Anxiety, Food and Excercise does it matter?
This is a question I get asked a lot, does looking after yourself help. The simple answer is yes. Is it the only answer? No, but it sure does help to take care of yourself. A lot of people ask ‘How can I feel anxious when I am sat still, sometimes I feel worse’ the answer is that your body is full of excess adrenalin and your nerves are over active. If the adrenalin has no where to go it cause the feelings you feel, tense, agitated, hard to concentrate etc…The best way to burn of this excess adrenalin is to exercise. I used to go for a swim and a run 3/4 times a week and it made a lot of difference to how I felt overall. It also taught me a lot about how I felt, yes my body produced too much adrenalin and the feelings did return.But I could think far more clearer and felt so much calmer after a run that I knew, that all I did suffer from was excess adrenalin, anxiety and nothing more. Sometimes when I struggled to think clearly or had silly thoughts running around, I questioned certain things, ‘Was this more?’ , ‘Am I going a little crazy’ No I was not, after I had burnt off the excess adenalin I could see that if I could get my body back in balance I would feel like this all the time. If I was going crazy a run would not have cleared my head, if there was something else wrong, a run would not make these symptoms go away. It had to be just anxiety (excess adrenalin) that made me feel this way.
Food and anxiety.
Again this is not the full answer to anxiety, but a change in diet can help. I found cutting down on alcohol helped a lot, also just eating better. I was not perfect, as I don’t believe there is any need to become obsessed about eating right, don’t make it another issue, just make a few changes and you may see a difference. Just make a few changes for yourself, don’t expect or demand it will solve all your problems, but it may make you feel a lot better in yourself.
For more information visit my main site www.anxietynomore.co.uk
January 24th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Hi all,
I found adjusting my diet really helpful. Nothing too drastic, just avoiding too much sugar and eating unrefined carbohydrates. Helps to prevent blood sugar levels fluctuating (when they dip they can cause anxiety-like symptoms, which can trigger everything else off!). Cutting back on caffeine might be helpful too – can’t comment about that though, have never drunk coffee.
Amy
February 13th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Yeah, I never drink caffeine. I always feel too jumpy and nervous when I do. My diet is okay. I’ve been eating a lot more fruit.
I’m going to start taking yoga classes in the near future. I hear it is fantastic for the mind and body.
February 13th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I made a lot of lifestyle changes. Mainly my diet and more excercise and felt a lot of benefit from it, looking after yourself is important, no need to get obsessed about, but any changes are good.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I get underarm sweating, fill nervous, keyed up, can’t keep my legs still, fill nervous around chest area, start belching, and tremor in my hands. Been doctors, they say it anxiety, I have been like this for about 7 years but worry it is something bad, does anyone get these symptoms?
October 29th, 2008 at 4:25 am
Hi All
First I want to say thank you to Paul and his work–words truly can’t describe what his information did for me.
I want to comment about caffeine and coffee. Paul mentions in his information to avoid caffeine and I just want to comment about how truly important it is TO STAY AWAY FROM COFFEE AND CAFFEINE.
I had a coffee today and noticed that my anxiety jumped…it depends on the person however I would say to stay away from it completely…our bodies are hyper sensitive already …adding this psychostimulant is just fueling the anxiety symptoms.
I hope this comes through to all:)
To all fellow sufferers, keep your heads up
All the Best:)
Kashawn
November 20th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Hi guys
Just wanted to make a quick comment regarding exercise, specifically weight lifting. After my panic attack in April I decided to pursue cardio and weight lifting to change my life. I have done some research and concluded that weight lifting (if done more then 1 or 1 1/2 hours) can actually cause anxiety because the stress hormone CORTISOL is released in blood stream. This in turn can exacerbate anxiety and Depersonalization……because the nervous system is OVERLY worked and needs a break. This is why Paul wrote: the MIND AND BODY crave a break. I assumed working out very hard is good for my body which in fact was the complete opposite:)
-Also Cardiovascular exercise appears to have the least stress on the nervous system…you can exercise more often (walking, jogging) and this WILL NOT shock the nervous system as weight lifting does.
So please keep in mind that lifting weights SHOCKS THE NERVOUS SYSTEM if done excessively and without proper rest. This is why my anxiety and Dp got worse hours after my vigorous weight lifting work out.
PAUL YOU ARE MY HERO BRO
Keep the faith; recovery is within reach:)
Kashawn.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:58 pm
hi guys, this anxiety journey has taught me alot. I want to add some more information I learned regarding the effects of heavy weight lifting and anxiety disorders.
-when we lift heavy weight our bodies produce lactic acid to supply our muscles energy quickly. Research has shown that lactic acid makes anxiety symptoms worser because people with anxiety disorders are sensitive to lactate in the blood.
-so i learned to keep weight lifting to a minimum until the body has fully healed itself. Weight lifting puts alot of pressure on the nervous system so i found it wiser to stick to cardiovascular exercise (running, jogging, walking) until the body has fully healed it self and anxiety symptoms no longer persist.
Hope this helps someone
I learned this information the hard way
All the best
Kashawn.
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Hey all, just feeling a tad bit of my anxiety tonight, was on sofa and just felt my stomach feeling funny ( the job interview feeling I call it ) I also have the dry feeling at the back of my mouth. I have had a cold now for two days so not sure if this is why i have this feeling again as I have been away visiting family in malta and had a good week without feeling anxiety till the day before I got my full on cold/ anyway just wanted to ask will jogging be ok to do? I just wanted to know if any of you go jogging? My GP told me to go swimming but I’m not a big fan of indoor swimming in london pools.
Hope all is well with you all.
Regards
Brendan
April 28th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I get anxious, they day before I go back to work each week. I am keeping a diary of symptoms and the methods I use to allieviate them. I experiment a bit and ask friends how they cope with this ‘normal’ anxiety.
Exericse (gentle) – going to the gym and the mixing with people certainly helps, but I really look forward to a strong cappucino afterwards. I find a quick dose of caffein in an ejoyable, social drink, really enpowers that endorfin high after execise, and everything seems manageable. It helps me move up a gear and cope. I think drinking several cups at home alone would be disaterous though.
I think work anxiety happens when you journey from leisure to work, the grief happens as you cross that transition between one and the other. This may happen in the morning, afternoon, evening or worst of all at night.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I have suffered with anxiety again for the last 6 months (had it 2 years ago but it seemed to go after months of input with a psychologist, however at a cost of £100 an hour this is too expensive for me to take up again) On monday I joined Curves a ladies only gym which bases its work out on 3 half hour sessions every week.
I have just come back from completing my first work out and have to tell you how fabulous I feel, I feel more calm relaxed any my distressing thoughts although they are still there, are controllable.
It took a lot for me to go there today my mind started to fill with “what ifs” but now am really pleased that I overcome my anxious thoughts and went after all x