Sometimes anxiety can feel like this ominous thing you have zero control over. I know I’ve felt like that. I'd just tell myself it is what it is and I’d ride the waves as they came. However, it’s not true that you don’t have any control over the anxiety you experience. There are tons of things you can do to help yourself like having a good support system, going to therapy, and even taking medication if that’s what’s right for you.
Even with all of that it can sometimes still be a paralyzing thing to deal with and I’ve found that another incredibly important thing in your tool belt for overcoming anxiety is self-care.
To be clear, I don’t just mean the self-care where you take a bubble bath or get a facial. Those types of things are great, but I mean the self-care where you do things each day to take care of your overall well-being. Things like eating well, getting good quality sleep, exercise, planning and prepping ahead, and having healthy habits.
Today we’re going to focus on nutrition choices to reduce anxiety and talk about 3 strategies I use to feel more grounded and in control of my day.
1. Make sure protein is part of every meal and snack.
It’s well known that protein is important for muscle growth, repair of tissues, your hair, skin, and nails, as well as transporting things around the body among several other mechanisms. It’s super helpful if you're trying to lose body fat or your meal times are several hours apart because it's the macronutrient that takes the longest to digest which means it will keep you full longer. This also means it can help your blood sugar levels stay steady which in turn keeps you from feeling the HANXIETY (that anxious/angry/jittery/kind of out of it feeling you get when you're really hungry) that can occur when your glucose levels drop.
Just as a reminder: you need 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. For example, if you're 160 lbs you'd want to aim for 112-160 grams of protein per day. If you typically eat 4 meals a day that equals out to around 30-40 grams of protein per meal.
Pro tip: Make sure you get protein mostly from whole food sources so your body has to work to digest it. Protein shakes, while great for convenience, will go through your system quickly which may not help you avoid the hanxiety as well.
2. Make sure to eat plenty of fiber.
We all know we need to eat more fiber- at least 25 grams per day. Here’s some reasons why:
It helps to keep your bowel movements regular- these should be happening at least once per day
It can help reduce cholesterol by excreting it (soluble fiber, in particular, is important for this)
It's good for your gut microbiome
It helps keep your blood sugar stable
All of that to say- it keeps the hanxiety away due to regulating your blood sugar and keeping you full longer. Not to mention that keeping your gut microbiome happy also keeps YOU happy.
3. Moderate your caffeine intake
Most of us could probably be better about our caffeine intake. We do a good job thoroughly convincing ourselves that we have to have it in order to function (same same, my peeps). However, reducing or even completely cutting out caffeine, if you struggle with anxiety, could do wonders for your sanity. (I've learned this the hard way 😅) Before you start talking about how you NEED it I suggest that you look at the real problem the caffeine is likely a band aid for- shit quality sleep.
It is true that there is the caffeine headache, which is quite the deterrent to reducing or cutting it out, but if you wean yourself off slowly it can be managed. I've backed way off of coffee myself (my caffeine supply of choice) and it truly does help. If I start to get a little too cray about my caffeine intake my body is QUICK to let me know.
Another thing I want to point out is that the mid-afternoon slump that causes you to go for another dose of the good stuff (which is likely keeping you up late and contributing to your sleep issues) could likely be rectified through movement, drinking some water, and perhaps eating a snack that consists of some protein and carbs (your brain needs carbs for fuel hence why it could be getting foggy).
While I have a whole fountain of suggestions on how to reduce anxiety, I will leave you with those 3 today.
Super important note: Don't just read this and say "cool" to yourself and swipe to the next thing (though, if you're swiping to another blog post of mine I fully support that, but still, AFTER some application of what you've learned here). Pick one of these and make it happen. See what kind of an effect it has.
And, if you want more of this good stuff, and by good stuff I mean my immaculate, informative, and sometimes a wee bit funny blogs, make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss a post!
If you want to dive even deeper and would like some community and support then check out the Wellness Warrior Tribe for women which is geared specifically to help reduce stress and anxiety through movement, nutrition, and self-care strategies.
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