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What you eat and how much you exercise does make a difference to anxiety and panic. Changing your diet will not make a phobia disappear, but it might well make it easier to tackle. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about diets, reading books by dieticians of all descriptions, and tying different supplements. Some diets I tried were for anxiety, others were for general well-being. Likewise the supplements. The one thing they had in common was to promise much and deliver little. I don’t believe anxiety is caused by bad diet, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise. If it were a lot more people would have anxiety than actually do. Instead, poor diet and little exercise can make you feel worse and therefore are also a sure fire way to make you feel a bit better. You don’t want to feel a bit better, you want to be cured I know. But as I am trying to tell you, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. And you need to make changes which you control.

So if diets and supplements don’t work, what should you do?

The simple answer is to do what’s best for you. You need to be your own dietician. I found two aspects effected my anxiety levels: blood sugar and indigestion. If you suffer from periods of highs and lows then your blood sugar could be to blame. It is always a good idea to arrange for your doctor to test for diabetes. If you are not diabetic then you would do well to change your diet to include as much low GI foods as possible, and as few high GI foods. If you cut out refined sugars you will probably feel better after sometime, and after a week or two you will probably stop craving them too.

The other important thing I found was that I tended to feel best in the mornings, but that after lunch I felt worse. I felt heavy, lethargic, lacking in energy, and if I had to do anything like go into town I would feel anxious. After sometime I realised that this was down to high carbohydrate meals and over eating. I used to eat until I was full every meal, and each time my stomach got a bit bigger. With all that food to digest I had little energy for anything else and when walking quickly through town as agoraphobics do if they go in town at all, I could end up feeling quite faint and quite sick. Obviously the answer was to get used to eating a whole lot less. In fact I started to get into the habit of eating a good size meal, say a small plate full, and then stopping. if I was still hungry in twenty minutes I could eat a little more. I almost never did. The difference it made to my energy levels was spectacular.

I don’t think you should go on a very low carbohydrate diet. In my experience people tend to feel worse and more anxious. But if you were to cut out the majority of bread you eat, say keeping it down to a couple of slices a day, and concentrated more on eating vegetables, you would probably feel better. Remember, unless your doctor tells you otherwise you are not allergic to wheat. Wheat allergies are very rare, wheat intolerance is quite common. But wheat intolerance is something of a symptom of stress, not a cause. That is why I say you should cut down on high carbohydrate foods, not cut them out completely.

I don’t think anxiety can be helped or cured by supplements. In my experience they are an expensive waste of time. They certainly won’t do anything for phobias. If you eat a balanced diet you get everything you need, and you can use your diet to control your mood and energy levels. And control is good.

As with diet, revolutionising your fitness regime will not cure your anxiety but can make you feel better. You should always check with your healthcare professional before starting or changing an exercise regime. The idea is not to bulk up like the Incredible Hulk, nor to be as thin as a long distance runner. It’s just about increasing your general fitness levels, and toning up your muscles a bit. Some “experts” are inclined to go on about body oxygen levels and brain chemistry. They may be right but I would be inclined to stick to tangibles. As your fitness increases you will find you sleep a bit better and have an improved body image. You will also have more energy and feel calmer.

So, how should you get fit? This is not going to be a fad, it’s going to be part of your lifestyle forever. For this reason you need to chose something you enjoy and can enjoy in all weathers. I chose cycling because I don’t mind cycling in the rain. A brisk walk each day is good, as is a competitive sport. It’s really up to you, just do something! The warm up is also essential, so don’t forget that.

Some people find that exercise causes them to hyperventilate and feel anxious or panicky. If this is the case then start slowly and build up extra gradually. Walking would be a good exercise to chose. If it’s a really big problem, if you have effectively got a phobia to getting out of breath, you can lay off the exercise until you have completed the rest of the programme.

Here is the fitness regime that I followed. I did ONE of the following each day.

Either:
A brisk walk for forty minutes, including hills.
Or:
A one hour bike ride, including long periods in the highest gear and standing up. I made sure the route included some hills.
Or:
A circuit training workout

I used this technique to exercise in my room at home with minimal materials. I selected ten types of exercise (listed below, but of course you can chose your own.) I did each activity for 45 seconds then had a 45 second rest. At the end of the list I repeated it once. That took the total workout time to thirty minutes.

1) Press-ups

2) Sit-ups

3) Squat-Thrusts

4) High Kicks (remember not to strain yourself too much or push too far.)

5) Hard shadow boxing on toes.

6) Jumping the rope (With a pretend rope!)

7) Kicks to the side.

Weights (Remember to use light weights, this is not about bulking-up).

9) Shadow boxing again.

10) More weights.

I can’t stress enough that you should exercise at your own pace, stop if anything hurts or feels strained, and speak to your doctor before you start exercising. But everyone who is medically capable should be exercising and you will feel better.
When it comes to diet and fitness you shouldn’t think about a cure for your problems. Instead see them as a first step to taking control. As you start to take pride in your healthier regime your self esteem will also benefit. See it as a foundation.

