Anxiety is our body's natural response to stress, alerting us to potential threats and preparing us for action. When you experience anxiety, your stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol go up, and can cause a “fight or flight” reaction, which from an evolutionary perspective was helpful to prepare to run away or fight the potential threat.¹ Your heart rate and blood sugar levels increase, blood is circulated to big muscles needed for running, and you breathe faster to prepare for an escape.¹ Now days, most of our stressors and many of the anxiety provoking situations we are exposed to don’t require a rapid sprint, which helps to release and lower stress hormones. Due to this anxiety can become maladaptive and may disrupt our daily lives and impact our well-being.¹

Understanding your triggers

Anxiety comes in many different forms for each individual and with this its own unique characteristics and triggers. Generalised Anxiety Disorder is characterised by excessive worry and tension about everyday events.² Social Anxiety Disorder involves an intense fear of being judged or scrutinised in social situations with feelings of shame.² Panic Disorder manifests as sudden and recurring panic attacks, accompanied by physical symptoms like heart palpitations and shortness of breath.² Understanding the specific type of anxiety you're experiencing is an important step in moving towards implementing effective coping strategies.

Common symptoms of anxiety

Anxiety can affect the entire body, manifesting in many varying ways both mentally and physically. below are some common signs and symptoms of anxiety:¹

Nervous tension / muscle tension

Restlessness

Sleeplessness / disrupted sleep

Irritability

Fear

Anger

Dissatisfaction with activities you usually enjoy

Breathlessness

Low energy

Poor concentration

Changes in bowel habits and digestive complications

*this is not an exhaustive list of all the possible symptoms of anxiety

Tips for taming that butterfly feeling

Mindfulness and Meditation: practicing mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing exercises, journaling, walking in nature and meditation, can help calm a racing overactive mind and bring focus to the present moment. By becoming more self-aware you may start to notice aggravators and it may help to reduce anxiety symptoms.³

Lifestyle modifications: incremental lifestyle changes may have a big impact on helping to reduce anxiety feelings. Alter the foods you consume, by opting to limit processed and refined sugary packaged foods and increasing fresh vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and quality proteins and fats.⁴

Aim to increase movement and exercise on a regular basis and prioritising quality sleep.⁵ Be selective with activities or hobbies, engage in ones that aren’t associated with feeling anxious and even help to reduce your anxious feelings.

Practice self-compassion: understand that anxiety is common and part of the human experience. treat yourself with compassion, kindness and warmth.  

Seek support: focus on developing a support network from family, friends, mental health professionals or a health care provider.

Herbal and nutrient support

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has been traditionally used for its calming actions and may help to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety symptoms.⁶

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a gentle herb that acts like a big comforting hug. Research has shown that it has been beneficial in helping to reduce feelings of irritability, restlessness and nervous headache as well as for support in generalised anxiety disorder.^7,8

Lemon balm (Melissa Officinalis) has long been utilised in Ayurvedic medicine for reducing anxiety, having a calming action and lowering stress. Research has further shown that not only can it support stress and anxiety it may also help to improve cognitive function and memory.^9,10

Ashwaghanda (Withania somnifera) also known as Ashwagandha, is an adaptogenic herb that helps the body adapt to stress, promote balance and improve resilience.¹¹ It has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for treating nervous exhaustion, anxiety and tension. Withania has further been utilised to support mental well-being.^11,12

Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in hundreds of processes within the body, including mood regulation.¹⁴ Unfortunately, most common Western diets are deficient in magnesium.¹³ Magnesium supplementation may help reduce anxiety symptoms and regulate our stress response, particularly in individuals with magnesium deficiency.¹⁴

B Vitamins play essential roles in regulating the biochemical messengers commonly referred to as neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation and anxiety, such as serotonin, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and norepinephrine.¹⁵ A diet lacking in B vitamins or a deficiency has been linked to an increased susceptibility of anxiety and mood disturbance and may affect our ability with how we cope with stressful events.^15-17

Anxiety can also be a result from certain health problems, always consult your natural health care practitioner for specialised support.

 

References

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2. Sarkar D. A review of behavioral tests to evaluate different types of anxiety and anti-anxiety effects. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2020;18(3):341–51. DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2020.18.3.341

3. Sharma M, Rush SE. Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a stress management intervention for healthy individuals: A systematic review. J Evidence-Based Complement Altern Med. 2014 Oct 1;19(4):271–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/21565872145431

4. Gibson-Smith D, Bot M, Brouwer IA, Visser M, Giltay EJ, Penninx BW. Association of food groups with depression and anxiety disorders. Eur J Nutr. 2020;59(2):767–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-01943-45. Culver MF. Sleep Interrupted: How Our Modern Life Affects Our Rhythm. EC Nutr. 2018;13(November):250–9.

5. Culver MF. Sleep interrupted: How our modern life affects our rhythm. EC Nutr. 2018;13:250–9.

6. Koulivand PH, Khaleghi Ghadiri M, Gorji A. Lavender and the nervous system. eCAM. 2013;2013:1-10

7. Janda K, Wojtkowska K, Jakubczyk K, Antoniewicz J, Skonieczna-żydecka K. Passiflora incarnata in neuropsychiatric disorders— a systematic review. Nutrients. 2020;12(12):3894. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123894

8. Nojoumi M, Ghaeli P, Salimi S, Sharifi A, Raisi F. Effects of Passion Flower extract, as an add-on treatment to sertraline, on reaction time in patients ‎with Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A double-blind placebo-controlled study. Iran J Psychiatry. 2016 Jul;11(3):191-7.

9. Kennedy DO, Little W, Scholey AB. Attenuation of laboratory-induced stress in humans after acute administration of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm). Psychosom Med. 2004;66(4):607–13. DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000132877.72833.71

10. Kennedy DO, Wake G, Savelev S, Tildesley NTJ, Perry EK, Wesnes KA, et al. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of single doses of Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) with human CNS nicotinic and muscarinic receptor-binding properties. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003;28(10):1871–81. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.npp.1300230

11. Umadevi M, Rajeswari R, Sharmila Rahale C, Selvavenkadesh S, Pushpa R, Sampath Kumar KP, et al. Traditional and medicinal uses of Withania somnifera. 2012;1(9):102-10.

12. Pratte MA, Nanavati KB, Young V, Morley CP. An alternative treatment for anxiety: A systematic review of human trial results reported for the Ayurvedic herb Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). J Altern Complement Med. 2014;20(12):901–8. DOI:10.1089/acm.2014.0177

13. Fiorentini D, Cappadone C, Farruggia G, Prata C. Magnesium: Biochemistry, nutrition, detection, and social impact of diseases linked to its deficiency. Nutrients. 2021 Mar 30;13(4):1136. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041136

14. Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The effects of magnesium supplementation on subjective anxiety and stress—a systematic review. Nutrients. 2017;9(5):429. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9050429

15. Wendołowicz A, Stefańska E, Ostrowska L. INFLUENCE OF SELECTED DIETARY COMPONENTS ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM. 2018;69(1):15–21.

16. Individuals A risk, Young LM, Pipingas A, White DJ, Gauci S, Scholey A. Supplementation on Depressive Symptoms , Anxiety ,. 2019;

17. Durrani D, Idrees R, Idrees H, Ellahi A. Vitamin B6: A new approach to lowering anxiety, and depression? Ann Med Surg [Internet]. 2022;82(September):104663. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104663