Anxiety.
In the time we now live in, we hear more and more about anxiety, and it is on the rise. Times have changed since the days when any issues of the mind were considered a thing not to talk about. Nowadays with social media we get bombarded with the term anxiety which is becoming prevalent but one cannot help thinking it’s becoming a buzz word that is overused. Any person who experiences anxiety might not agree.
Anxiety from stats Canada states “The prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder among Canadians aged 15 and older doubled from 2.6% in 2012 to 5.2% in 2022. This increase is even more pronounced among young women aged 15 to 24, where the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder tripled.
Experts believe that the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the prevalence of anxiety, due to social isolation, loss and restructure of jobs and financial instability, to name a few. In the aftermath we now experience economic concerns regarding raised housing costs, food security, and general cost of living have played a significant role in increasing anxiety levels in individuals.
Elizabeth Gilbert, author writes, “You are afraid of surrender because you don’t want to lose control. But you never had control; all you have is anxiety.”
Brene Brown, research professor at University of Houston, author, podcaster, and one of the top most viewed TED talks in the world. She talks about anxiety with ease in her book, Atlas of the Heart. She quotes that anxiety is “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”
Anxiety can be taken a step further by introducing anxiety disorder. Basically, a disorder is when there is a disturbance that affects the body functions, causing symptoms. It happens when anxiety is allowed to get out of control.
Anxiety is commonly an excessive worrying about issues which starts off in your body as a stress alarm. That alarm or situation in our personal life, without control, can escalate if not brought into check.
The problem is that we start to feel afraid of the feeling of anxiety returning again. The result is that we begin to become defined by it. We begin to tell ourselves and others that we have anxiety when all it may be, is a healthy reaction to stress in our lives. We also begin to think we are incapable of turning off the feeling of anxiety.
We humans tend to identify “our mind” as an entity totally separate from our individual self. We carry ourselves through life not thinking that the chatter in our head can be controlled. It jabbers on and we listen! But until we realize that we have control over our thinking or our mind, we are NOT our mind we continue to helplessly react to it. Worrying and anxiety go together, worry is not an emotion but it is the thinking part our mind telling us when we experience anxiety.
If this pattern continues then physical signs appear such as feeling fatigued, irritable, poor concentration, difficulty sleeping and even paranoia and panic attacks. If it continues it will cause interruptions in our daily life, isolation, depression, chest pain, tremours and poor decision making.
Experts have found the most effective way to help anxiety is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. This therapy focuses on becoming cognitive of negative thought patterns entering our mind and by doing so we learn how to control them. The identification of negative thoughts is crucial to preventing a negative impact on our lives. I call it mindfulness.
The definition of mindfulness is “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are, what we are doing or thinking, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is happening around us.”
It’s as simple as the message we tell ourselves some days. We sleep in, then as we rush to get ready for our day we stub our toe against the bed leg. We tell ourselves at that point, “this is just going to be a great day.” What do you do at that point? Let your mind continue to tell you how bad your day instead of getting perspective. “it’s just a stubbed toe I am going to have a great day!”
If CBT is not available to you there are other tools to use, remembering if we get behind our mind, we can control what our mind is telling us and help prevent anxiety.
The following are some tactics to get ahead of your mind and put anxiety where it belongs!
· The 333 rule, shifting our attention back to the present moment. Identify 3 objects you see and say them out loud, 3 things you can hear, 3 you can touch or move. For example, you may see a bus go by, the blue sky and a building across the road, you can hear the bus, hear birds chirping in a tree and music from a nearby store. You can touch your hair, feel you bag in your hand and move the objects on the screen of your cell phone.
· The 54321 method is similar to ground you. Identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and one thing you can taste. Notice how it is incorporating all 5 senses.
· Breathing brings your mind and body together naturally and is a form of meditating. Sitting comfortably in a quiet atmosphere breathe deeply. As you breath in and out say to yourself in your mind “in” then “out” as you breath out. If your mind begins to get distracted identify the thought then allow it to drift away like smoke in the breeze. Acknowledge your thoughts causing you to drift away from concentration on your breath, without judgement.