Look out for my follow up articles where I discuss other issues to getting over anxiety, panic attacks and phobias.

1. Don’t let anxiety and stress take a toll: There is a growing body of research that shows anxiety and stress, in some women, lead to pre-term birth, smaller babies, and potential problems later for the child from respiratory illness and developmental delays.

2. It takes simple steps: Reduce the stress risk by using techniques from yoga and meditation. The March of Dimes suggests meditation and exercise designed for pregnant women as effective stress techniques. There are CDs specifically for pregnant women that help enormously. They can even be used during delivery and after the baby is born.

3. Reducing the risk during pregnancy: Women in the past often talked about the need to take it easy during pregnancy. During the 1980s and 1990s there was a tendency to downplay this need as women evolved in the work place. However, Dr. Calvin Hobel, professor of obstetrics at the University of California, Los Angeles has found out that chronic stress in pregnancy can raise the likelihood of complications such as pre-term birth, smaller babies, respiratory illness, or developmental delays. Women who work very hard in high stress jobs may be predisposed of these problems.

4. Develop an attitude of gratitude: Some women are able to operate in high levels of stress without ill effects on their pregnancy. These are women who have positive attitudes and low anxiety levels about life challenges. Mother Theresa once said our greatest protection is a joyful heart.

5. Dont just survive visualize: Visualization techniques include having the pregnant mom picture herself as calm and relaxed. One mom who used these techniques reported that when she did this her baby in utero would become very still. She laughed that the baby went from crawling around her belly to becoming absolutely still. Using these techniques as the child develops can help mom and baby practice relaxation strategies that are known to reduce anxiety and stress.

6. Become a mommy whisperer: Dr. Miles used these techniques extensively during her pregnancy and after her baby boy was born in 1973. Children are so responsive to relaxation techniques that her son would become still and quiet.

7. Steer your career: Moms need to remember they have 30 years left in a career, so she might want to consider taking some down time during pregnancy if she is prone to worry and tension.

8. Learn to self-soothe: Many women have never learned to speak to themselves in kind, loving tones. They may not have received enough mothering. Learning to have a compassionate voice, even when silent, will soothe mom along with her child.

9. Make connections: Social support and nurturing by a partner is linked to higher birth weight and healthier infants. Dr. Miles encourages women to use soft eyes with their partner and continue to make positive connections during pregnancy. It is important for the mother and baby and it generates healing chemicals. Bonding behaviors secrete oxytocin a chemical that leads to positive bonding in the family.

Copyright 2006 Linda Miles Ph.D

Author, Dr. Linda Miles, is deeply committed to helping individuals and couples achieve rewarding relationships. She is an expert with a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology, and hasworked in the mental health field for over thirty years. Find more relationship ideas and relaxation techniques on her web site and in the award-winning book she co-authored, The New Marriage: Transcending the Happily-Ever-After Myth, All Aboard the Brain Train book for parents, and on CD, Train Your Brain: For a Peaceful Pregnancy & Delivery. http://www.drlindamiles.com

Anxiety is a part of life for everyone. It is quite normal to feel anxious over certain circumstances however it becomes a problem when a person is anxious over seemingly small, trivial or non existent factors. This is known as an Anxiety Disorder and is a recognized mental illness. Recognized or not, it is still sometimes misdiagnosed as paranoia, depression or many other illnesses but they are all quite different. it is true that virtually any Anxiety Disorder can include these as symptoms but the underlying problem is a very specific one that should not be overlooked by patient or by doctor. Patients who may be suffering are very unlikely to come forward themselves and seek help because the nature of the problem means they can not approach people with this kind of problem. There is help for sufferers of even the most sever Anxiety Disorder though.

1- Psychological treatment should be sought from a registered psychiatrist. Finding a professional who has a lot of experience with patients who suffer from severe Anxiety Disorder is the best option. A Psychiatrist will understand the problem perfectly and will help the patient work through their anxiety. Remember, a patient suffering from a severe Anxiety Disorder is unlikely to want to visit a doctor of any sort, but a Psychiatrist with the appropriate experience will know how to overcome this problem.

2- Medication can be prescribed that will help patients who suffer from severe Anxiety Disorder. Most trials have been conducted on monotherapy treatment, which means the use of one drug but often it is necessary to combine more than one drug to get the best effects. Antidepressants are administered although it is very much a case of trial and error as to exactly which one will prove the most effective.

3- Benzodiazepines are another regularly used medication that is proven to help some sufferers of severe Anxiety Disorder but again there isn’t any single one that is proven to work while others don’t.

4- Polypharmacy is the combination of several drugs and has proven to be much more effective for people who suffer from severe Anxiety Disorder. By combining Antidepressants with benzodiazepines and possibly a mild stimulant the patient will find it much easier to face problems that would have normally led to heightened levels of anxiety.

5- Combing psychiatric assistance with prescribed medication is by far the best solution. Often the drugs only mask the symptoms and the patient can grow immune to their effects so by using a psychiatric program as well the patient will really benefit.