Do you struggle with anxiety? There is no need to suffer. There is a lot you can do to support your body.
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I know how horrible anxiety can feel. I definitely felt anxious numerous times in the last year.
Everyone is different, but the following 3 simple hacks have helped my clients and me to lower feelings of anxiety.
So, until you have recovered and feel more stable and happier again, do the following:
1. Stabilise your blood sugar throughout the day.
When you are on a blood sugar roller coaster it can have a massive impact on our emotional state. Just doing this can already make a huge difference! How do you do that?
The following are just a few examples:
- Start your day with a breakfast that has protein and fats in as well – such as scrambled eggs with avocado on sourdough toast – if you have just jam on toast for example or sugary cereal, you will be hungry again half an hour later, because those are high in carbohydrates, which are digested very quickly. Protein and fats keep you fuller for longer and keep you more stable. And have the breakfast within an hour of getting up.
- Reduce things that stimulate, because shortly after you’ve consumed those, your blood sugar crashes and sends you on the roller coaster. So, reduce coffee, alcohol, sugar, sugary fizzy drinks and foods high in refined carbs like cake and pizza. I am not saying cut them out completely but reduce them until you feel calmer and more collected. I cut out coffee completely and I felt so much better within a couple of days! But remember, don’t go cold turkey, reduce the coffee slowly, otherwise you could get headaches.
Please click HERE for a previous video with more details on blood sugar balancing.
2. Magnesium!
It is also called nature’s tranquiliser and it gets depleted quite quickly when we are stressed! Make sure you eat more of the foods that contain magnesium, such as dark green leafy veg, nuts, seeds, meat, seafood, whole grains like brown rice. You can also take a magnesium supplement, but I would advise you to consult a health professional first, especially if you are on any medication.
3. Do things that stimulate your vagus nerve naturally
You might have heard of this nerve – it connects your brain with many important organs. It is part of the “rest and digest” element of the nervous system. So, you definitely want to stimulate this one when you are in “fight and flight” mode and anxious. Training this vagus nerve means your body can relax faster after stress.
You can stimulate the vagus nerve by:
- Deep and slow breathing. I find that most of us tend to breathe in a shallow way. Remind yourself by adding an alarm on your phone a couple of times a day to take some deep breaths, make sure that your stomach expands and then exhale long and slow. You can use this example, breathe in on the count of 3, hold for 4 and breathe out on the count of 5.
- Cold showers. Try finishing your next shower with around 30 seconds of cold water and see how you feel.
- Singing, humming and gargling. If you are not someone who sings under the shower or in a choir, try gargling. This has helped me a lot. I gargle every time after brushing my teeth for about a minute with water. Remember to breathe in between. I tend to gargle for around 7 seconds, spit out the water, breathe and gargle with another sip of water.
The key to understand is that you can send a message to your body that it is time to relax by stimulating your vagus nerve.
Let me know if you give any of the suggestions in this article a go and how much it helped you to be calm, collected and better equipped to cope with stress.
There are many more things you can do to overcome anxiety. If you want to discuss your health situation, book a free 30 minute call with me and I can find out more about you and your symptoms and how I can be of help.
I am looking forward to speaking with you!
With best wishes from the heart,
Sabine x
Main photo by Uday Mittal on Unsplash
(The information presented in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or doctor or other health care professional).
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