Stress and Anxiety

I recently went through a time of acute anxiety which was confusing and very scary. The reason it was confusing was because I had no real reason to be anxious, however it was there and it was very real. My heart would start to race and I’d become extremely anxious about something quite trivial, to the point of tears at times. After a few days of feeling sorry for myself and struggling on I thankfully had one logical thought “I’m going to try as many things that I know help with stress and anxiety and see how I go”.


It literally came down to making a list of things that are proven to reduce stress and anxiety. And because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only who suffers from stress or anxiety I’m going to share that list here.


Meditation, Breathing and Mindfulness
Whether you refer to it as meditation or mindfulness, focusing on the breath for as little as 10 minutes a day can help calm the body drastically. Meditation, mindfulness and other breathing techniques have been proven to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm the sympathetic nervous system. We live in a world that is constantly stimulating our sympathetic nervous system so it is important to make time to counteract that and just breathe………….


Exercise
Especially exercise such as Yoga, like meditation, can help to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system therefore creating calm in the body and mind. Exercise also boosts endorphins, the brain’s feel good neurotransmitters.


Maintain a good sleep routine
Ironically stress can impact the quality of your sleep. Yet more so inadequate sleep has a massive impact on your mental health. When you get a good night’s sleep your body produces neurotransmitters which help you to be alert and happy through the day. During the day your body is producing neurotransmitters such as Melatonin and Tryptophan for a beautiful night’s sleep. If we break this cycle by having poor sleep hygiene and getting a poor night’s sleep then it can be a downward spiral that can lead to feeling pretty low during the day. People in general need to realise that just because we CAN be awake and doing things 24/7 doesn’t mean it is good for us.


Quit or reduce alcohol consumption
Alcohol is a proven depressant, but what a lot of people don’t know is that it can also make your anxiety a lot worse. Most of us drink alcohol for it’s temporary relaxing “properties” but if you notice that your anxiety is worse afterwards it’s time to cut down.


Reduce caffeine consumption
Coffee stimulates your adrenal glands. When your adrenal glands are stimulated it gives your body and mind the feeling of excitement, agitation, irritability or anxiety. Constantly overstimulating your adrenals will lead to long term anxiety and possibly adrenal fatigue. If coffee makes you anxious switch to your favourite tea. I am a huge coffee fan but when it gets a bit much I switch to Chai tea.


Eat regularly and maintain healthy blood sugar
Hangry? When you don’t eat (healthy) regular meals your blood sugar drops. When your blood sugar drops your body produces adrenalin to keep you going. When your adrenalin is pumping you feel anxious…..simple.


Don’t believe the hype
I see a lot of people that want to take as many supplements as possible to assist with their anxiety. This is a form of anxiety in itself, that the more supplements you take the better you will feel. This is simply not the case. Find a health practitioner who can help you find what will work for you. When we overcomplicate by buying into marketing of supplements it just creates confusion, more anxiety and a lot of expensive wee.


As I’ve said before everyone is different. Find out what works for you and put it in to practice. And don’t forget to Breathe……..