NATURAL WAYS TO Calm Anxiety REDUCE STRESS & Feel Happier

These alternative strategies could become key tools in your stress-reducing kit.

- HANNAH CHENOWETH and ASHLEY BREEDING

With the barrage of stressors we've all faced in the past few years, most of us will try just about anything to feel a little better, and conventional talk therapy and medications can be lifesavers. But they're not the only treatments that may help with depression, anxiety and trauma. Consider one of the five therapies here on top of what you're already doing to take good care of your mental health.

FLOTATION for Anxiety

It may sound like a sci-fi experience, but lying down in a lightproof, soundproof pool filled with 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts dissolved in just a foot of water may reduce anxiety.

HOW IT WORKS

You float effortlessly, thanks to very salty water, and likely slip into a meditative state because there are no outside stimuli such as noises or things to look at. "We harbor stress in our bodies, and within just 20 minutes of floating, there's a large drop in blood pressure and muscle tension plus improvements in heart-rate variability," says Justin Feinstein, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist and founder of the Float Research Collective at clinicalfloat.org.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS

One of Feinstein's published studies found significant reductions in anxiety from a one-hour float session among people with a range of anxiety and stress-related disorders, and the effects lasted more than 24 hours. "When you consider that some anxiety meds last only a few hours, it's remarkable," says Feinstein. "Research from other scientists backs up our findings."

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