Let’s talk about anxiety

What is it

• Anxiety may be defined as physical and emotional distress signals that present themselves as persistent, excessive, or routinely triggered attacks that may come from long stressful periods and adrenal fatigue.

Symptoms 

Psychological manifestations

• Panicky/trouble breathing
• Pounding heart
• Trouble sleeping
• Feelings of dread
• Constant worry
• Irritability

Physical manifestations

• Sweating 
• Upset stomach 
• Dizziness
• Muscle tension 
• Headaches 
• Shaking

Types of anxiety 

• Social anxiety – probably the most common one is having overwhelming worry and being self-conscious with daily social situations
• Grief induced anxiety – triggered by the traumatic loss of a loved one
• Phobias – they are characterized by intense fear of certain situations or things, insects, shapes, the ocean…
• Generalized anxiety – comes from excess worrying and manifests itself in physical symptoms such as dizziness or muscle tension
• Panic attacks – unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress
• Hormonal imbalances – hormones are our body’s chemical messengers that send signals to different parts of our body and are responsible for regulating our growth and development. While both men and women can experience hormone induced anxiety, women are at a higher risk of developing anxiety disorders during different phases of their reproductive lives where hormones fluctuate drastically. It’s important to understand the different types of hormones that can affect your mood and stress response .i.e. sex hormones, stress hormones, thyroid hormones, and oxytocin
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts, obsessions and/or repetitive behaviours

What happens to your body when you experience anxiety 

Increased anxiety levels over long periods of time starts to affect your body producing the stress hormone cortisol which raises your blood pressure, and over time leads to a number of health complications.

1. Gut issues, this ones probably the easiest one to identify – struggle digesting food, acid reflux, difficulty digesting food, constipation, decreased mineral and vitamin absorption, increased inflammation.
2. It affects your cycle health, your period largely relies on happy cortisol levels for the production of progesterone (hormone responsible for maintaining pregnancy).
3. Increase in anxiety also means blood sugar imbalance. During an anxiety attack, your body is in fight or flight mode which leads to insulin spikes. Over a long period of time, this will leads to insulin resistance by the body and eventually you might start to suffer from fatigue, low energy, increased hunger or even wild sugar cravings.
4. Insomnia – usually a direct result of increased or imbalance cortisol levels at night. If your cortisol is high at night, you probably spend most nights counting sheep. 
5. Brain fog and forgetfulness

Treating Anxiety

There are various of ways to treat anxiety; including but not limited to medications, therapy, and lifestyle changes. Today, I want to talk about how lifestyle changes and specifically to your diet can help when you are feeling anxious

• In tea we trust – chamomile, mint, lavender teas have natural relieving properties that help aid in reducing psychological and physical stresses. Also there’s something therapeutic about placing a warm cup of tea between your hands that helps calm your nerves.
• Healthy fats such as avocados, salmon – good omega 3 consumption means increased optimal neurotransmitter production of serotonin and dopamine.
• Probiotics – they are beneficial in reducing depressive symptoms, and reducing negative mood responses. This is due to the connection between the gut and brain, through the vagus nerve. When the gut is in distress, it can send signals to the brain which evoke stress, anxiety, or depression. Therefore increase your yoghurt intake or get some supplements.
• Greens, greens, greens – leafy greens are packed with calcium and magnesium. Calcium is a neurotransmitter which can help in reducing stress and anxiety.
• Vitamin C – a water-soluble vitamin that’s considered a nutrient for stress. Consume more fruits and veggies that are packed with antioxidants such as oranges, berries, watermelons.
• Nuts – almonds are rich in magnesium which helps lower anxiety, prevent headaches, balance blood sugar, and ease the stress response.
• Magnesium – is considered a calming and relaxing mineral. 70% dark chocolate is something you should always have in your pantry to snack on whenever you feel some type of way.

Let me know what you find helpful (: