Vitamins for Anxiety: The 10 Best Supplements for the Anxious Person
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Inside: The 11 best vitamins for anxiety, the best natural supplements for anxiety, and the best tea to calm anxiety (and recommendations on where to get all of the life-saving natural vitamins and supplements).
Anxiety is a bit like dark rain clouds on your outdoor birthday party.
Except with anxiety, these dark rain clouds stay all year long and ruin every day.
Anxiety can impact people in different ways.
Some people might feel panic, fear and/or irritability. Many will experience actual physical symptoms such as sweaty palms, a racing heart and feeling dizzy or like they can’t breathe.
Anxiety can ruin work productivity, negatively affect your home life and relationships and crush your social identity.
No one wants to live this way.
I know because I suffer from anxiety. (And so do 40-million other Americans, too)
But here’s the good news:
Some vitamins and minerals can be like literal “chill pills” that can calm your nerves and relax your muscles.
Remember, there are many supplements you can take for anxiety, but if you are feeling persistent and excessive anxiety that interferes with your daily life and you often feel unable to cope, you should seek professional help.
Use these vitamins and minerals alongside your current anxiety treatment plan, or if you only suffer from mild nervousness, these vitamins can go along way to reducing that feeling.
I recommend coupling these vitamins with daily exercise and meditation, and then you’ve got a powerful arsenal in your back pocket against your personal war on anxiety.
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Either way, you can’t go wrong adding these amazing vitamins and minerals to your diet.
Ok, let’s get to it, 10 of the best anxiety fighting vitamins.
10 Of The Best Vitamins for Anxiety
1. B vitamins (A+ Vitamins for Anxiety)
B vitamins are your new besties.
B vitamins are known as the stress vitamins and they can boost your mood and energy levels.
But here’s the best part:
They are affordable, super easy to find and the chances of them reacting with any other prescription medication is slim.
People who suffer from anxiety and depression have been found to have low levels of vitamin B. So stock up!
Vitamine B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12 all play an important role in keeping your mood stable. Look for a vitamin that has all eight forms of B vitamins (without any synthetic or artificial colors or fillers.) I recommend this one.
These vitamins will support your adrenal glands and help regulate your blood sugar levels. This is an A+ vitamin for anxiety.
Perhaps you’d like to increase your vitamin B through foods? Foods rich in B vitamins:
- Liver
- Turkey
- Whole grains
- Potatoes
- Bananas
- Legumes
- Molasses
2. Magnesium and Calcium
Magnesium is responsible for an impressive array of functions in the body.
But here’s the short story:
It’s a calming mineral that nourishes the nervous system and helps prevent anxiety, nervousness, irritability, and restlessness.
A typical dose of magnesium is between 400 to 600 mg daily, but you can go up to as much as 1,000 mg daily. If you get loose stools cut back a bit.
Pro Tip
Add a cup of Epson salts to a warm bath, you’ll absorb the magnesium through your skin. Add a few drops of lavender essential oils and you’ll be in bliss land before you know it. (And you’ll sleep better too).
Magnesium is honestly my answer to everything. When I’m anxious, I reach for the magnesium. When my son won’t poop, I reach for my kid’s magnesium calm. When my son is hyper and irritable, you guessed it magnesium for kids (grab it here).
I use this brand here and switch up the flavors from time to time. I personally love the orange flavor.
And I’m not the only one who thinks magnesium is the bomb. Dr. Dan Mello a board-certified integrative medicine physician and owner of Vie Healing (check out their amazing tea blends) agrees with me. Magnesium is Dan’s secret weapon for everything. “It stabilizes the mood and promotes feelings of calm and well-being. Just make sure to take a supplement that contains both magnesium and calcium, since they’re interdependent. Taking one without the other won’t do you much good.”
Want to increase your magnesium naturally? Foods to eat:
- Dark-green, leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale, and chard, contain plenty of calming magnesium as well as good amounts of the B vitamins.
- Whole, unrefined grains like oats, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa also contain both magnesium and B vitamins.
- Spinach
- Turnip
- Green Beans
Vitamin D (Vitamins for Anxiety)
Vitamin D is the sun vitamin.
Vitamin D is not believed to affect anxiety directly. Though it’s correlated with higher anxiety levels, for a few reasons:
- Lack of sunlight causes vitamin D deficiency and often seen in people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
- Anxiety is often a symptom of SAD.
- People who exercise are less likely to suffer from anxiety, and oftentimes when people exercise they are outside soaking up the sun rays (and getting their vitamin D)
Seasonal affective disorder is a real thing, it can create many undesirable symptoms, such as, irritability, reduced sex drive, insomnia, just to name a few…
Research suggests Vitamin D will improve seasonal disorder and help you feel happier.
#win-win.
Remember:
While Vitamin D itself might not be the answer to your anxiety, it will only benefit you to be mindful that increasing your outdoor time will, in turn, help ward off anxiety.
Vitamin D is the sun vitamin, but can also be found in a supplement form (like here) or in eggs and fatty fish such as salmon.
4. Omega-3s and Omega-6s
New’s alert:
Another power supplement here.
