Dealing With Stress and Anxiety

The determinants of our mental well-being go beyond our genes and brain chemistry to include inflammation, gut health, sleep, nutrition, hormones, chronic limbic hyperarousal due to  unresolved trauma, and even having our basic needs for community, nature, meaning and purpose going unmet. If we do have a chemical imbalance, it is probably a downstream effect of these other states of imbalance."

"In other words, anxiety is not all in your head; it's largely based in the body, and that's where it should first be addressed."

"While our cultural attitude toward mental health is to regard it as a genetic destiny and a matter of troubled brain chemistry, much of our anxiety is rooted in the body and is mostly avoidable. Eliminating unnecessary stress responses can make us more resilient in the face of unavoidable stressors."

Dr. Ellen Vora, holistic and board-certified psychiatrist, acupuncturist, and yoga teacher

 

An inventory of avoidable anxiety could include:

• Hunger
• Sleep deprivation
• Being over-caffeinated
• A Hangover (what is now spoken of as "hang-xiety")
• Gut issues
• Inflammation
• Long stretches of being sedentary
• Chemical fallout after consuming highly processed food
• Late luteal phase (the days before the bleeding phase of the menstrual cycle)
• Inter-dose withdrawal (the pharmacologic low-point when  you're due for your next dose of a psychiatric medication)

During the first year that the coronavirus pandemic struck the globe, according to the World Health Organization, global cases of anxiety and depression rose by 25 percent. Among mental health professionals the consensus appears to be that mental health struggles relate to chemical imbalance in our DNA implying that anxiety is chemical, determined by serotonin levels, leading to the belief that the issue reflects genetic destiny.  Applicable therapies and medications are prescribed accordingly.

There may, however be other available options, according to Dr. Ellen Vora. Therapy sessions are becoming more difficult to accommodate given the stressors and shortfalls of late on the health care system, and medications sometimes don't work for everyone. On the other  hand, much of what has an impact on our moods and body is another issue playing a critical role in mental  health. Dr. Vora speaks of two types of anxiety: true anxiety (or purposeful anxiety), and avoidable anxiety.

True anxiety symptoms, she points out, tell the individual that something is awry that should be paid attention to. Some introspection is required to analyze what certain symptoms may indicate as links to anxiety symptoms. Consultation with a health professional is a start. Avoidable anxiety, on the other hand, may represent the body reacting to a stress response. We live in a distracting world that presents us with issues that can be disturbing, both personally and in sympathy with occurrences elsewhere.

What occupies our minds and our thoughts can often bring on stress from information overload or constant exposure to events that are clearly upsetting on a macro level, but which we can do nothing about, ourselves. A solution can be found in focusing on the stress with a mind to addressing the locus of anxiety to  help lift the stress level of the body to eliminate unnecessary stress responses.

Identifying when anxiety has a physical basis can help in the recognition that life feels\somewhat overwhelmed than it is in actuality and that recognition alone can help lift the level of stress. Making it a practise to study how we react to external triggers arousing anxiety levels can help take steps to eliminate avoidable anxiety, as a heightened awareness helps to take charge of moods that stress, making us more resilient as we balance mood and anxiety.

"Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks)."

"These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. You may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings."

"Examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder. You can have more than one anxiety disorder. Sometimes anxiety results from a medical condition that needs treatment."

"Whatever form of anxiety you have, treatment can help."

Mayo Clinic