Inappropriate anxiety is effecting people of all ages. Anxiety is the body and minds natural reaction to danger and is often called the fight or flight response. It is experienced by children, teens and adults, physically and emotionally and affects our thoughts and behaviours. The main job of anxiety is to keep us safe and help us to react quickly and intuitively so we avoid or get away from a dangerous situation by running or fighting if we have to. When this job is done the body should naturally reset back to the rest and digest mode.

It is estimated that 1 in 9 people will be affected by anxiety in their life time. When I write ‘affected by’ I mean that the flight or fight response that has been triggered along with the anxious feelings and does not reset. The symptoms become pre-longed and out of proportion to the actual danger or stress of any situation. Common features that people report are physical sensations like palpitations, nausea and loss of appetite. Over whelming feelings of fear and worry causing restlessness, irrational thoughts and behaviours or panic attacks.

One of the main glands in the body that are important to consider when stressed is the adrenal glands. In response to anxiety the adrenal glands are prompted to produce more cortisol, which is an important hormone to help us fight inflammation (it is also the hormone that works with melatonin to regulate proper sleep patterns).  When the adrenals become over worked they produce more and more cortisol requiring more and more nutrients such as vitamin C and B. Depletion of your nutritional reserves or needing more than your diet or body can provide can lead to a wide variety of health concerns and an increased time to recover from illness, injury or trauma.

Anxiety when untreated can continue to increase in severity and potentially cause a nervous breakdown in extreme cases. Because of the accumulative effect that anxiety has on mental and physical health a better outcome can be achieved when a holistic approach is taken.

Holistic avenues that should be considered are:

Identify the cause and treat it. - How we initially respond to danger or threat even at an early age becomes our default response, so identifying and resolving the root cause of the anxiety, plus reprogramming ourselves to deal with it differently in the future is key.

Remove Stress - Uncertainty and too much stress makes anxiety worst. Clearing current stresses and learning how to manage future stress to a motivational level helps to promote better mental and physical health.

Bin the junk food - Junk food draws on your nutritional reserves. Sugar and processed carbs are linked to mood swings and anxiety. Fresh vegetables cooked or raw, good quality meat/eggs and essential fats will improve your mood. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner as skipping meals leads to cravings and an increase in symptoms.

Supplements - When nutritional reserves are depleted, it is difficult to consume enough nutrition from food to rebuild nutritional stores. Natural whole food supplements are best. Taking omega 3 daily will help to relieve anxiety and promote brain health.

Exercise - Go out and walk in nature. When you start do what you can, then build up to 40 mins daily.

Get enough sleep - feeling tired despite getting enough sleep is a sign of adrenal fatigue.

Remember your actions govern how you feel. Focus on how you want to feel and taking action will help you to enjoy your life more.