Anxiety and Your Health
 
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Physical health can have a direct impact on your emotional wellness, including your anxiety levels. You may have thought that since anxiety is created in the mind, that it could only be resolved in the mind. However, emotional energies exist throughout the body, and you'd be wise to consider both aspects in your recovery. Without taking proper care of both your mind and body, you will simply not be able to avoid or manage stress and anxiety as well as you would otherwise.

You've probably heard it a hundred times, but a few major components of a healthy lifestyle are proper diet and nutrition, good sleeping habits, and regular exercise. What you may not have been aware of is that a deficiency in any one of these areas can actually contribute to stress, anxiety, and depression, and may be having more of a negative impact on your emotional life than you realize. For example, improper diet and nutrition can cause changes in brain chemistry that leave you less able to cope with emotional problems and reactions... If you drink coffee, soda, or other caffeinated beverages regularly, you are going to be much more prone to stress, anxiety, anger, and general nervousness. Therefore, it would be wise to eliminate caffeine completely from your diet during your initial attempts to overcome anxiety,

Lack of proper sleep can cause lethargy, irritability, make you less productive, and may eventually contribute to depression. Likewise, lack of exercise can contribute to stress and may amplify a wide variety of adverse emotions. Our bodies were designed for physical activity which modern conveniences have made it possible to live without. However, without replacement activity it's easy to accumulate a lot of excess body energy, which in the right environment easily transforms into higher anxiety levels. Therefore, exercise might be one of the best ways to initially manage anxiety, and can work wonders in enhancing your overall mental and emotional state.

Of course, we do not have room here for a complete course in health and nutrition, but there is plenty of material out there should you wish to increase your knowledge of the subject. Always consult with a doctor before making changes to your diet or fitness program. For now, just know that failing to take proper physical care of yourself can very well become the weak link in your efforts toward anxiety relief.

Listen to and repeat the following affirmations as if you have already adopted these healthy attitudes and habits:

  • I appreciate my body, and I appreciate its service to me.
  • I am taking steps to take care of my body and be healthy.
  • I eat healthy, nutritional foods and keep my diet balanced
  • I get an adequate amount of sleep every night.
  • I avoid cigarettes and alcohol because they wear on my emotional energy.
  • I limit my intake of caffeine and refined sugar, which can elevate stress levels.
  • I exercise regularly. I enjoy exercising
  • Exercise releases mental tension, and restores my inner strength

NEXT PAGE: A word about "Health Anxiety"