Wondering if you are suffering from anxiety?
Anxiety: Have you found yourself excessively worrying most days? Has this been occurring for 6 months or longer? Does it interfere with work, daily activities, or social functions? If you answered Yes to all three questions you may have anxiety.
Your symptoms could include restlessness, fatigue, decreased concentration, irritability, insomnia, heart racing & shakiness, excessive worrying, and feeling tense. While this a wide range of symptoms, there are many simple things you can do at home to help relieve your symptoms.
You can make a number of changes to your diet and lifestyle to help alleviate your symptoms. As for diet, one of the most important things to keep in mind is to avoid processed foods. You should also limit your caffeine, sugar, and alcohol intake. Adding leafy greens, vitamin B-6, chamomile tea, calcium, magnesium, avocados, cashews, and dark chocolate may help with symptoms.
It’s not only essential to alter your diet, but your lifestyle. It’s important to make sure you’re getting seven to nine hours of sleep. Participating in daily exercise such as yoga is also recommended. Maintaining a calm mind is crucial, be aware of when your anxiety is triggering. Deep breathing when it spikes is important, as well as practicing it throughout the day along with mindfulness techniques. You can also maintain calm and order by making a list of things you need to do and checking them off. Not only is keeping a calm mind important, but a peaceful environment. De-cluttering the spaces you’re usually in can help symptoms. Lastly, having a designated safety friend is a great idea. Someone you can trust and talk to when you’re feeling anxious will help you not only in the moment, but the long term.
Medical interventions you can pursue include the following: counseling, naturopathic medicine, seeing a psychiatrist, and following the dietary and lifestyle changes mentioned above.
At Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, we have staff equipped with skills that can help you with your anxiety. Learn more about our Grand Rapids’ based professional counselors and how they may help you on your journey to recovery from anxiety.
Build a better you with Health for Life.
A short list for Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Excessive worry most days for 6 months that displays 3 out of 6 symptoms and interferes with work/ social functioning.
Symptoms include:
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Decreased Concentration
- Irritability
- Tense
- Insomnia
- Heart Racing and Shakiness
- Excessive, Persistent and Unrealistic Worry
Small things you can do at home to relieve your symptoms/self help:
- Avoid processed foods
- Limit caffeine, sugar, and alcohol
- Get 7-9 hours of sleep
- Declutter your environment/ clean/ reorganize
- Start a daily journal
- Practice meditation and deep breathing
- Observe and be mindful of anxiety triggers
- Do yoga and exercise
- Call a safety friend
- Extra leafy greens, Vitamin B-6, chamomile tea, calcium, magnesium, avocado, cashews, dark chocolate
- Make a list and check things off
- Get a fidget toy or coloring books
- Practice gratitude
Medical interventions:
- Counseling
- Naturopathic Medicine
- Seeing a Psychiatrist
- Magnesium and Vitamin D (Mayo Clinic)
- Diet and Exercise
The information and techniques listed above do not replace medical advice. Always speak with your healthcare practitioner if you think you are suffering with depression and DO NOT make any changes without consulting your consultant first. The DSM-5 strives to conceptualize an illness as a spectrum, with a domain that should be construed as normal.
This blog is written for information and promotional use only–it is not and should not be considered medical or clinical advice.
