Last week I wrote about taking medication for depression and anxiety. If you missed it you can read it here. I wrote that piece to help open up the dialogue around taking medication for mental illness.
But taking medication is not the only thing that I do to take care of myself. This week I am starting a series on tools that I have used to overcome anxiety and depression. Today we are going to talk about everyone’s favorite answer to any health question: eat right and exercise. I know I know I hate this answer but it really does work.
First what we put in our bodies, because this the hardest for me. I love chocolate, I love any food that I don’t have to cook (which probably means it is full of butter and cream because yumm), I love Dr. Pepper especially if it is Sonic Dirty Dr. Pepper. As I was working to find answers about what to do for the anxiety I kept reading about caffeine. I dare you to google caffeine and anxiety.
You will get lists of pages that talk about the link between the two. On WebMD there is an article about this link called Brewing Trouble. Dr. Roland Griffiths a PhD professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said, “People often see coffee, tea, and soft drinks simply as beverages rather than vehicles for a psychoactive drug. But caffeine can exacerbate anxiety and panic disorders.”
The problem being is that caffeine is a stimulant and if you are “predisposed to anxiety disorders, caffeine can trigger a spiral of sensations–sweaty palms, a pounding heart, ringing in the ears–that leads to a full-blown panic attack.” Says Rebecca A. Clay the author of Brewing Trouble. As someone that has anxiety I know that it is a very short step from the caffeine making me more alert to being anxious because of the stimulation.
So I made the decision to stop drinking sodas and it did help. I was then able to recognize the physical symptoms of anxiety without the added stimulation from caffeine. To be completely honest I have gone back to drinking some soda, however, it is a very small amount. I think I gross out my husband sometimes because I can drink one can of soda over a couple of days. I don’t know why I don’t mind drinking warm flat soda. I know it is weird.
If you are having problems with anxiety I would encourage you to decrease the amount of caffeine you drink. By cutting out that stimulant it will help to decrease the amount of anxiety symptoms you have.
Now my favorite part: EXERCISE! Honestly I never thought that I would love to work out as much as I do. I was fairly active as a kid I never participated in sports but I danced and did drill team. As I got older I would run or work out off and on.
As the anxiety was getting more and more out of control I started P90X with Tony Horton. I love that man! He said one thing that I still focus on when my thoughts start to get out of control, “Do your best and forget the rest.” Everyday when I did a workout I felt a little bit better. I could think clearer and I felt my mood lift. I know now that after you work out your body releases endorphins which are the feel good chemicals in your brain. So every time I work out I know that I am giving my brain a little boost.
In a Harvard Health Letter updated April 2018 Dr. Michael Craig Miller said, “For some people it (exercise) works as well as antidepressants, although exercise alone isn’t enough for some with severe depression.” The Mayo clinic has also found that “exercise helps ease the symptoms of anxiety. It may also help keep depression and anxiety from coming back once you’re feeling better.”
I have done a few different things when it comes to working out. As I said I have done P90X, I run and I have started back to lifting weights with a trainer. I don’t always want to go workout but after I do I feel so much better. I remember reading a book by a runner that moved his family to Africa (I don’t remember the country or the name of the book sorry!) to train with the long distance runners there. One day his son asked him before he left for a run, “Daddy why do you like to run?” The author explained, “I didn’t really know what to tell him because before a run you really don’t like to do it. After is when you feel really good about running.”
I think that is true about any type of exercise. Beforehand you really don’t want to do it because you know it is going to be hard. But after you feel so good for doing that hard thing. And the endorphins!
Being aware of what I put into my body and moving my body has been a huge help to overcoming anxiety. I know it is hard because change always will be. Any small step you take to treating yourself better will help yourself to feel better. What one thing will you do today to treat yourself better? Do it, you deserve it!