· Box breathing works even more effectively. Breath in deeply for 5 counts, then hold your breath for 5 counts and the exhale for 5. As you get better at it, extend you exhale longer extinguishing all oxygen out of your lungs. Breathing influences your brain activity and the autonomic nervous system. it is achieved through the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the abdomen and activates a relaxation response or parasympathetic response.
· Exercise also is a great way to help anxiety. Exercise slows down the mind by reducing stress, promoting relaxation, and improving overall mental well-being. It does that by releasing endorphins. It also, again takes your mind off worries, and changes brain chemistry to reduce anxiety.
· Journalling is a way to voice the thoughts in your mind and dumping them, so to speak, on paper, calming your mind. Most people journal first or last of the day, which cleanses your day keeping negative thoughts in control.
· Managing work and personal stressors can help a great deal. According to the 80/20 rule it is usually likely that 80% of stress and anxiety comes from roughly 20% pf specific stressors. Something as simple as not getting enough sleep, at least 7 hours a night, or work pressure, financial worries or relationship and health worries. Remember if any of these are occurring in your life it is best to address them as quick as possible and find a solution. Do not let them linger as it takes over your thoughts, worsening the worry.
· Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through yoga and meditation, by sustaining cognitive awareness and controlling the contents of your mind and staying in the present moment.
· Limit or avoid caffeine. Stop drinking caffeine at least 10 hours before bedtime as it remains in the bloodstream for that long. Your sleep is then not disrupted or compromised.
· Limit alcohol intake, particularly before bed as it alters your sleep pattern. Drinking high amounts of alcohol may interfere with brain messengers or neurotransmitters involved in regulating your mood.
· Other remedies are as follows: reading, social time with friends or family, aromatherapy, herbal teas, and time spent with your pets.
Not surprisingly, nutrition can play a large part in aiding anxiety especially the nutrients that keep our brain healthy. The following is a rundown of what to include in your diet.
Magnesium may help to control the neurotransmitters in the brain by causing a calming effect on the brain. Magnesium can also manage the mind’s stress response and help control cortisone levels. It is suggested to include between 310mg to 420mg in your daily diet. Magnesium rich foods include, legumes, nuts, wholegrains including brown rice, bananas and dried apricots.
The B complex vitamins are linked to anxiety, particularly vitamin B12, B6 and folate. Folate deficiency can lead to brain fog. B12 and B6 deficiencies can have neuro psychiatric type symptoms including anxiety. Vitamin B1 commonly known as thiamine effects nerve function. In a past study 250mg of thiamine was used successfully to treat anxiety. Foods high in Vitamin B complex are lean meats like chicken and beef, oily fish such as salmon and tuna, eggs, dairy products nuts, seeds, leafy green vegetables beans, and whole grains.
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin has been associated with anxiety. Deficiency of this vitamin is associated with seasonal affective disorder SAD, in world regions where daylight is less at certain times of the year. This could be when anxiety is more prevalent if recommended vitamin D doses are not followed. Recommended daily dose of Vitamin D is 4000 international units (IU) for children up to age 12 months, 6000 IU for people ages 1 to 70 years, and 8000 IU for people over 70 years.
Other nutrients such as zinc, iron, vitamin E and C have shown benefits of reducing anxiety.
It appears safe to say eating a healthy well-balanced diet is the key to helping to combat anxiety.
Where it is important to remember is that nutrition is important to control anxiety it is secondary to learning to identify negative thoughts that is crucial to preventing our mind worrying and prevent any negative impact on our lives. Being cognizant of your mind’s thoughts are key.
Lastly, controlling the time you spend scrolling on social media is also key. Overuse results in heightened levels of Dopamine, the happy hormone, too much is unhealthy. What results is a dependency on dopamine, which in time alters the levels in your brain which then can cause anxiety.
There are many situations in life today that can cause stressors, worries and anxiety. However, there is ammunition to use to combat the effects. We have discussed that we can lessen the feeling of anxiety and maybe even prevent it from becoming permanent. However, if your anxiety feels like it has taken a foot hold on your life there comes a point when seeking professional health may be the answer.
That said, anxiety never needs to be permanent; we never should define ourselves by it or be fearful that it will not go away. With due diligence it does not need to stay or at least not worsen and there is always help just around the corner.
Train your brain and all will be well.