We are all effected differently when it comes to anxiety, what causes you anxiety might not worry someone else in the slightest. Often if we don’t speak up, those around us won’t know that we are feeling anxious, and will be completely unaware of how their actions or the situation is making us feel. Over the years I have really had to push myself and learn to say no to situations that I know would cause me to feel anxious.
The main signs you would commonly experience when suffering from anxiety are - uneasiness, worry, nervousness restlessness, irritability and stress. We all feel like this from time to time, but thankfully that feeling usually passes. For some people though it can be a more persistent, more uncontrollable feeling of the above signs that doesn't go away. It can be constant or come and go, it can last anywhere from minutes to months to even years! Chronic anxiety can have a knock-on effect on all areas of our life. It can make you less productive at work/home, restless at night, unsociable, not wanting to exercise, moody and put pressure on your relationships. When we are feeling all of the above, not only is our mental health impacted, but our physical health too. Long-term anxiety can have a huge impact on your health - when we aren’t getting adequate rest, nutrients, and exercise we become more susceptible to illness. It’s a vicious circle and can lead to depression and other illnesses caused by not following a healthy lifestyle. Until we learn how to deal with what is causing the anxiety it will keep causing havoc with both mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Our nutrition can have an effect on our anxiety levels too - A poor diet where you are eating a lot of processed, high sugar and fried foods and not getting a good balance of vitamins and minerals regularly can increase your risk of anxiety. And unfortunately if you are suffering from anxiety you will need to limit you caffeine and alcohol intake too. Drinking coffee and alcohol can make the symptoms of anxiety worse as they act as stimulants, which increase the feeling of all the symptoms that you would most commonly get with anxiety. Lifestyle choices that can raise the risk of anxiety are constantly checking your phone, not getting adequate amount of sleep, not exercising regularly, and having a stressful job.
Following a dietary plan that is simple and easy to follow is important for someone who is suffering from anxiety. Concentrating on wholesome unprocessed foods that are nutrient dense and not on specific calories or macronutrients. The goal would be to slowly increase the healthy dietary habits over time rather than over stress the person which could possibly trigger more anxiety.
If you are struggling with anxiety, speak to someone you feel comfortable sharing with. Learn what triggers your anxiety and how to either avoid it or find a solution to it
