Understanding your Anxiety

Written by Tahlia Thomas

Anxiety is something that many of us experience, though it can often vary from person to person. It can range from feeling as though your heart is racing, to feeling nauseous, shaky, or short of breath. 

Anxiety is a feeling of unease and worry that can sometimes feel as though it is taking over your life, stopping you from doing the things you want to do, making daily tasks more difficult, or reducing your quality of sleep. But it doesn’t have to. Getting to the underlying root cause of your anxiety is important, and management needs to really take into account all the different aspects of your wellbeing. 

We have shared some of the common underlying causes of anxiety as well as some helpful tools for treatment and management below 

1. Neurological imbalances

Chemicals in the brain such as serotonin and dopamine all play a role in regulating your mood and how you feel. If these chemicals are imbalanced, they may manifest as feelings of anxiety in your mind and body.

3. Digestive microbiome imbalance

Your digestive tract is full of bacteria that communicate with the brain. Yet when this communication is thrown off, because your gut has become imbalanced, it can contribute to anxiety and impact your overall mood. This can be influenced by eating high amounts of processed foods and sugar.

3. HPA axis dysfunction

When you experience chronic stress it can negatively impact your mental wellbeing. It can break down the very system in your body that creates a healthy response to stress (which is our HPA - hypothalamic-pituitary axis). In this way, your body becomes less resilient to stress the more you experience it. Some easy ways you can maintain a healthy HPA axis are through avoiding sugar and processed food, reducing caffeine, and taking a good quality magnesium (which chronic stress depletes) supplement.

4. Alcohol

Although alcohol depresses your nervous system, it can cause or worsen anxiety. It affects the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain such as serotonin, and as the alcohol wears off it can bring on physical symptoms of anxiety. It can lead to you feeling anxious for several hours or for the whole day after drinking. 

6. Hormone imbalances

When your hormones become imbalanced, for example, your levels are either too high or too low, it can interfere with your body’s processes and create anxiety. For example, when oestrogen is too high in comparison to progesterone, anxiety can often develop. An excess in thyroid hormones can manifest as feelings of physical and mental anxiety. 

7. Blood sugar imbalances

When blood sugar levels are lower than normal, this is called hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can cause feelings of anxiety, weakness, trembling, dizziness and lightheadedness. This can often be caused by not eating enough across the day, or even something as simple as starting your day with coffee instead of a meal. 

8. Insomnia or lack of sleep

This is one of the leading contributors to anxiety, but an anxiety disorder can also cause a lack of sleep. Lack of sleep can cause you to become more stressed, further driving up adrenaline which, in turn, will make it harder for you to sleep. It is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken so working on your sleep is key. 

9. Nutrient deficiencies

When you are deficient in iron it can cause you to feel breathless, dizzy, fatigued, and lightheaded. It can also speed up your heart rate. A lack of B vitamins - specifically B12 - can cause anaemia which can bring on physical symptoms similar to those associated with a lack of iron. Other B vitamins, such as B6 and B9, have a significant role in the production of brain chemicals and a lack of these can interfere with mood. Low magnesium can also drive anxiety. It plays an important role in the regulation of the HPA axis, which is in charge of your adrenals and the body's stress response. 

Managing Anxiety

If you experience severe anxiety we suggest talking to a health professional like a Naturopath, Nutritionist, Holistic Counsellor, or Psychologist. 

Here are some helpful tips you can implement daily to help with managing your anxiety:

Have breakfast. It is important to start each day with protein to boost your focus and concentration. Protein helps balance your blood sugar, increases focus and gives your brain the necessary nutrients for optimum brain health. 

Avoid Processed Sugar. Cortisol and sugar are highly intertwined when it comes to anxiety. Cortisol serves to restore homeostasis or balance the body after stress. However, when exposed to prolonged stress, the body naturally produces more cortisol, causing blood sugar levels and insulin production to spike.

Under chronic stress, the brain believes it needs more sugar even though it has received far more than it needs. It is an addictive pattern that causes us to overindulge in sweets. 

Low-Carb Diets. Eating a diet low in carbohydrates may sound healthy, but it can have serious consequences for anxious people. A diet rich in whole grains, on the other hand, increases the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter your brain releases. The release of this chemical can cause a pleasurable and calming effect on the body. Choose healthy complex carbohydrates like sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat. 

Mindfulness. If you are overcome with anxiety, stop, focus your eyes on something close to you and concentrate on your breath. Steady it, slow it down and feel it. Becoming aware of the feelings of anxiety and how they affect your breathing and the body as a whole helps to stop it from reeling out of control. 

Speak to someone Speak to someone you trust. Often, voicing your feelings puts things into perspective. It can help when worries go round and round in your head. If you have severe anxiety our Holistic Counsellors can support you in our Wellbeing Clinic to explore all the possible triggers and causes. 

Meditation. Meditation is a great way to take time out. Meditating before sleep can help the brain to stop stressing and overthinking. If you struggle to meditate, we recommend coming along to one of our guided meditation classes.
Gentle Exercise. Gentle and nourishing exercises like walking, and yoga help to ensure that your body is getting the movement it requires. The body is more likely to store emotions and feelings when it is inactive and this entrapment means that you stay in your head and not your body, making your anxiety worse. 
Set Boundaries. Claim your boundaries. Anxiety rises when you feel unsafe. If you are uncomfortable with a situation then it is important to say no. By setting clear boundaries you can outline what you are comfortable with and what you are not, which can reduce stress levels.

If you have any questions about anything covered in this blog post, please feel free to comment below or send us an email to connect@ardoralbury.com xx