If you suffer from anxiety or have times in your life when anxiety takes a hold on you, just know that more people than you realise are fighting your same battle. It can be one of the most loneliest things to have because those with it often suffer in silence but can appear so completely normal to others.
I want to share with you five tips that I know to be proven to help combat the feelings of anxiety. Far too many people are fighting this battle but don’t realise they can do anything to improve it. Remove gluten from your diet I cannot stress this enough. Anxiety is strongly linked to gut health and gluten is one of the biggest destroyers of your gut lining and for many people it causes huge digestive stress which leads directly to feelings of anxiety. Learn to meditate A big part of anxiety is the emotional and mental turmoil and constant chatter in your mind. It becomes overwhelming, especially when those thoughts are negative, and it sends your entire body into overdrive. Mediation is about stilling the mind and stopping that turmoil. Improve your gut health With the strong link to gut health and anxiety being now known, it is vital that your gut starts being looked after. Gluten, sugar and refined carbohydrates are your guts least wanted foods, and probiotics and fermented foods are your guts most wanted. Try having kombucha or kefir daily (start small and gradually build it up), along with fermented foods such as sauerkraut and pickles (in a salt brine not vinegar). Aim to have at least one, preferably two options each day. Magnesium This is a mineral that a huge number of people are severely deficient in. It is suspected to contribute to a lot of health issues, and none more than anxiety. Stress and magnesium are intrinsically linked – stress stops us being able to absorb nutrients properly, but magnesium is critical for stress management too. Because anxiety is a stress on your body, often people with anxiety are chronically deficient in magnesium. Add in as many of these foods every single day as you can:
Vitamin D There is new evidence out now showing a strong link between Vitamin D and the management of depression and anxiety. Fresh air and a healthy amount of sunshine makes a huge difference in managing anxiety. We need sunshine to be able to absorb Vitamin D properly, and with the amount of sun safe promoting out now, some people are actually not getting enough. There is a fine line between too much and not enough, but a healthy amount of sun exposure regularly is recommended, as well as having the following foods which contain Vitamin D (you need to combine these foods with sunshine however to ensure you get their benefits):
If your anxiety levels are still significant and are having a detrimental affect on your health and life, then please consult a professional for further advice and help, however for many people I know who suffer with anxiety, these five points have made a huge difference. Other points to consider are also to ensure you are getting enough exercise to boost your ‘feel-good’ hormones, learn to love yourself so you aren’t fighting a constant battle of not being good enough, ensure you get at least 7 hours of restful sleep each night, and create a peaceful living environment with no clutter and disorganisation.
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High stressful lifestyles have become the normality for many people these days and with our body’s wearing the brunt of physical, mental and psychological stress it’s no wonder many of us are simply not coping – but for many, we are oblivious to how our stress levels are actually affecting us.
There is a significant connection between stress and our health and wellbeing, especially weight gain, a reduced immune system and a reduced reproductive system, and the biggest two reasons responsible for this are Adrenalin and Cortisol – two stress response hormones created in our adrenal glands. Stress and the release of adrenalin and cortisol in our body is a necessary part of life in the short term and in small amounts – it’s what triggers our flight or fight response, it’s how we cope and deal with a stressful situation. However too many people are now living in a constant state of stress and are pumping out these hormones in high levels for long periods of time, and if you keep pushing your adrenal glands to produce more and more adrenalin and cortisol you will eventually reach a point of adrenal burnout where your adrenal glands stop producing or reduce the amount they produce. Once you reach this point you line your body up for a whole host of problems – weight gain, chronic fatigue, cold’s and flu’s included. If you are reading this and can see a possible link between yourself and the negative effects stress is having on your body, wellbeing and lifestyle, then I really do encourage you to spend some time working out a plan to better manage your stress levels. At the end of the day maybe those things stressing you out daily aren’t really worth the pressure. Find some perspective in your daily life by realising you are not super-human and can’t achieve more than your body physically, mentally and psychologically is capable of achieving. Above all else find some form of relaxation! Find something that relaxes your physical body and your mind each and every day…you are not ‘lazy’ if you do this…you are simply caring for your body and mind the very best you can. In the Body Essence Weight Loss Programme I spend a chapter showing you how stress effects your body, especially in regards to weight gain, and take you step-by-step through ways of making positive adjustments towards decreasing your stress levels to help promote weight loss. Have a wonderful day and remember you are amazing the way you are! Warmest regards, Kerri van de Loo |
Kerri van de Loo - Mindfulness coach, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach & SELF-LOVE COACH:Join our Online Wellness Club here: https://www.bodyessence.co.nz/wellness-club.html Categories
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