What Helped My Anxiety the Most
By: Shelby Williams
Hi friends - this subject can be so hard to talk about because everyone’s anxiety can stem from so many different things. Anxiety isn’t black and white and sometimes it is hard to put your finger on what or where it is coming from. I have been on a quest to help my anxiety for the past 15 years and this list is what has helped me most. It wasn’t just one thing that helped. It was all of these combined things that helped heal my nervous system from a cycle of fight/flight to freeze mode back to fight/flight. Also, I am not here to talk about any traumas, ptsd, postpartum anxieties, etc, but just to share what has helped me the most over the years, so there aren’t any trigger warnings here. I hope you can take something away from this :)
Here are the TOP things that have helped my anxiety
1. Healing my gut
I was always a child that worried and stressed but when my gut was really messed up (in my early 20’s), my anxiety was next level. It is hard to explain but sometimes I wouldn’t even feel like I was in my own body. I can do a whole other blog post on what I did to heal my gut, but this was the #1 thing that not only helped my anxiety lessen but also helped my physical health. I had to be on a strict diet for a while, taking supplements and really be persistent with my healing but it was SO worth it. There is a real gut-brain connection. Your gut houses more than 30 different neurotransmitters and an estimated 90% of your serotonin is made in your gut. Now that I feel my gut is mostly healed, I have so much food freedom but tend to stick to eating whole foods because it gives me so much more energy and helps me to feel vibrant.
2. The basics
I have to put this on here even though it is a DUH! moment. When you are so wrapped up in your head with anxious, intrusive thoughts, you want immediate results. You don’t think to go back to the basics. No, these won’t help you in the short term but in the long run, making sure you are checking all your basics is life changing. Adequate and consistent sleep. I would stay up wayyyyyy too late on the weekends and just wreck my mental health. Now, I know that my body NEEDS sleep! Don’t discount this one. One night of no sleep can mess you up for days. Sorry moms 🤪 but you got that mom strength! Nutrient dense foods. Fuel and feed your body what it needs to thrive. Feed it real ingredients!! You eat crap and you will feel like crap. Consistent exercise. I know I am like a broken record with this one but it will transform your mental health. You will get the feel good hormones from exercise, become more resilient, and increase self efficacy. Sunshine/Nature. Get outside and get your vitamin D, fresh air, take in the beauty of the earth, and get off your phone. Community. There is so much research on how community increases your physical and mental health. We are not in this alone! We need to connect with other humans. Talk about your ups and downs. Celebrate with others! We aren’t meant to live alone in this life.
3. Therapy
Therapy has helped me in so many different ways. First it has taught me that I am not my thoughts. There is some separation now between my self and the ways that I am feeling. IFS (Internal Family Systems) was life changing for me. I learned to really get to know all the “parts” of myself, how these parts aren’t bad, and how to live harmoniously with all the parts of myself. And how cool is that to really get to know yourself?! and to learn to love all your parts.
4. Parasympathetic exercises
Healing my nervous system has been a journey that I have been going on to help my anxiety. We have your sympathetic nervous system that increases your heart rate and prepares you for stress, and we have your parasympathetic nervous system that lowers your heat rate and relaxes your body.
When my anxiety was extremely heightened, I couldn’t sit down and breathe or meditate - that made things so much worse! Doing these exercises daily to take me out of the fight/flight and freeze mode that my nervous system was stuck in was crucial to my healing. Anxiety is very physical - heart racing, trouble concentrating, impending doom, etc., so why not lessen it with an exercise that is physical as well?!
Check out this 10 min video for me to walk you through some exercises you can do. Here is a 5 min video as well.
I used to do these exercises every day, multiple times a day to mitigate anxiety or when having anxious feelings. If I am feeling extreme panic come on - a splash of cold water to the face or a really intense 1 min bout of exercise can both really help. A full body scan can also help you in the moment or my tapping video on the membership. Lastly, closing my eyes and remembering a really calm, peaceful time I felt can help (mine is usually on the beach).
5. Increasing resilience
When I first started having anxiety attacks and just a medium level anxiety at all times, I felt so delicate. I felt like anything that I would do would send me over the edge into a panic attack. Through a lot of self work, I came to realize how resilient I was. I remind myself when I am having anxiety that I have gotten through all of my anxious times and come out the other side stronger. I remind myself that I have the tools and exercises to bring myself down a notch.
Like I said before, exercise and sticking to your exercise routine can build resilience. Doing hard things can also build resilience. My fav - COLD PLUNGES can build lot of resilience. You have to stay calm during this insanely intense activity. You teach your body to get used to this craziness.
Type 2 fun is also another way I like to build resilience. For example, hiking, rock climbing, back coutnry skiing, etc. You also get a great, satisfying, reward of accomplishment from these things.
6. Blood sugar regulation
This sounds so simple but it isn’t and sometimes you don’t know that your blood sugar is off. I went to the doctor my freshman year of college thinking I was having panic attacks but my blood sugar was just really low because I was not feeding myself enough protein. It is most important to have protein in the morning for breakfast to calm your nervous system! When your blood sugar is really low, you can start to become dizzy, sweaty, lightheaded, racing heart, aka anxious feelings. Make sure you are eating consistently throughout the day with enough protein at each meal
7. Have routines and structure to your day
This is a new one for me. I generally like to go with the flow and have zero structure throughout my day but this increased my ADHD and anxiety symptoms biggggg time, especially after I lost my job and was a SAHM. Lately, I have been waking up at the same time, having a consistent morning routine, following an exercise routine, and a semi-regular bedtime routine 😉 To say this has been life changing is underestimating it. Routine helps to ease anxiety - trust me on this one.
8. Stopped taking xanax
Believe me, I know how much meds can work. I am not shaming meds. I am on zoloft now and it has helped my depression 10000%. But xanax just numbs you. It is like a really shitty bandaid. All that anxiety comes back when the medicine starts to wear off. I was prescribed it for emergencies but then you can get addicted to it….
I used to take a xanax or drink or do something to numb my anxiety. I feel a lot of things and this can be so overwhelming and overstimulating sometimes. I just want to escape! The xanax helped me a little but I would always know when it wore off because my heart would start racing again, those anxious thoughts would come back, etc. Combining everything named in this blog has helped me not want to escape as much. Those thoughts don’t really come in to my head anymore because I can cope and get through hard things with so much more ease because I do the hard thing, not the easy numbing thing. I work through the anxiety.
9. Consistent movement
I know I talked about this in number 2 but I can’t stress this enough! Get into a routine, make it part of your daily habits. This is a non negotiable for your mental and physical health. Yes, 1 workout can help your mental health and help you to feel more calm after, but the effects that you will get from consistent exercise are unmatched! Click here to check out my 2 week weight lifting program that is for all levels.
10. Magnesium glycinate
This is a pretty specific one but my anxiety would always culminate at night. Then I wouldn’t sleep, so then I wouldn’t workout, and it was just a spiral. Doing all the above FIRST, helped my night time anxiety. I started working out even though I was tired. I was pushing myself to be a better sleeper! The magnesium glycinate is an added bonus that helps my body and mind relax. I have been taking it for about a year now and I can tell you, it works! It isn’t a magic pill but it just takes that edge off. I use the Solaray brand. Use code GETGREAUXING for 15% your entire purchase!
I hope some of these tips and habits help you. I have felt so much more free without all my anxiety weighing me down and that is how I want you to feel too! Share this with a family or friend that could use it 😍 Also, comment and tell me what works for you!
When I am in nature, I always take the extra minutes to soak up the beauty and calm. This helps me to see the bigger, more beautiful picture in life! There is more out there than just my anxious thoughts.
