Anxiety isn’t easy to deal with. In many cases, it can interfere with your everyday life. When anxiety gets out of control, it’s hard to live well.

That’s why it’s important to prevent anxiety. Self-care is important in anxiety prevention. It also is essential to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are five ways you can take care of yourself.

1. Healthy Diet

There’s truth to the saying you are what you eat.

Your mind and body are more interconnected than you think.

If you don’t eat well, your brain won’t be able to function properly. Think of your brain like you would any other organ. It goes without saying that your heart and lungs can’t function well on a poor diet.

The same is true for the mind. In fact, it’s probably even more true.

Avoid processed foods. Cook with fresh, healthy ingredients. Shop at farmers’ markets instead of large chains to ensure high quality.

Most people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Try increasing a serving of vegetables instead of cutting something out. Then see if you can cut out fatty and sugar foods.

You’ll notice a difference immediately.

2. Cannabis

Most people have an unfair prejudice against cannabis.

However, marijuana is one of the oldest medicines in the world. It was cultivated as far back as the Egyptian times.

Veriheal has good information on how cannabis can be used to treat anxiety.

Marijuana is a perfectly safe form of anxiety treatment. It is less addictive than prescription medications. And it is entirely natural.

Cannabis is known for its calming effect. This helps in both the short and long term. Many studies have shown positive correlations between moderate cannabis usage and anxiety reductions.

Of course, there are more ways of taking marijuana than smoking.

CBD oils contain all of the medical benefits of marijuana without the high. They are perfectly safe to consume and have no negative side effects.

Thanks to loosening legislation, it is easier than ever to get legal, safe cannabis. Marijuana should always be purchased from a licensed dispensary.

There is no way to know if cannabis is right for you except to try it.

3. Exercise

You’ve probably heard of a runner’s high.

However, you don’t need to run a marathon to experience the benefits of exercise. Even just ten minutes of exercise can make a huge difference.

Exercise helps your body process negative emotions. It also produces hormones known as endorphins. These are sometimes referred to as happy chemicals because of the euphoric feeling they induce.

You don’t need to buy an expensive gym membership to exercise.

There are plenty of online workout clubs that you can join. It’s easy to find an exercise video that works right for you.

Ask a friend to work out with you if you need to be kept accountable. Exercise is a healthy way to make friends.

Once you start exercising, you won’t be able to stop.

4. Meditation

The world is a stressful place.

Everyone needs to take a step back now and then. Meditation is an ancient way of managing stress and anxiety. There is no reason not to meditate.

If you need help getting started, check out Headspace. Guided meditations are ideal for beginners. However, you don’t need any equipment to meditate.

All you need is a quiet place where you can relax. Then you just need to close your eyes and start focusing on your breath. Just five minutes of meditation can make an enormous difference.

Try meditating every day for a week and see the difference for yourself.

5. Creativity

Art is a wonderful creative outlet.

Whenever you feel stressed, write a poem about how you feel.

If poetry isn’t your thing, experiment with photography. Anyone can become a photographer with a smartphone. You don’t have to become an expert.

The important thing is to find something that you enjoy.

You can even join a club or ask friends to participate in your project. View anxiety as a subject that you can address artistically.

Some of the greatest art has come from people who suffer from anxiety.

Conclusion

Anxiety is tough to live with. But with a good self-care routine, it’s manageable.