Anxiety Sucks!
This is such a personal topic for me! I’m forever shocked when someone says ‘oh wow! I didn’t pick that’. I think I wear it on my sleeve but like so many other anxiety sufferers I have learnt to hide it and hide it well!
In clinic I see a lot of anxiety suffers. There’s the life-long sufferers who have a low level of anxiety generally which kicks off into acute anxiety when things get a bit out of control. It’s then the regular anxiety attacks and sleepless nights hit. On an average day they use the anxiety to keep going, just that one step ahead. Very often they seem successful and totally in control- don’t judge a book by it’s cover. One loose shingle and we’re gone!
And then there are those who are normally chill but life has dealt them some really nasty blows and here they are! Anxiety attacks, sleepless nights and so one. The acute phase is the same either way just the life-long suffers take less time to get there as they operate in that elevated state anyway.
What to do! I look at three main areas but there is way more that can be done but it’s really individual!
Food
is a huge area we use to help anxiety. These are some super simple ideas.
Eat regularly. Yes, intermittent fasting works for a lot of people and it has it’s bonuses but it’s not necessarily the best in the acute phase of anxiety or even for life-long anxiety sufferers. It can make the body feel like it’s in survival mode meaning cortisol levels go up and that’s not great for anxiety as it’s already high with anxiety. Cortisol can also cause weight gain....anyone else gain weight when they're stressed?
Eat more good fats. Good fats re really soothing for the nervous system and also keep us full for longer meaning we don’t get the highs and lows that something like sugar does. Good fats include oily fish, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.
Oats for breakfast works really well as oats have tryptophan that converts to serotonin the feel good hormone! Start the day with oats.
Ditch the sugar and the caffeine! Anxiety sufferers have enough energy surges with out the stimulants. Aim to keep energy levels even with meals packed with protein and good fats.
Exercise
Exercise is essential for good mental health. It is brilliant for anxiety as it aids sleep, circulation and gives you time to think.
Yoga, walking, swimming, Qi Gong, TaiChi and pilates are great activities! Outside gets bonus points. Ditch the idea of running if you're not a runner already as it has the same cortisol effect as skipping meals. If you’re a runner, I know it feels good but just check in with yourself if it's helping or hindering- it can go either way for someone who is a runner.
If you plug into a pod cast to walk DON’T! Try listening to music or even nothing to give your thoughts time to settle and defrag (ooooohhhhh….do computers even do that anymore?)
Meditation (kind of)
Consistently I hear ‘I can’t meditate. I can’t sit still long enough’. Sitting with our own thoughts isn’t always the easiest but consider different kinds. Mindfulness meditation may not work for you but transcendental might. There's definitely more than one to try! The benefits for anxiety sufferers are enormous with reports of more mental clarity, ability to deal with daily tasks more calmly as well as calamities are all reported benefits.
If it really is too much no worries! You need to work where you’re at! When things start to spin out of control take a meditation method of lying comfortably and relaxing your feet, feeling them sink into the floor, then calves, thighs and work your way slowly up the body going through all the parts of the face separately. Just a few minutes and it make a big difference.
Even just standing in bare feet and feeling the solid plant of your feet and imagining a string pulling you up from the crown of your head will help.
And last, how could I leave you without a homeopathic?!
Aconite is the best known of the traditionally used anxiety remedies. It’s in every homeopathic first aid kit I’ve ever seen. It’s an acute remedy for an anxiety type attack with a hard and fast beating heart, fear, lots of fear and you may feel like you are dying (super important to seek help with these kind of attacks as it’s too easy to mistake a more serious condition for anxiety). It will come on suddenly and likely leave suddenly.
Disclaimer: Homeopathy is a traditional medicine.The TGA considers Homeopathy a low risk medicine. It may be used in conjunction with other medicines. For any ongoing chronic condition, it is important to be assessed or examined by your healthcare professional or specialist.
Information given here is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. Any examples given from the authors life do not indicate that the remedy in question will work for everyone in every instance. They are used solely to illustrate the use the medicine in a practical situation.
Information is generally in nature and nothing said on this website is intended as a diagnosis and should not be taken as such.
Always seek medical advice in emergencies.
