Anxiety is multi-faceted, involving both hormonal and metabolic imbalances. But here are some changes you can make to your diet to ease your symptoms and help you feel more in control. (They however do not replace professional help, they only play part of the role).
* Skip the Alcohol – in the short term it can make you feel calm, but once the effect wears off it will only disturb your blood sugar and you’re more likely to worsen your anxiety symptoms.
* Reduce any caffeine – caffeine can increase nervousness and contribute to panic attacks – its the same with fizzy drinks, and some sports supplements too.
* Increase your protein – amino acids are the building blocks of neurotransmitters and are high in protein foods. So a diet low in amino acids could increase your symptoms.
* Increase your magnesium – magnesium deficiency has been linked to anxiety disorders, so try nuts, seeds, and spinach.
* Add Selenium – research suggests selenium can improve mood and reduce anxiety. Try salmon, sardines, Brazil nuts.
* Replace one cup of tea each day with a herbal drink, such as chamomile or lemon balm.
* Choose oily fish – now how many times have we heard this? If you’re vegan or vegetarian, choose walnuts, pumpkin seeds and tofu.
* Use mindfulness as you eat – noticing what you eat and really tasting it usually means eating slower. This can have a positive impact on our breathing, our digestion and our mood, both in the moment and in the longer term.
When I meet my business colleagues, a common question we all ask each other is, “How are you, are you busy?” The answer we always hope we can give and hear is “Oh yes, so busy at the moment”. And of course that’s how we should be in business, no-one wants a quiet business. When I meet my friends and family, I often get the same answer and I used to tell them the same, ” I have so much work at the moment, or, its a busy time at work” and so on. It’s as though we’ve programmed ourselves to rush around, without any spare time, filling every moment with busy-ness and developing relationships with technology, rather than, enjoying the calmness of nature, the pleasure of watching life around us, appreciating our differences and simply just ‘being you’.
I hear so many people who are tired and frustrated, overwhelmed and discouraged with a long list of obligations, tight deadlines, things to do, not sleeping well and with deteriorating physical and mental health. Sadly, they keep living this wild, unhealthy life as they don’t feel they have the choice to do anything different.
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Take a real break this summer
With summer holidays fast approaching, how much do you really switch off when you go away on holiday?
Depending on the nature of your work you may be able to switch off very easily and leave all your work behind which others can deal with whilst you’re away, and genuinely relax and recharge your batteries.
However, there are many who do struggle to switch off.
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What do food cravings mean?
Our relationship with food is complicated at best, but it is one that is key to understanding both our emotions and mental states. It’s really quite enlightening to observe your eating habits and desires or to become more mindful and stop before you eat something.
Question why you want something, what it will give you and what need it will fulfil?
One study shows the significant role of emotions in food consumption. The results showed participants felt contented after eating a high fat, high energy food, whereas with a low carbohydrate meal, participants felt unfulfilled.
Intuitively, the body knows that certain foods will alter the brain chemicals or blood pressure.
If your emotional issues remain unaddressed, your food craving will remain constant. If your emotional issues change, so will your food cravings.
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The impact of conflict can run deep and can change the state of our mental and physical health. Anger resides in the body, increasing heart rate and blood pressure as well as compromising the immune system’s ability to function effectively. Holding onto negative thoughts and feelings limit our ability to enjoy our day to day life. Thoughts of the original conflict ruminate and escalate and relationships are impacted causing more dis-satisfaction and inner pain.
Thankfully our ability to forgive works wonders for our well-being, reducing stress and anger, boosting the ability to feel more optimistic and satisfied with your life as a whole. Unfortunately, the tendency to dwell or let go of unpleasant conversation or personal criticism is difficult and the pain of the conflict dominates. Whether the hurt happened a moment or a decade ago, intentional or not, its normal to feel heavy-hearted and angry, yet the next step is crucial. If letting go feels a weakness, the mind thrashes between forgiving, forgetting, avoiding it completely or going over every detail, over and over again. If the culprit was you, shame and blame add another dimension creating more confusion and complexity.
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