I want this series to be largely things that you can do on your own to deal with anxiety. I’ve mentioned before that I have found therapy endlessly helpful in dealing with my anxiety. It has given me SO many of the tools that I use on a daily basis to confront my demons head on.
There is a possibility that your anxiety has nothing to do with your diet. Totally. If your anxiety is a product of a very traumatic experience, maybe it’s 100% a mental disorder. There is no real solid way to determine the cause of an anxiety disorder, unfortunately, because there are so many possible causes. There’s a chance that improving your diet won’t help. But there is also a (good, I believe) chance that it could help. Anxiety is complex, our bodies are complex. I have been absolutely convinced, through experience, that my diet directly affects my anxiety.
Dealing with anxiety in pregnancy isn’t something I had ever given much thought to before – and I had shared (more or less) all the basics of the things I know about living well with anxiety. But of course, there’s always more to learn. In fact, every new experience offers me a choice – A) choose to learn how to deal or B) spiral into full blown prolonged panic mode.
I could write endlessly about hundreds of aspects of anxiety, and what I’ve found to be beneficial. But the series has gotta end eventually. There are some thoughts I have to leave with you, that didn’t fit in anywhere else, before we finish. These are paramount thoughts, for me anyhow, even though they aren’t full gown enough to merit their own post.
Hi, Christian with anxiety. We’re friends! Maybe we don’t know each other, but we totally have the same struggle and the same God watching over us. (So we’re definitely friends.) I don’t know if I’ve ever written a post on a topic quite as difficult for me as this one. Because Christians aren’t supposed to have anxiety. We’ve all heard that the Bible says “fear not” 365 times, once for each day.
Are you embarrassed to start talking about anxiety with friends and family? Maybe they know, but they brush it off like it’s not a big deal. Maybe you’ve been told one too many times that you’re being a bit ridiculous, or you’ve been called a hypochondriac or a conspiracy theorist or my favorite one – dramatic? Or something else that was a little hurtful (even if it was maybe a little truthful)?
You’ll see exercise recommended OFTEN as a first course of treatment for depression. There is absolutely no question in anyone’s mind that exercise = endorphins = happy feeling. (Ok, there’s also no question that it’s not that easy, or depression wouldn’t exist, but there’s lots of evidence to suggest that it can move you in the right direction.)
Perhaps some people would call me a fence sitter, when it comes to the whole natural health vs modern medicine debate. Wait, don’t leave! If you are firmly in one camp or another, I’d say we can probably find common ground.
That’s the nice thing about fence sitting. I lean toward the natural, but I understand the place for medical intervention. If the only way you’re making it through the day is with your Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro or maybe Ativan, then who am I to tell you it’s not the right way?! It wasn’t the right way for me but that doesn’t mean it’s not working for you. (I do have a prescription for Ativan… but I only take it when it’s absolutely necessary. 50 pills can last me a year and a half or so.)
If anxiety is new to you, or if you’ve just experienced your first panic attack you’re probably pretty overwhelmed by what just happened. (Or maybe you’ve had them for years and you still find them overwhelming – that certainly wouldn’t be unthinkable!)
Can you even begin to consider how to conquer your demons if you don’t know anything about them? Or can you be truly compassionate towards another person if you think they’re making a mountain out of a mole-hill?