Anxiety is a natural part of life; it motivates you and helps you be more prepared and aware. Although it’s often beneficial, it sometimes snowballs out of control and makes life a lot more complicated than it should be.
In today’s modern society, an increasing number of people face anxiety-related problems at some point in their lives. While the general symptoms of anxiety include feeling nervous and restless, breathing rapidly, sweating, trembling, etc., they can sometimes spiral out of control and cause a full-on anxiety attack.
If you too are having trouble dealing with anxiety, implementing a few daily habits can massively improve your lifestyle.
Watch Your Diet
What to Eat
“You are what you eat” applies to more areas of life than you would imagine. As scientists discover more about the “gut-brain connection”, they prove just how much your diet impacts your well-being and mental state. Studies show that filling up on certain foods can help you reduce your anxiety in a healthy way. So, next time when you’re preparing a meal, consider including the following foods:
- Leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains – packed with magnesium.
- Oysters, liver, and egg yolks – contain zinc.
- Salmon – rich in Omega-3 acids.
- Turkey – contains the amino acid tryptophan, which helps to regulate your mood.
- Fruits, veggies, and spices that are high in antioxidants, such as berries, apples, prunes, cherries, plums, broccoli, beets, ginger, and turmeric. Researchers often correlate anxiety with lower levels of antioxidants, so upping your levels through the food you consume can help naturally improve your mental state.
What NOT to Eat
On the other hand, certain foods can trigger anxiety. If you’re trying to eat healthily, but still find yourself as anxious as ever, try cutting off some of these common intruders:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Added sugars – There’s no way to completely cut off sugar from your diet, but there are ways to reduce your intake. You can start by carefully reading the labels of the products that you buy, and swapping your regular sugar with a natural sweetener, such as stevia.
- Refined carbs – This section includes foods like white bread, white rice, pastries, sodas, pasta, cereals, and processed meals.
Consider the Help of Supplements
Scientists suggest that certain nutrients can have an impact on reducing your anxiety when taken as a health supplement. Although they’re already present in a lot of the foods that you eat, you can only find them in limited quantities that aren’t enough to reach your daily needs.
When it comes to health products supplements for anxiety relief are among the most popular in the wellness world. They help you stack up on beneficial nutrients that help you focus and calm your mind. Some of these are the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and omega-3s. These ingredients are shown to relieve nervous tension, support the production of energy in your body and support a healthy nervous system. This will give you the calmness you need to focus on your daily tasks and carry them out efficiently.
The anxiety relief supplement products come in several forms, so you can choose the one that’s most suitable for you. Although tablets and capsules are common and efficient ways of taking these essential nutrients, some people find it difficult to swallow them. If you have difficulty with these supplements, the oral sprays designed for relieving stress and anxiety are a better choice for you. These products contain a range of herbs that help to calm your mind and soothe your nerves:
- Bottlebrush – this Australian flower is widely known for the benefits it provides to the human body. The bottlebrush has calming and cleansing properties. It was traditionally used for relieving problems with the digestive and urinary tract and has a soothing effect on the nervous system.
- Boronia is another Australian native that combats anxiety – especially good for those prone to obsessive thinking.
- Crowea – has a ‘balancing’ effect on your body and feelings.
- Angel sword – people believe this flower to have almost magical properties. It’s rumoured to promote well-being and keep negative energies at bay.
Take Up a Hobby
Anxiety disorders tend to make you feel there’s impending doom and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Your brain is constantly trying to convince you that something awful is going to happen while providing no proof for it. In these moments, it’s good to redirect your train of thought by focusing on something else. Indulging in a hobby is a fun and beneficial way of achieving this. A hobby is a good choice of activity to soothe an overactive mind and relieve anxiety. Keep in mind that what works for your friend might not always be your ‘cup of tea’, so you should explore different hobbies and find out what works best for you.
If you’re short on ideas, here are some suggestions that you can try:
- Exercise – I’m sure you know that there are numerous benefits that come from exercising. This activity is also beneficial for relieving anxiety. Exercising helps to burn off excess energy and release endorphins in your body. This makes you feel much better and soothes your anxiety.
- Crafts – This is a category that includes many things, such as drawing, painting, candle-making, etc. These activities help you to express emotions and create rewarding pieces.
- Animals – Caring for a pet is beneficial for your mental health. Playing with an animal increases the levels of oxytocin (stress-reducing hormone) and lowers the levels of cortisol (stress hormone), which naturally makes you feel better.
When to Seek Professional Help for Anxiety?
As irritating as it is – mild anxiety symptoms are nothing to worry about. Everyone experiences these uncomfortable symptoms at certain moments. The real problem arises when anxiety starts to cause more serious problems in your day-to-day life, such as:
- Interfering in your relationships.
- Creating persistent sleep issues.
- Making it difficult to concentrate on tasks.
- Prevents you from doing things you enjoy.
- Creates a feeling of self-loathing or worthlessness.
- Urges you to isolate yourself from others.
When health products supplements and diet changes don’t seem to be effective enough, it’s best to reach out to a professional. A mental health provider will examine you and prescribe the ideal therapy and medication option to make you feel good as new once again.
