I'm healthy, exercise nearly ever day. I avoid eating several hours before bedtime.
I was diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder) but I don't take any meds. I'm slowly coming to the realization that my baseline anxiety level is way higher than of the average person. For no apparent reason.
It's frustrating but I'm trying my best to figure out a long term solution.
edit: grammar
One book that may be of interest to you:
Born Anxious, by Daniel P. Keating: discusses epigenetics and how methylation can predispose certain individuals to higher baseline levels of stress and anxiety.
Other books which may not be revelant to you, but would perhaps be of interest to others reading these comments:
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk: Talks about the imprints trauma leaves on the mind and the body, and shines a light on how ineffective and misguided many of the mainstream, frontline treatments offered to people with histories of trauma are. (Just because you don't meet the criteria for PTSD, doesn't mean you haven't experienced some form of trauma.)
Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve, by Stanley Rosenberg: I haven't finished this one yet, but it discusses the three fight/flight, social engagement, and freeze/depression states of the nervous system, as described in the Polyvagal Theory put forward by Stephen Porges. I've been told by a clinician with a career in working with trauma survivors that the Polyvagal Theory is a key piece of the puzzle in treating trauma. Even if you're not dealing with the effects of trauma, I think you may still find this book interesting, as it describes how we can get locked into states of anxiety one the one hand, or lethargy on the other, finding it difficult to simply relax and be present for our lives.
Author Gabor Maté - I'm not sure if he has any books concentrating specifically on anxiety, but his work seems interesting. Episode 1869 of The Joe Rogan Experience, where he was the guest, was quite illuminating.
Molecules of Emotion, by Candace B. Pert: I haven't started this one yet, but it talks about how the body and mind/brain/nervous system aren't as separate as many of us may like to think. It sounds interesting.
Some lifestyle changes that may help with anxiety and other mental health conditions, including depression: (completely anecdotal, I am not a doctor, etc.)
* Regular, vigorous aerobic exercise, e.g. running five kilometres three times per week. Can't run five kilometres? Check out 'Couch to 5K.' I find that vigorous exercise seems to help 'burn off' anxiety and stress and make it easier to relax. (as recommended by Keating in Born Anxious.) Additionally, depression often goes hand-in-hand with anxiety, and "the efficacy of exercise in decreasing symptoms of depression has been well established." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/)
* Yoga: teaches one to listen to and befriend one's body. When one is constantly anxious and on alert, the body can tend to be constantly tense, ready for action.
* Diet: the so-called Mediterranean diet seems to be quite healthy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7536728/ I'm not sure if eating healthy has been shown to help with anxiety, but can it really hurt?
Yet your attitude is entirely typical of most people: you seem to assume that children one year of age who are screamed at by a psychotic mother have the capacity to think about all the wise things the Buddha and Marcus Aurelius said and how best to respond to the situation, so that they can learn from it and become as sage and wise as someone like yourself.
This is simply not the case. Very young humans are literally dependent on the people around them for their survival. They are not capable of complex, abstract reasoning. When Mom screams her head off at a one-year-old baby, that baby is not able to think that maybe Mom is screaming because she has borderline personality disorder, a terrible marriage and a very demanding boss; the baby assumes he's being screamed at because he is at fault. The bodies and nervous systems of young humans assume that early life experiences are a good representation of how the world really is, that the people around us in those very formative years are good representations of how people are.
Significant early-life adversity causes lasting physical changes to the brain, as well as lasting epigenetic changes (changes in the expression of the genes) which affect many (all?) parts of the organism. If you care to learn about this, look into books by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Gabor Mate, the "ACE" study which I believe another commenter mentioned, as well as "Born Anxious" by Daniel P. Keating. Or, feel free to continue trotting around on your high horse, assuming the addicts and mentally ill of the world are just people with a lack of willpower and initiative. Not everyone is as blessed as you are, please remember that.