It’s well known that Omega ‘s from fish oil is effective for alleviating depression. They are the basic building blocks of the brain and nervous system.
A good dose is starting at 1,000 mg daily.
The 2001 book, “The Omega-3 Connection,” written by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Stoll, was among the first pieces to highlight the use of omega-3 fats for depression and anxiety.
Dr. Stoll states that Omega’s can bring your mood back into balance. The fatty acids prevent neurotransmitters from over-firing in our brains, which prevent leakage of these hormones.
So whether you believe this or not, the bottom line is:
It won’t hurt you.
Not everyone likes the taste or smell of oily fish, so there are over-the-counter fish oil supplements you can take instead.
Related: 3 Effective Ways To Fight Anxiety Naturally
5. Theanine and Lactium (GABA)
Gaba is a supplement you can take which is otherwise known as a calming neurotransmitter. Theanine will increase the GABA levels in your brain. (You can also take the straight GABA supplement).
I took a Gaba supplement when I was going through a particularly difficult period in my life, and I did feel better, it seemed to bring my body and mind down a couple of levels.
But even more importantly:
They helped enough that I didn’t need to opt for the anti-anxiety meds.
Lactium is a supplement made from the casein protein in milk and has been shown to reduce stress-related symptoms. Together this can be a powerful combo.
must have
One of the most powerful ways to squash worry is with the popular cognitive therapy known as a worry journal. Write your worries down…they are now on paper…and you can stop worrying about them. Check out the best-selling 3-month guided worry journal available now.
6. Probiotics
Probiotics are among hot topics in a lot of studies these days. They are known to aid in digestion and immune system health, but it’s also being revealed that they have a BIG impact on brain health.
From the scientific advisory team, “While probiotics are commonly known to support digestion and immune system health, most people don’t realize that they have also been studied for years for their impact on brain health. Maintaining a healthy amount of gut bacteria affects a healthy response to chronic stress and has been shown to promote mental health and cognitive function.”
I recommended this high-quality probiotic here.
7. Passionroot
I can’t echo enough the powerful anxiety-reducing effect passionflower has. Dr. Dan Mello, the anxiety expert states “This flower was traditionally used in Europe and the Americas to calm hysteria and ease mood issues,” he notes. “Today it’s used to manage anxiety and insomnia-related symptoms. … The more GABA in your system, the more relaxed you feel. Passionflower is often taken in combination with valerian root or Ashwagandha to really supercharge its benefits.”
There’s that word GABA again. This is another one of my personal favorites when it comes to anxiety supplements. By increasing the GABA in our brain it induces a state of non-sedating relaxation. If you’ve tried Kava or Valerian and they make you too drowsy, try passion root instead.
You can find this at any natural food store as a tincture, tea, or extract.
I like to take my herbs in a tea format. Try this one here.
8. Lemon Balm
Lemon Balm is a wonderfully soothing tea that is known to reduce anxiety. I keep a cupboard full at all times, and most nights you can find me sipping a caffeine-free, all organic, lemon balm tea before bed.
Lemon Balm is an official member of the mint family and it’ss been used back as far a the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety.
Lemon Balm is calming and soothes the nerves.
This is the exact brand I buy from amazon.
9. Ashwaghanda
This could very well be one of the best herbs to fight anxiety.
Says many people.
And when many people say something, well, it’s usually because it’s true.
Ashwaghanda is said to regulate the stress in our lives. It basically produces stress hormones when you need them, and stops producing them when you don’t.
Amazing.
It’s truly a magic herb.
10. Licorice Root
Licorice root is a little known secret among those who practice herb lore. But it shouldn’t be kept a secret, because the benefits of this intoxicating herb should be shouted from the roof-tops.
Licorice root is said to help keep your adrenal glands balanced, it’s relaxing, is a potent anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and even anti-cancerous agent.
You can find it the most drug stores and health food stores.
I love vitamins for anxiety!
Now:
You shouldn’t feel overwhelmed and think you need to spend the next 10-hours stockpiling all of these items.
When I first started treating my anxiety, I incorporated the following things:
1. I picked up a high-grade multi-vitamin.
2. Incorporated some Omega’s.
3. I found this magnesium calm at my local grocery store.
4. Stockpiled a few teas (from Amazon) into my life:
5. I also started to incorporate a daily exercise regime. And let me tell you, I’m busy! And I don’t have time for hour-long work-outs five days a week. So, I’ve been using the 8 fit app, which only requires you work-out 12 minutes a day (and no I’m not an affiliate, seriously, I just love it)
6. Try meditating (even just 2 minutes a day) and I’ve got you, you can grab a free meditation starter kit right here!
7. And the last thing I did that has made an enormous impact (as recommended by my psychologist) is I started a worry journal. Every night I write in this journal for a few minutes, it guides me with gentle cognitive behavioral therapy to help me rewire my thoughts. You can grab the exact journal I use right here.
8. And don’t forget to relax along the way. Read up here on 60-second relaxation exercises that will take you from stressed-out to blissed out.
There you have an amazing list of natural vitamins for anxiety. What’s stopping you?
Please comment below on what you’re excited to try, or what’s working or what’s not working for you. I’d love to hear from you!
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