Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders, affecting over 18% or 40 million adults age 18 and older in the United States. According to “The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders,” a study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than $42 billion a year. This statistics show us that anxiety is steadily becoming ‘the mental disease of the year’.

There are hundreds of different treatments for anxiety these days. There are so many choices of how to deal with anxiety that it can be difficult to figure out what’s best for you.

Some of the treatments for anxiety include medications. While anxiety is defined as a ‘mental disorder’, all of us suffer from it at one time or another, just as with depression. Some people suffer more due to an imbalance of neurotransmitters and therefore may have a biologically based anxiety disorder. For the rest of us, its just one of those things you have to deal with every now and then.

If you do not have a true anxiety disorder, taking anxiety medications is an extreme response. The problem is that all medications have their side effects. All of which you don’t need and won’t enjoy. Since I’m not a doctor I want to say that if you are experiencing severe signs of an anxiety disorder it might be a good idea to check with a mental health professional.

If you are not experiencing severe anxiety symptoms, you may want to start controlling anxiety with natural cures first. Here are a few I have used with excellent results.

My number one natural cure for anxiety is exercise. Now exercise doesn’t mean you have to go to a gym, although it’s not a bad idea.  Anything that gets your body going, increases your heart rate and boosts your metabolism will work wonders for reducing anxiety. Cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, taking a walk, all of these are Simple natural cures for anxiety.

By nature we are not sedentary animals. In fact, it is only in the past hundred years or so that we have become largely inactive and sedentary. We are made for moving around to search for food and shelter. Our brain chemistry is actually designed with the assumption that we are going to be very active. So our brain chemistry hasn’t caught up to our modern lifestyle.  Since our brains and bodies are still in ‘hunter and gatherer’ mode, sitting all day at a desk can cause some imbalances.

Relaxation techniques are excellent natural cures for anxiety. Like exercise, I use most of these for controlling anxiety every day. Relaxation techniques are things like meditation, prayer, listening to calming music, setting aside time to read a good book and getting a good night’s sleep. Each of these serve as safe, natural cures for anxiety that are easy to use.

Since many people are affected by caffeine, reducing your caffeine intake can also help you to relax. Some people have found that just getting rid of caffeine and other stimulants alone can go a long ways toward controlling anxiety.

If, after trying these natural cures, you still suffer frequently from anxiety it’s a good idea to talk to a mental health professional about it because you may have an anxiety disorder.  While anxiety in itself is not serious, chronic anxiety and its accompanying disorders can make life very difficult. Chronic anxiety can also increase your risk of developing stress related health conditions, such as cancer and heart disease. Add this to the harmful habits people develop while trying to self-medicate themselves with alcohol or recreational drugs  for their anxiety and you could have real adverse long term health affects.

So if you want to start controlling anxiety before it gets out of hand try these natural cures.

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy and author of “Overcoming Stress”, an e-course that you can have at absolutely no charge. Drop by http://www.OnlineStressReliefCourse .com/ for your copy today.