Oct 31, 2014
It's only fair to share... 5 Things that Aggravate Anxiety Caffeine The first of the things that aggravate anxiety is caffeine. When we consume caffeine, whether it’s in tea, coffee, chocolate or cola, the caffeine has an effect on our central nervous system. It increases our heart and breathing rate and stimulates the production of adrenaline, which puts our bodies into fight or flight mode. This essentially stresses the body and mind and if you are stressed or anxious to begin with, it’s only going to make matters worse. If you suffer with stress or anxiety, it makes sense to leave out caffeine, or at least try to really cut down. Alcohol Now, sometimes anxiety sufferers or those who are stressed will use alcohol as a way of self medicating and calming down. Alcohol causes us to release a short term burst of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that makes us feel relaxed and happy. However what comes up, must come down and following a sudden release of serotonin comes a drop. Longer termalcohol use can really start to Add to that the shaky, ill and uneasy feelings associated with a bad hangover and you’ve got perfect conditions in which anxiety can run rampant. Lack of sleep Sleep and anxiety can be a viscous cycle since anxiety can not only cause a lack of sleep, but it can also contribute to anxiety. When we’re tired, everything can seem like hard work. Life seems so much harder to cope with and challenges seem impossible. Research has shown that being tired affects areas of the They found that those who tended to worry a lot about things were more vulnerable to feeling anxious when deprived of sleep. So make an effort to prioritising getting a good nights sleep and make a conscious decision to aim to get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Sugar Sugar in the diet will often have the effect of raising our blood sugar levels very quickly. However, it also means that your blood sugar levels are likely to come crashing down after the initial high. The symptoms of asugar crash; feeling shakey, light headed or drained, can worsen symptoms of anxiety or could feel similar to the feelings of being about to have a panic attack, which can trigger one. found that after binging on sugar and then fasting, the rats displayed an anxiety response. So go for foods that release sugars more slowly into the blood stream such as wholegrains, nuts and seeds, protein rich foods and fruit and vegetables. Trying to stop thoughts and feelings The more we try to push away thoughts and feelings, the more they are likely to impose themselves on us. If I were to ask you to not think of a purple elephant, what would you think of? I bet you would immediately think of a purple elephant. Trying to push away and deny our feelings of anxiety can just cause more anxiety and stress. Try to take on a position of acceptance; noticing thoughts and feelings as they arise and trying to be like the observer behind the thoughts and feelings. Accept that even of you do have theseanxious thoughts and feelings, that you will be ok. What other things you do notice that make anxiety worse? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
