Anxiety - the most common mental health issue

It’s normal to experience some anxiety from time to time, but what about when it takes over your life? This is a condition that is not visible but is definitely, by no means any less disabling. While there is a lot to consider with this condition I want to look at the steps you can make from a nutritional and lifestyle standpoint that may make a difference to you.

Anxiety is a normal response to stress or a dangerous situation; it’s there for a reason our cavemen ancestors used it as part of the ‘fight or flight’ response. Anxiety is the most common mental health condition. It only becomes problematic when it becomes persistent, causing a constant negative reaction to inappropriate circumstances. Over time this will negatively affect your quality of life.

What can cause anxiety?

Stress Traumatic life experiences Thyroid problems Excessive alcohol Caffeine or sugar intake hormone imbalance

Anxiety is generally characterized by excessive tension and worry, there are other factors that can come into play:

Muscle tension Heart palpitations High blood pressure Disrupted sleep pattern and insomnia Digestive issues Restlessness Difficulty in concentrating Inability to socialize

So if you are someone who experiences anxiety on a regular basis you will find this helpful.

Anxiety can affect people of all ages and it can last a lifetime, today the condition is even treated with conventional medicines. This is why we need natural remedies…

There are many natural remedies for anxiety that are safe and won’t cause any adverse reactions or side effects. By eating a well-balanced, nutrient dense diet that contains a good mix of B Vitamins, magnesium and Omega 3’s. Incorporating the use of essential oils has been shown to have an immediate effect on your energy levels, mood and even your sleep patterns.

A Good Diet

Eating a clean and well balanced diet can mean the difference between experiencing anxiety or not. A poor diet can lead to many anxiety symptoms including moodiness, fatigue, and abnormal blood sugar levels that can cause nervousness and the person can become jittery.

You will want to focus on anti-inflammatory foods, these are seen as a natural remedy because they are vital for neurotransmitters to combine and balance your mood and stress response. Be sure to add in healthy fats, unrefined carbs and lean protein. Ensuring you are in-taking plenty of B Vitamins can improve your anxiety symptoms, magnesium rich foods to relax you too.

Wild caught fish Lean Beef (pasture raised/grass fed) Organic chicken eggs yogurt and kefir leafy greens (the darker the better) fresh veggies fresh fruits healthy fats (think: avocado and coconut oil) nuts (almonds, cashews and walnuts) seeds (all seeds are great but my favorite are flax seeds, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds for salads) Unrefined grains (so no bread or cereals, think quinoa and barley)

You Will Want To Avoid Processed Foods

Too much sugar and refined carbs can give you blood sugar highs and lows throughout the day, this can increase anxiety, fatigue and nervousness. It’s important to note that these foods can cause mood swings, mess with your energy levels making getting your anxiety under control a difficult task.

Limit Caffeine and Alcohol

Too much of these (caffeine and alcohol) increased anxiety symptoms like nervousness and the jitters. A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that not consuming alcohol at all was associated to a much lower risk of anxiety. Similarly, too much caffeine can induce the symptoms of anxiety; it’s wise to limit your intake of coffee or tea to one cup per day.

Essential Oils

Essential oils can have a really positive affect on anxiety symptoms, there’s a whole world of essential oils out there that I’m only starting to learn about now, however I’ve been using lavender oil for a while now and I have found my sleep quality has greatly improved since incorporating it. Chamomile is a great oil to start with.

Lifestyle Factors

Physical activity is always a good thing to have in your day to day life, but it’s even more true to those who suffer from anxiety, see there is a lot of trapped energy there and exercise, even a walk in the park, is a fantastic way for you to release that energy, you will find any jitteriness or nervousness you experience will be notably less.

Get enough rest, this is vital. And a good way to ensure that you are getting your 7-8 hours is having good sleep hygiene (there’ll be a new post on this soon). In a nut shell, sleep hygiene is a routine that you develop that sends the message to the body (and mind) that it’s time to wind down and this makes falling asleep and staying asleep a lot easier.

Find someone you can talk to, they don’t need to know everything there is to know about the condition, they don’t even need to be going through it. Just having someone to talk to can ease that tension and worry. A problem shared is a problem halved.

Supplements

Adaptogens are fantastic for helping you deal with stresses, Ashwagandha is among the best you can get, this herb helps to stabilize the body’s response to stress. Not only is it a stress reliever it can actually help to protect the brain from degeneration. It also works to improve anxiety symptoms by destroying free radicals that can cause damage to the brain and body from the stress. It’s also been shown to improve focus and attention and can reduce fatigue. There are multiple other adaptogens out there, another good one is Siberian Ginseng.

Other supplements that help are Magnesium, Vitamin B Complex.

Meditation

I’ve left this to last as I’m aware it’s still rather a niche thing, though more and more people are trying it and finding out just how fantastic it really is. Mindfulness meditation has a beneficial effect on symptoms and it improves how you react to stress.

Disclaimer

If you choose to try any of these natural remedies be sure to do so under the guidance of your doctor. And make sure that your doctor knows any other medications you may be taking.

This information is not intended for treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment or advice. Please seek a licensed medical practitioner if you believe you are affected by anything mentioned in this post