

Holistic treatment for anxiety focuses on how your life and well-being connect. This includes your mental, physical, spiritual, financial, and social health.

With a holistic approach, your provider may suggest new practices to help with your anxiety symptoms. If you’re looking for relief in addition to traditional talk therapy, a holistic approach may be a helpful option.

How holistic anxiety treatments work

Holistic treatment for anxiety disorders is about treating the whole person. It considers your symptoms and other life factors.

For anxiety treatment, this might look like:

• Discussing how anxiety affects and is affected by other areas of your life. For example, you might explore how your anxiety increases with many work deadlines. And how perfectionism or lack of sleep during those times makes it harder to regulate your emotions.

• Integrating alternative and complementary treatment methods into traditional therapy and psychiatry. Alongside talk therapy and medication, you might incorporate breathwork or acupuncture to help regulate your nervous system. These methods can support your body in calming down when anxiety arises.

• Helping you build coping skills that can help you manage anxiety symptoms outside of treatment sessions. For instance, you might practice grounding techniques like the 5-4-3-2-1 method. So if you’re overwhelmed in a public place, you have a tool you can rely on to bring yourself back to the present.

Holistic anxiety treatment is more about the approach than any specific treatment. It’s about helping you improve well-being in every area of your life. In contrast, traditional medicine may focus more on symptoms of your condition. They may not address other areas of your life.

Holistic providers understand that mental health symptoms don’t happen in a vacuum. Both therapists and psychiatrists can take a holistic approach.

Holistic ways to calm anxiety

Contrary to common belief, holistic anxiety treatment isn’t about using “natural remedies." Any method or practice outside of the traditional medical model can be holistic.

It’s important to note that the evidence for most of these approaches is limited. The anxiety treatments that are most supported by research are more traditional methods. These include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication. So, combining holistic solutions with evidence-based methods is best.Some holistic ways to calm anxiety include:

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of the most-researched holistic approaches to anxiety treatment. Many studies have found mindfulness-based interventions to be helpful for healing anxiety.

Some specific treatment approaches that use mindfulness include:

• Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)

• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

Both of these methods are group-based interventions. You can find a local or online group, but you can also practice mindfulness outside of this structure. A holistic therapist might suggest using mindfulness for anxiety. They can recommend specific mindfulness practices and provide guidance.

Physical exercise

Exercise is another holistic approach that’s well-backed by research. Studies show that exercising can reduce your anxiety symptoms. It can also help with co-occurring mental health conditions like depression. Embracing movement benefits your physical health, and a holistic provider can help you get started.

Meditation

On top of mindfulness meditation, other meditation types have been found to be helpful for reducing anxiety.

• Natural stress relief meditation

• Loving-kindness and compassion meditation

• Anapanasati meditation

Meditation can be practiced outside of organized groups or religions. Some therapists may be able to teach you how to use meditation to decrease anxiety.

Yoga

Research shows that yoga could have an impact on anxiety. Incorporating tools that best support your mental health is something you can discuss with your provider.

For most people, yoga is safe and comes with no side effects. It can also help you reduce stress and improve your overall physical well-being. That could help you manage anxiety as well.

Talk to your holistic therapist about how they might incorporate yoga into your treatment plan. Some smaller studies have shown that yoga combined with therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), could be more helpful for anxiety.

Expressive arts therapies

Some studies have found that expressive arts therapies — including art, music, and movement therapy — could be helpful for people with anxiety. For example, one review found that art therapy could have some benefits for specific groups of people with anxiety. Another study in adult women suggests that art therapy can reduce anxiety symptoms and help with emotional regulation. Although more research is needed, these therapy methods could be helpful tools to add to your current anxiety treatment plan.

Building your holistic anxiety treatment plan

You don’t need to choose between holistic and traditional treatment for anxiety. A holistic approach just means that your provider will assess and look at how every area of your life could contribute to your symptoms. Sometimes, they may recommend complementary or alternative treatment methods. But that doesn’t mean you can’t also take medication or go to traditional therapy.

Some questions you can ask potential holistic therapists and psychiatrists include:

• What’s your treatment philosophy when it comes to anxiety?

• What treatment approaches do you use?

• What do you believe about complementary or alternative treatment methods?

• How can you tell when treatment is successful? Is it just about symptom reduction, or are there other factors?

With a holistic treatment plan, the goal is for you to feel better on every level.

Clinician's take

Nutrition, sleep, and sensory regulation impact your mood. Traditional treatments may focus heavily on thoughts and behaviors. But, in holistic care, tending to your body’s physiological needs and stress responses becomes just as important.

Ashley Ayala, LMFT

Clinical reviewer

Find care with Rula

Holistic treatment for anxiety can help you approach wellness from multiple angles. Holistic practitioners see you as a whole person rather than a set of symptoms. They work toward helping you address your anxiety symptoms and feel better in every area of life.

At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best. 

Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.