Overcoming anxiety
Anxiety is a normal response to stressful situations. The “fight and flight” reaction to extreme stresses is part of human evolution and survival. However prolonged, generalized anxiety in response to everyday stresses is not normal and can be very damaging. When anxiety is a regular part of your existence it can strongly interfere with your ability to live a full life.
Anxiety can encompass many psychological conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It may alternate with depression or be mistaken as stress. As anxiety is deeply rooted in our survival response causing our body to release various hormones including the ones that trigger adrenaline, it makes our mind whirr and muscles tense. The problem with anxiety, fear and stress is that the trigger may be seemingly innocuous – catching a train or going on holiday, making our every day life all about “survival”.
In a nutshell, anxiety is about not feeling safe in our world. This may relate to an event in childhood or later trauma. Sometimes anxiety is a learned behaviour when one or more parents/carers were fearful or anxious.
Although anxiety is a physical condition in some cases it can be seen as a way the psyche tries to keep us safe by stopping us from moving forward.
Recognising anxiety
As anxiety can mimic many things – a sore neck, irritable bowel syndrome, a headache, even a heart attack – sometimes it can be useful to answer a questionnaire to identify what is going on. The standard Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) (or a simplified online version), differentiates anxiety from depression and stress. Identifying your problem is often the first step to overcoming it.
Anxiety can also occur at times of hormonal change (e.g. puberty, PMS, menopause), or as a side effect of medication or other drugs.
Getting help
Anxiety can be crippling at times. If your anxiety or fears are stopping you from enjoying regular social gatherings, causing you to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, interfering with study or work or stopping your from fully engaging with life, then it is important to get the help of a registered psychologist (Australians may be able to access this at low cost through Medicare).
Naturopathy can work in conjunction with psychology to nourish an over-adrenalised nervous system, improve digestion and improve sleep.
Diet
What’s your poison?
Caffeine, especially coffee and energy drinks, triggers the same hormone pathways as anxiety, further depleting the nutrients your nervous system requires to function normally. A single cup of coffee, even hours away from bedtime, can also interfere with sleep, further exacerbating anxiety. Coming off caffeine is an important step in taking control of anxiety. If you are prone to headaches 1-2 cups of green tea may help ease the transition, the small amount of caffeine being a stepping stone from the larger doses in other beverages.
Some people use alcohol to relax, to bolster our nerves in social situations or even knocks us out to go to sleep. Although our muscles may initially feel less tense after a drink and may begin to quieten our mind, in fact alcohol ultimately has the opposite reaction – making us more tired and anxious the next day.
There are healthier alternatives to coffee and alcohol. Try a shot of bitter herbs (or simple lemon juice in warm water) to wake up in the morning or a peppermint tea to help us feel alert without adrenalised. To relax at the end of the day take a bath, or even a hot foot bath, play music that makes you feel good, go for a walk or drink a cup of chamomile tea.
Sugar can have a similar effect on some people to caffeine and alcohol. After eating refined carbohydrates such as sugar and flour there is a quick rise in the blood sugar that can give you an energy burst, in an anxious person this may trigger an uncomfortable feeling. As the sugar levels drop it can cause a physiological stress on the body and also trigger anxiety. It’s important to regularly eat slow carbohydrate foods, such as beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains as well as protein, to keep your blood sugar levels stable.
And also
Eat plenty of foods rich in magnesium and the B vitamins to replenish the nervous system such as beans, nuts, wholegrains, avocado and green vegetables. Stay hydrated with a minimum of 6-8 glasses of water every day.
Try following an anti-inflammatory diet to nourish your body.
Lifestyle
What makes you feel safe? Every day choose one simple, healthy pleasure to reconnect with a sense of safety and relaxation. Everyone’s list is different but consider playing the type of music that calms your heart rate, regular walks in natural landscapes such as in green parks or beside the sea, exercise every day, write in a journal, sing, talk to a friend who has a positive outlook on life, buy yourself some fragrant flowers, make your living space as harmonious and calming as possible.
Give yourself a break from things that reinforce your underlying belief that the world is not safe. Be selective about what you watch on television – the news, even current affairs programs, many dramas and films carry the subtle or not so subtle messages that the economy is about to crash and you’ll loose your house/job or people are out to hurt you or rip you off. A horror or action movie can trigger palpitations and stress hormones, while a funny one may have the opposite effect and release chemicals that help us relax and feel good.
A common symptom of anxiety is to daydream about catastrophes or personal disasters. Give yourself some time every day or week to create pleasant daydreams instead, use your imagination to create positive scenarios instead of anxiety-reinforcing mayhem.
Herbs
Changing your drinking habits by substituting anxiety provoking beverages with pleasant, calming herbal teas such as chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm or passionflower is a great way of accessing herbal medicines.
Most “nervine” herbs, such as the ones above, can make you feel relaxed. More targeted anxiolytic herbs include St Johns Wort and Kava, though neither should be taken with prescribed medication without consulting your health care provider.
For more information about naturopathic treatments for anxiety including herbs, flower essence and nutrition check out my earlier article on anxiety.
