It seems like everyone is battling some degree of anxiety these days, and when you look at all that’s going on in the world, combined with our constant bombardment of modern-day stressors AND the depleted state of our health, it’s not difficult to see why. I myself have been on the anxiety bandwagon for as long as I can remember, and before I got into nutrition and started to understand the ways in which our physical health impacts our brains, I simply chalked it up to an overactive mind that wouldn’t turn off. Turns out, there’s a lot more to it than that.

Now you might be wondering, what is anxiety really and where does it come from? Is it a mental issue or a physical one, and what can we do about it? These are all common questions that we receive and ones that we’re going to dive into in this newsletter. Let’s get started!
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What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is energy that is flowing through your body. When you’re anxious, you’re creating and expelling energy. This is neither a good or bad thing, but it is something to pay attention to.

I love the way that our friend and colleague, Michelle Shapiro, describes it: Anxiety is like a little kid that wants to get your attention. The more you ignore it, the more it will bother you. Sound familiar? We often talk about symptoms that crop up as our body’s way of communicating with us. Well, anxiety is no different: When something is happening in our bodies that is vitally important and should no longer be ignored, anxiety can be our most important messenger. For that reason, we don’t want to simply “turn it off” and go about our business—just like we wouldn’t turn off a fire alarm and not expect to have to deal with the fire that set it off in the first place.

Anxiety can serve as a red flag that your body is waving, whether it’s in regards to a nutrient or mineral deficiency, a trauma that your body is reliving, or a response to any number of stressors in your current situation. While it can be easy to think of anxiety as purely a mental issue, there is always a physical component. In fact, according to Michelle, about 80% of anxiety is physical! This is why talking about your emotions can surely give you the tools to cope with your anxiety, but therapy alone won’t always eliminate the anxiety completely. For that, you really have to go to the root cause.

Root Causes of Anxiety

Take a look at the list below of root causes of anxiety, and you’ll notice that half are actually physical aspects of health rather than mental.

Anxiety can result from:

• Gut issues: This first one’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg situation, because gut issues often arise from stress. Poor digestion inhibits us from breaking down our food properly and leads to nutrient deficiencies/imbalances.
• Nutrient and mineral deficiencies: When we are nutrient deficient, we can’t power the body’s many systems as optimally, and our metabolism slows to ensure our survival. Compensation will always end up in depletion if this is not addressed.
• Energetic depletion: Without proper nutrients or the ability to use them, you’ll notice yourself feeling more tired, irritable, and less resilient to stress. This also pertains to the mental/emotional/spiritual energy that can be lost through toxic relationships, people-pleasing, and our response to our own negative thoughts.
• Imbalances in blood sugar: As your blood sugar drops, your body releases cortisol (the stress hormone) to trigger the liver to convert stored glucose into a usable form and then release it into the bloodstream, quickly bringing your blood sugar back up into a healthy range. This is why we always want to strive for blood sugar balance throughout the day.
• Perceived threats to safety (fear of physical environment): One common example of this that we see in the women we work is stress caused by being on specific diets for too long. There is a level of fear around certain foods and anxiety around eating in general.
• Stressors going on in personal life or your environment: Anything from traffic jams to relationship issues, under-eating or overexercising, and even constant stimulation from social media can set us on an anxiety rollercoaster.
• Genetics: Can definitely play a role in anxiety disorders, but environment has a much greater impact.

If anxiety is something you experience often or have diagnosed with, it’s worth looking into all the areas above. Utilizing testing like the HTMA and GI Map can bring mineral imbalances and gut issues to light and give you a path forward for healing.

What To Do When Anxiety Strikes

Now that we know what can cause anxiety, let’s cover some things that can help in the moment. When anxiety comes up, no matter where you are, try to lean into it. I know it’s easier said than done, because anxiety doesn’t ever feel good. Oftentimes, it’s accompanied by physical sensations like sweaty palms, a racing heart, or shortness of breath—which can be very scary in the moment, and will cause most people to do just about anything to make it stop. But once you recognize that you’re anxious, leaning into these feelings and asking yourself a couple questions can help you determine what your body is trying to tell you. Remember, the more we ignore it, the louder it will scream.

