Anxiety Self Help:
How Can My Diet Effect My Anxiety?
Among the many ideas for anxiety self help, adjustments in diet in exercise are the least expensive and can be started right away.
I have found that watching my diet is extremely important in helping my anxiety disorder.
First of all, one of the big things for anxiety self help is to avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant, makes the heart race, gives you that extra boost in the morning with your coffee. Well, that extra boost is called adrenaline and it is what an anxiety disorder feeds on.
Stimulants
Stimulants keep the body in a heightened agitated state and even when there is no stress present, it mimics a stress response. This is the case with caffeine and refined sugar.
Some of the main foods that contain caffeine are coffee, chocolate, tea and dark sodas. And if you check the nutrition information, some herbal teas even have caffeine. There are multivitamins that are marketed as "energy boosters" or "for active adults" and they may contain caffeine also.
Some of the main foods that contain refined sugar are obvious: sweets, candy, cakes, candy bars, sodas, etc. Sugar gives you that rush of energy called a "sugar high" that is followed by a crash in the blood sugar. That's why it makes kids really hyperactive, then they crash and want to take a nap.
Neither of these responses is what you want if you have an anxiety disorder.
Processed foods are also bad for anxiety because they don't contain the natural ingredients your body needs to fight stress. So, eating whole foods is definitely recommended if you have an anxiety disorder.
When you watch what you eat, you may be surprised how your body rewards you.
If you get the nutrients and vitamins you need, the brain works much better. Your brain is like a machine and as a machine needs lubricant to function properly, your brain needs the proper nutrients and vitamins to function properly.
Some anxiety self help suggestions for a healthy diet include:
* Whole grains, wheat and oats, instead of starchy foods
* Several fruits and vegetables daily
* Lean meats instead of fatty meats
* Non-caffeinated herbal teas or natural vegetable and fruit juices instead of soda
* Drinking plenty of water throughout the day
* And instead of using alcohol to relax the nerves, try a calming tea. We all know the dangers when working or driving under the influence of alcohol.
Whole grains are very beneficial because you keep your blood sugar steady and don't have the sugar high and the crash afterward. This not only physically wears you out, but it's emotionally draining as well.
Water is extremely important because dehydration just adds more stress to the body that you don't need.
It is unrealistic to think we will ALWAYS get the vitamins we want because we lead such busy lives. So I recommend taking a multivitamin supplement to help out.
Some clinicians have a suggestion for anxiety self help: Don't eat or drink anything that is brown in color(such as chocolate, red meat, soda, coffee, red wine, tea, etc.) I have personally not tried this suggestion, but I feel it is worth mentioning nonetheless.
We normally relate having a healthy diet to weight loss but it also helps a great deal with controlling our anxiety levels.
When we give our bodies good healthy food instead of junk food or processed food, it responds very well. It turns on it's own anxiety-fighting abilities.
So, these are only a few suggestions with regards to diet. I certainly hope this information has been helpful to you in learning to get your anxiety under control.
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