Need a hand to feel calmer. Gill is a naturopath and herbalist with decades of experience. In conjunction with an online consultation, tailor-made herbal prescriptions can be sent to your door throughout Australia. Why struggle alone?
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A listener shared her courageous story in the comments section of the promo.
Take a minute and read it. Good on you Tracey Rose!
https://gillstannard.com.au/2010/01/27/health-trip-3-february-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-446
Hey Gill – another great segment on the wireless.
I was, though, a little concerned about the discussion linking, or even translating, anxiety with anger. One the callers during the segment described past experiences that were making her angry, which is a valid response of course, but it could also be clouding a range of other emotions that might need to be addressed. I’m not suggesting your caller got it wrong, but others may need a different approach.
In our work with men who use violence we find that almost all of them will talk openly about being angry or ‘pissed off’, and maybe sometimes frustrated, sometimes depressed (this is often the diagnosis from one visit to a GP who hasn’t seen the patient in years, or ever), but more often than not there is little if any other language to describe their possible negative emotions. Women, it seems, are often much better at doing this. I don’t believe men are ‘hard wired’ to do this, but rather we are socialised in learning behaviours that are valued as traditionally masculine, but perhaps not always all that helpful.
Many men in Men’s Behaviour Change Programs display heightened anxiety, but will not call it that. They are just angry. Unpacking their situations a little provides some other insights, though.
Your article on anxiety from a couple of years ago touches on this, but I think it is vital that people do not consider anxiety as a singular and unconnected condition, but rather brought on by issues both known and unknown. Many men we work with have not had opportunities to consider a range of things going on for them that may be leading to the physical manifestations of anxiety, and it is these things that need to be addressed. In our case, it is the pointy end of the stick, with men using violence towards family members, but not necessarily making the connection with the flow on effects of that behaviour with the way they are feeling (guilt, remorse, self-hate, victimisation, etc).
I suppose that, while diet and lifestyle are vital, it is also important that people are supported to deal with life experiences, both past and present, in a caring, proactive and professional manner.
Love yer work!
Danny
Hi Danny, thanks for dropping by. I hear the point you are making and I hope the write up on the site and the bulk of the conversation on the subject got the message across loud and clear that there are many emotional factors involved in developing anxiety and that it’s important to get psychological help to work with them.
I responded to the caller (the only woman on a jam packed board!) positively for working out the connection between her emotions and her symptoms, that she found empowering. As is always the way on short programs like this there is always so much more we can say given the time. I wanted to respond “But what feeling lies under the anger?” as so often fear, hurt and sadness tends to lurk under the protective coating of anger. I responded to her highlighting it was a woman’s perspective, as there was not time to touch on the even more complex issues of men and anger, because generally women are crap at expressing anger and as I suggested transforming the energy created by anger can be therapeutic.
I’d encourage Men grappling with this issue click on the link to your name on your comment to get in touch with your organisation. You do a great job 🙂
Keep up the good work 🙂
Hi Gill,
I too, enjoyed the show on anxiety; thanks.
Afterwards, I sent RRR some information about a course that is to commence in March in Brunswick specifically aimed at treating stress, anxiety, and depression. The techniques to be taught to people based in mindfulness approaches and CBT. The course is run by psychologists.
If you want details, please respond to let me know, and I can forward a pdf.
best wishes,
glenn
Thanks Glenn, have emailed my details for forwarding the pdf. Hope RRR pick up your lead and the course goes well.
How could any of this be better stated? It couldn’t.
Wonderful show yet again so many thanks. Just wondering how one would know whether to go with St John’s Wort or Kava for assisting with anxiety (no other medications ingested). Depending on the health store I’ve visited, the advice has differed even if considering practitioner only brands. I’m confused!
Thanks for the feedback about the show. While there are some well qualified people who work in health food stores, they are not always the best place to get individual advice. Kava works well for some people with anxiety but it is a strong medicine and one that I feel best prescribed in combination with ongoing naturopathic treatment. The issues (adverse reactions) with kava, which lead to it being off the market for sometime even ‘practitioner only’ products, were about the quality of the product and the integrity/knowledge of the medicine producers. As a result, there is only one kava product in Australia I feel confident using in practice.
I wrote about “practitioner only” medicines in this month’s newsletter and will add to the site in the next week.
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Hi Gill,
Thanks so much for your fabulous newsletter and advice.
My mum recently disclosed she has been dreadfully anxious for about a year and it was becoming debilitating for her. I mentioned that she should see a doctor to discuss this and perhaps refer her on to a specialist. She has had breast cancer and the subsequent treatment twice, countless scares and a close family member attempt suicide in the last 7 yrs. No wonder she is anxious. I will forward your article to her and hopefully this may be the trigger to get some help- and in partnership with the tips you listed- live an anxious free life!
Thanks again. Lisa
I am glad the article has resonated with you. It was a happy accident that it got sent this time (there was a mis-send of a two year old newsletter instead of February 2012). I hope your mother gets the support she needs. I have had a number of clients with cancer or are elderly who have no one to talk about their fear of death, as a society we don’t tend to welcome the topic. It’s something I feel comfortable listening to if she ever needs an ear.
This is a great post! I love your tips for ways to remind yourself and your subconscious that your world is a safe place. I think those are wonderful suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
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