Tips for Dealing with Stress and Anxiety

Are You Feeling Anxious or Worried?



10 Ways to Get rid of Worry!



1.     Eat Real, Whole Food
- Eating like your grandparents used to eat instead of consuming highly processed foods that are low in nutrition value. This kind of eating provides essential nutrients for building neurotransmitters (eg. GABA) essential for calming the brain and body

2.     Eat Breakfast
- Including protein (eggs, meat, fish, nuts/nut butters) helps keep blood sugar levels at a more steady level throughout the day, which can reduce feeling anxious and stressed

3.     Eat 3 meals a day, with 2 healthy snacks
- Helps keep blood sugar levels even when you eat regularly to maintain levels before they drop. Healthy Snack Ideas: boiled egg, veggies and hummus, fruit with nut butter, leftovers (a drumstick or ¼ size portion) or nuts/seeds. Traveling, seeds and nuts are easy to pack and can make you feel more satisfied while helping maintain blood sugar levels and mood. Pumpkin seeds for example give you tryptophan and zinc, which both help with mood and anxiety.

4.     Rethink Coffee
- This is especially important if coffee makes you more anxious and affects your sleep. Perhaps a nice herbal or non-caffeinated tea would be a better choice. Chamomile can be nice and calming, or Rooibos is rich in antioxidants.

5.     Consider your Gluten Intake
- Some people find that gluten has an effect on their energy and mood. Why not try a little two-week experiment where you eliminate gluten, then add it back in and see if gluten has an impact on your mood.

6.     Get outside and do some exercise!
- Exercise on its own can elevate serotonin levels, which is a key player in your mood (making you feel less sad or worried). Getting outside to exercise can really help compound the benefits as research is showing many beneficial effects on the brain and body in general by spending some time in nature.

7.     Enjoy Yoga and/or Meditation Regularly
- yoga, tai chi and meditation/visualization can have a dramatic effect on GABA levels (calming neurotransmitter). More GABA can help you feel less overwhelmed.

8.     Good vitamin boost!
- A good quality multivitamin, with B vitamins and essential amino acids (especially tryptophan or tyrosine) can help to alleviate stress and anxiety. Make sure you consult with your health care provider before adding or changing your current regimen.

9.     Take some down time
- Taking some time for yourself to relax and recharge is very important for controlling stress and anxiety. Learn to say no when you need to and make taking care of yourself a priority.

10. Make and Keep a Schedule
- A lot of people fret and stress about the long list of ‘to dos’. Take some time to develop a schedule, either at the beginning or end of each day and be realistic about what can be accomplished in that day then focus on accomplishing one task at a time and be proud of your accomplishments for that day.

---