Anxiety Control & Metabolic Maintenance

Anxiety is a prevalent ailment among children and adults in our fast-paced society. Anxiety can take its toll on an individual's mental, physical and emotional state if left unresolved. There are a few things you can do to control your anxiety and get your body back in harmony and working more efficiently.

Anxiety

• Hyperventilating, increased heartbeat, imbalanced metabolism activity, clenching the jaw, muscle tension, headaches, dilated pupils, decreased digestive activity and fear are just some of the symptoms people have reported when they experience anxiety. All these signs of stress indicate that the body has activated the sympathetic nervous system, putting the body in fight-or-flight mode. Under normal circumstances, this defense mechanism is helpful in protecting the body, but long-term exposure to this kind of environment releases large amounts of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine, as well as depleting the body of much-needed energy to sustain it in normal, daily life.

Metabolism

• Activation the fight-or-flight response in the body triggers the pooling of all of its resources to protect the body and have it ready to respond quickly in an emergency situation. When this happens, the majority of blood flow within the body is redirected to the major muscle groups for quick movement if necessary, taking away from the other parts of the body that are not as important in an emergency situation, including the digestive system. The liver starts breaking glycogen and fat into glucose for quick energy, which is beneficial in emergency situations but not in the long term. Normal metabolism functioning is thrown off, food is not digested properly and nutrients are not absorbed as they should be. Your health is affected in the long run if your body is exposed habitually to anxiety.

Recommendations

• Working to lower anxiety is highly recommended to return overall balance to your body. By reducing the occurrence of anxiety attacks, you can avoid the habitual state of being in the fight-or-flight mode, returning metabolism activities to their optimum levels and other bodily functions to normal.

Stress

• The most obvious thing to do to lower the occurrence of anxiety attacks is to reduce your stress level. Identify stressors in your life and figure out ways to replace, or decrease, the occurrences of these incidences. Work on any emotional issues that may be triggering anxiety as well as coping skills and releasing these issues.

Exercise

• Exercise and physical activity help get the body back on track, rev up your metabolism, boost the release of good hormones and help with the overall feeling of well-being. Fresh air and sunshine also help perk up you mood.

Nutrition

• Proper nutrition will keep insulin, cortisol and sex hormones in check and metabolism at a normal level. Test to see if you have any food allergies that may be triggering unnecessary anxiety attacks. Vitamin supplements are a sensible addition to your diet because it is difficult to intake all nutrients needed throughout the day. Vitamin B complex, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D are highly recommended to reduce feelings of anxiety.