Remember when the worst news you got was a celebrity you liked had died? Now we have countrywide fires, loadshedding, hurricanes, wars and I think I heard something about a virus. All this creates stress as we keep thinking about what can happen and how it affects us. And all of this leads to ANXIETY!
What does anxiety feel like?
Anxiety feelings can range from a nervousness in your stomach to a racing heart. It often makes your emotions feel like you can't control them and they start to control you. And you can sometimes feel it in the body as well with tension or shaking.
Other things people sometimes experience with anxiety include nightmares, panic attacks, and painful thoughts or memories that you can’t control. You may have a general feeling of fear and worry, or you may fear a specific place or event.
Symptoms of general anxiety include:
- increased heart rate
- rapid breathing or a feeling like you can't catch your breath
- restlessness or jitteriness
- trouble concentrating or focussing
- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
What lifestyle changes can help anxiety?
Turn off the news, and stop doom-scrolling on social media. It may be difficult, but it's a simple start. Making changes in what you do everyday can be help relieve some of the stress and anxiety you may have to cope with. Otherwise, you can try some natural remedies.
Lifestyle changes include:
- getting enough sleep
- meditating
- staying active and exercising
- eating a healthy diet
- avoiding alcohol
- avoiding caffeine
- quitting smoking cigarettes
What natural remedies are used for anxiety?
But to deal with anxiety, it can help to get your hormones in balance, and especially work on your feel good hormones, like serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. Serotonin is the one we like to focus on, as it seems to make the biggest impact on mood.
- Tryptophan is what the body uses to create serotonin. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, has tryptophan, and therefore can help for anxiety. WHAT?
- Sceletium also stimulates serotonin, so your body can make more of it.
- L-theanine also stimulates serotonin production in the brain.
- Lemon balm, or melissa officianalis, helps increase another important calming chemical called GABA.
- Valerian root also works on increasing GABA in the body.
ZANG has 2 products which may help. The Calm Bomb snap has sceletium, valerian root, lemon balm and l-theanine which is in honey, and we also have The Calm Bite, which is dark chocolate with sceletium extract and l-theanine.
Can foods helps anxiety?
Anxiety can be helped by eating right, as some research suggests.
These foods include:
- salmon
- chamomile
- turmeric
- dark chocolate
- yogurt
- green tea
