There are so many different strategies that you can use to manage your anxiety. Medication prescribed by a doctor can help to relieve the symptoms and talking therapies are good for long term relief from anxiety. Breathing exercises can help to control severe bouts of anxiety, and daily meditation can improve your overall mood and mental wellbeing. But have you ever thought about the role that your diet plays in anxiety? Many people don’t pay much attention to what they eat and drink, but it can actually make a big difference to anxiety. These are some of the best dietary changes to help you manage your anxiety.
Cut Back On Caffeine
Most people drink caffeine on a daily basis, and it does have a lot of positive effects. It helps you to wake up in the morning and improves your focus, and studies show that a few cups of coffee each day can be beneficial to your health in the long term. However, if you suffer from anxiety, it’s important that you are careful with caffeine. If you drink too much, it can increase your feelings of anxiety and if you develop a reliance on caffeine, you will feel low when you haven’t had a cup of coffee for a while. It can also affect your sleep, and bad sleep will have a negative impact on your anxiety as well. You don’t need to give up your morning coffee, but you should try to cut back on caffeine as much as possible.
Add Supplements To Your Diet
There are some great dietary supplements that you can use to reduce feelings of anxiety. CBD is a very popular treatment for anxiety right now, and you can get some brilliant CBD food supplements that are easy to add to your diet and should make a big difference. Other supplements, like vitamin D and magnesium, have also been shown to help with anxiety, so try to add these to your diet as well.
Don’t Skip Meals
If you regularly skip meals, that could be making your anxiety worse as well. When you skip meals, your blood sugar levels drop and that can make you feel jittery and anxious. If you find it tough to keep up with regular mealtimes, you should consider meal planning. Planning your meals out will ensure that you are always eating healthy meals and not skipping any.
Eat Foods To Improve Gut Health
There is a strong link between your gut health and your mental health, and if you do not look after the bacteria in your gut, it can make mental health issues, like anxiety, a lot worse. That’s why it’s important that you eat plenty of foods that improve gut health. Yogurt is a great source of good bacteria and so are fermented foods, like sauerkraut and kimchi. If you eat a lot of bread, try switching to sourdough because it contains more healthy bacteria than normal bread.
Although there are other factors to consider and your diet won’t magically cure anxiety, it can make a big difference, so consider making these changes.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.