Here are a few steps you can take when you notice anxiety bubbling beneath the surface.

Step 1: Acknowledge and sit with the anxiety.

It doesn’t matter if your anxiety stems from something rational or irrational. It’s only by sitting with it and accepting it that we’re able to transform our anxiety from a weapon into a tool, and begin to better understand the medical issues behind it.

Step 2: Go deeper.

Imagine your anxiety as a wave coming over you. In that moment, let it flow through you: Feel your emotions, think your thoughts, be in your body. This can feel really uncomfortable at first, but allowing yourself to be present with your feelings and physical sensations can actually help you get over your fear. Take two minutes to let the thoughts roll.

Step 3: Create a little humor.

If it helps, ask yourself the big question, “What if…?” For example, “What if I die on this bridge?” or “What if I don’t get this task finished on time?” Reply with a little lightness and humor by throwing your hands up in the air and saying, “So what!” This should always be the response. To continue the bridge example: “If I die, so what. Heaven might be nice.”

Sounds silly, and even a little insensitive, but this strategy serves to disarm the anxiety and ease your discomfort so that you can get to the bottom of your body’s red flag.

Step 4: Ask yourself what it is you need.

What will help signal to your body that you are indeed safe? For some, it might be orienting themselves to their physical space with breath work; for others, it could be needing to re-fuel with a balanced meal, warm bath, or even a walk outside. Take a few moments to figure out what would make you feel anchored and grounded in your body.

Step 5: Remind yourself that anxiety is NOT who you are.

As with any other condition or health struggle, it’s important to remember that anxiety is not who you are. It doesn’t define you; it’s something apart from your identity that you’re trying to get to know better so that you can ultimately learn to let go of it.

Journal prompt: Think about which part of your psyche is making you anxious. Is it the people-pleaser in you, or maybe it’s your competitive side that brings it out. Visualize what she’s wearing, what she’s saying, what she sounds like. Characterizing this specific voice in your head can make it easier to recognize her when she pops up and respond in a way that’s honest and true to who YOU are.

How To Calm Your Nervous System

Our body’s #1 priority is survival, and when it starts to feel at all threatened, the alarm bells will toll. This protective mechanism is actually something to be grateful for, because it kept our ancestors alive when a dangerous predator was afoot. But when we are up against a thousand tiny stressors all the time, it becomes difficult for our body to differentiate between real danger (a hungry lion) and a minor thing (like that one task on our to-do list we’ve been neglecting for months). Over time, it sees every little stressor as a hungry lion and forgets how to relax. Another term for this is being stuck in a sympathetic state when we should be able to switch back and forth from a sympathetic to parasympathetic state.

Getting into the parasympathetic or “rest and digest” state encourages our bodies to recharge and heal. To tap into that, there are a few practices you can do multiple times a day that will calm our vagus nerve (the nerve connecting our brains to our gut).

• Put your hands behind your head and look to your left for 10-20 seconds and then look to your right for 10-20 seconds. This rewires your brain and stimulates your vagus nerve.
• Take a 10-second cold shower. You can go longer but start slow. This builds resilience to stress.
• Shake and release energy through movement, especially if your energy is in a high place. Shiver, shake, jump up and down. Don’t try to force yourself to calm down quickly. Remember, we are accepting, not fighting.

These practices induce something called hermetic stress, which is actually good stress that helps to cool your vagus nerve.

Just as recap: Anxiety is simply energy. From now on, when you think ‘I am anxious,’ try changing the thought to ‘I am energetic.’ How can I release this energy? Listen, accept, acknowledge, ask for more, then ask what you need.

We hope this has been helpful!

Here are some other great resources on calming your nervous system

• Supporting the vagus nerve with Ami Brannon from Neuvana
• nervous system 101 with irene lyon

reminder: i’m currently taking on 1:1 clients. if you’d like to explore what it would be like to work together and if we are a good fit, fill out this form to get more details!​