Anxiety: Name it. Tame it.

How many of you have seen Angst? If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it, especially given the startling number of people affected by anxiety. It’s an eye-opening documentary featuring interviews with loads of youngsters who grapple with these troubling emotions on a daily basis. You learn more about the symptoms, the impacts on lives and what can be done to manage anxiety on a daily basis.

Last month, fellow health coach Joe Mclean and I were honoured to be invited to Union Church to support them in their campaign to destigmatize and raise awareness of anxiety. We watched the 55-minute documentary together with around 70 12-18 year-olds – all of whom were gripped by what they saw, some of them crying as they resonated with the experiences of others.

Afterwards, Joe and I took some Q&As and we stayed back with the more senior youth to further debate the causes, challenges, and techniques to deal with anxiety. It was encouraging to hear students question how they could support their friends during difficult times and at the same time, we were concerned by the levels of anxiety they and their friends are experiencing.

We all feel anxious at times – nervous, worried, unsettled. That’s entirely normal. Severe anxiety, however, can take over your life, significantly impairing a person’s daily existence. Unlike stress, where you know what’s worrying you, ‘you become less aware of what you’re anxious about [in the moment] and the reaction becomes the problem. You start to feel anxious about being anxious,’ according to Dr. David Spiegel, Stanford University’s associate chair of psychiatry and behavioural science.
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Does this sound like you or a loved one? We’re sharing some ideas to help you deal with debilitating symptoms.
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1. Lose yourself in a book, a play, in music. Go for a walk or a different form of exercise. Step out of the spiral and distract your mind.
2. Meditate to calm your mind and create space between you and a situation. Try to incorporate meditation into your daily routine, be it for a few minutes at the beginning or at the end of the day.  Apps such as Headspace, Calm or Buddhify can help.
3. Go to a safe place in your mind – somewhere you feel completely relaxed and comfortable. Mine is my forest. I went through a whole 10 hours of labour when I was having my son without the need for pain relief. I take myself to this place in my mind quite often if I’m feeling tense or cannot sleep. Picturing myself walking in the leaves with the sun shining through the trees and hearing the birds immediately relaxes me.
4. Deep breathe in for 4 through the nose, hold for 7 and exhale to a count of 8. Try to do 5 or 6 rounds of this. Or simply focus on your breathing. Count your breaths, breathing from the lower stomach area. One inhale and one exhale count as one breath. Do this up to 10 and then start again.  
5. Clean up your diet. Whole natural foods can make a big difference. Steer clear of gluten, sugar and processed food as these can exacerbate symptoms especially in sensitive people. Eat a healthy diet full of natural fats – the brain is 60% fat so needs healthy fats in the form of omega 3s, avocado, nuts and salmon to function at its optimum.
6. Cull the coffee. Too much can leave you wired and on edge. Keep hydrated though by drinking lots of water and switch to chamomile, rose or green tea instead.
7. Be sure to do 20 minutes of something you genuinely enjoy every single day.
8. Let the professionals support you. With Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, you can gradually become aware of your thoughts and beliefs and change your reactions to them. Hypnotherapy can help to get to the root cause of the issue of your anxiety. Oftentimes, there’s a trigger we may not be aware of. Recognising and healing the trigger can reduce and even eliminate anxiety and panic attacks. For a hypnotherapy consultation call us today to see how we might be able to help.
9. Embrace essential oils. They can immediately lighten your mood. Blends such as Peace and Calming and Stress Away by Young Living are calming oils. Lavender and Roman Chamomile work wonders too.
10. And finally, know that it is ok to not be ok. Try not to resist the symptoms because the more you try to resist, the more anxious you may become. Don’t let them define you. They are a part of you perhaps, but they’re not the whole you.  

​It’s World Laughter Day on 6th May. Laughter is well-documented as the best medicine and an antidote for anxiety. Here’s an idea: this May, surround yourself with good friends guaranteed to make you laugh. We know it’s not the definitive cure to anxiety, but it’s a welcomed respite from the troubles of daily life! So, invite your friends over, curl up on the sofa, watch a comedy together or crack your own jokes. And while you’re at it, serve up our delicious anxiety-busting muffins for good measure. 

Recipe of the Month
Anxiety Busting Brownies

A dreamy concoction of dark chocolate, cacao and avocados, these are delicious for adults and kids alike! Dark chocolate and cacao stimulate endorphin production and serotonin, which can lift mood and combat depression; magnesium helps to relax the body; avocadoes are full of healthy omega 3s and are rich in mood-boosting B Vitamins. What’s not to love?
 
Ingredients:

• 115g Dark Chocolate, Chopped
• 2 ripe Avocados mashed
• 150g Coconut Sugar
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs
• 50g Cocoa or Cacao powder
• 60g Ground Almonds
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan Salt

Topping:

• 105g Maple Syrup
• 50g Coconut Oil
• 60g Dark Chocolate (70% plus)
• 30g Cocoa or Cacao Powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/350F/180C.
2. Line a brownie tin with greaseproof paper.
3. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave
4. Blend the avocado, sugar and vanilla in a food processor.
5. Whisk and add the eggs into the mixture and blend then mix in the cocoa/cacao powder, ground almonds and salt.
6. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 30-35 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Topping

1. In a small pan, melt the maple syrup, coconut oil and dark chocolate over low heat until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa.
2. When the brownies have cooled, pour the mixture over the brownies and spread evenly.
3. Put the tray into the fridge for now hour, to let the topping set.
4. Cut into squares and well enjoy! 

 
At Health Nation, we’re committed to your physical, mental and emotional well-being. If you’d like to know more about how we can help with anxiety be it through diet, lifestyle changes or hypnotherapy, please do not hesitate to get in touch. You are not alone, and you most certainly don’t need to suffer alone.