According to a 2022 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience symptoms of anxiety or depression, affecting roughly 18–21% of the population (National Health Statistics Reports No. 213).
These conditions don’t just affect mental health; they often show up as both emotional and physical symptoms, including:
- Feeling restless, “on edge,” or tense
- Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
- Irritability
- Increased heart rate or palpitations
- Muscle tension
- Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- Persistent sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities (anhedonia)
- Changes in appetite (weight loss or gain)
- Fatigue or low energy
- Withdrawal from social activities
For many people, the typical response to these symptoms is to visit a primary care provider or psychiatrist, where treatment often includes medication to manage symptoms. While this approach can provide relief, it often focuses on symptom management rather than addressing underlying causes.
Traditional models have suggested that anxiety and depression are primarily caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, particularly involving neurotransmitters related to mood and stress. However, newer perspectives in health and neuroscience are expanding this view, recognizing that the nervous system, chronic stress, the environment, and lifestyle factors all play significant roles.
As holistic practitioners, this opens the door to a different question: What if anxiety and depression are not just chemical issues, but signals of deeper nervous system imbalance?
What’s Happening In The Brain
Your brain is designed to adapt to its environment, constantly responding to emotional, chemical, and physical inputs. Over time, repeated experiences shape how the brain functions, influencing patterns that can contribute to anxiety and depression symptoms.
This adaptive ability is known as neuroplasticity, the brain’s capacity to form and reorganize neural pathways through repeated activity. According to the Society for Neuroscience, neuroplasticity allows the brain to strengthen frequently used connections while weakening those that are used less often.
Because of this, consistent stress or negative inputs can reinforce unhelpful patterns in the nervous system. At the same time, this also means the brain is capable of forming healthier, more balanced responses when given the right inputs.
Understanding neuroplasticity highlights an important point: supporting the nervous system through consistent, healthy habits can play a role in improving anxiety and depression over time.
While these changes don’t happen overnight, natural approaches to anxiety and depression focus on creating repeated positive inputs that help guide the brain toward more stable and resilient patterns.
Strategies To Overcome Anxiety And Depression
It’s no surprise that many Americans report struggling with anxiety and depression symptoms. Modern lifestyles are often sedentary and fast-paced, with long work hours that limit time spent with friends and family, and time spent outdoors.
Research suggests that a large percentage of Americans spend one hour or less outside each day, with many getting even less exposure to natural environments. This trend is significant when considering the ongoing rise in mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.
Spending time outdoors plays an important role in supporting nervous system regulation. Natural light exposure helps regulate circadian rhythms, while time in nature has been linked to reduced stress and improved mood.
Additionally, sunlight is the body’s most natural source of vitamin D, a nutrient associated with mood regulation and overall mental well-being. Increasing daily time spent outdoors can be a simple, effective way to support mental health naturally.
Reducing screen time is also important for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms. While much of the conversation focuses on children, research shows that screen time also significantly impacts adult mental health, contributing to increased anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances.
Moreover, your diet plays the most impactful role on your mental health. Gut-brain health is important to take into consideration when you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, especially before taking medications that affect the gut microbiome.
Before going into one more sure way that you can create a safe environment for your nervous system to regulate, this is a summarized list of the ways that you can naturally relieve anxiety and depression:
- Regular movement/exercise
- Time outside in the sun
- Reduce screen time (replace scrolling with reading, silence, or prayer)
- Consume an organic, whole-food diet
Coming Out Of Survival Mode
Small lifestyle changes help create the foundation for healing, but their effectiveness often depends on one key factor: the health of your nervous system.
When the nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight, it can override even the best habits. The brain, focused on protection, may interpret calming activities as threats rather than signals of safety. That’s why anxiety and depression symptoms persist; they’re not failures, but protective responses.
While neuroplasticity means the brain can rewire, it must first feel safe enough to do so.
A neurological assessment can help identify whether your nervous system is stuck in stress patterns and what’s preventing real progress. From there, targeted care can guide your brain out of survival mode and into a state where healing is actually possible.
If you’re ready to move beyond managing symptoms and start addressing the root cause, schedule an assessment today.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2024). [Title of report] (National Health Statistics Reports No. 213). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr213.pdf
Society for Neuroscience. (2026, March 4). Neuroplasticity: The city within your brain. https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/brain-development/2026/neuroplasticity-the-city-within-your-brain-030426
Building H. (n.d.). A survey of modern life: Outdoor time. Medium. https://medium.com/building-h/a-survey-of-modern-life-outdoor-time-3a99d9fa3acb
Teychenne, M., Costigan, S. A., & Parker, K. (2015). The association between sedentary behaviour and risk of anxiety: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 15, 513. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1843-x
Harvard Health Publishing. (2015, August). Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626