Reduce Your Anxiety with Diet Changes Published April 18, 2018 | By Jean Anxiety is very prevalent right now. But many of my clients don’t want to rely on a prescription medication to treat their symptoms. Research shows a change in your diet may help. There are many types of anxiety such as feelings of fear, worry and uneasiness. Each one is usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is actually minimally stressful. Assessment and Treatment Methods The first thing I do when seeing a new client is an interview to determine family symptoms and coping strategies. Next, I administer questionnaires to determine the degree of anxiety. There are many types of anxiety disorders from panic disorders and social anxiety disorder to specific phobias and generalized anxiety disorder. Symptoms vary depending on the type of anxiety disorder, but generally include: feelings of panic, fear and uneasiness problems sleeping cold or sweaty hands and/or feet shortness of breath heart palpitations dry mouth numbness or tingling in the hands or feet nausea muscle tension and dizziness After the questionnaire and interview, we choose a treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, lifestyle changes, and/or life coaching or relaxation therapies. Dietary Changes Can Reduce Ask Anxiety Recent research also indicates that diet can also be a factor in anxiety. Adding certain supplements or foods to the person’s diet can decrease anxiety symptoms. A magnesium deficiency may contribute to anxiety, depression, and insomnia. An inadequate intake of Vitamin B and calcium can increase anxiety symptoms as well. Other foods to avoid if suffering from anxiety are nicotine, caffeine, and stimulant drugs and foods including salt and artificial additives like preservatives. Instead, those suffering from anxiety should ensure their daily diet includes foods such as wholegrain cereals, leafy green vegetables, and low fat dairy products, and to choose fresh, unprocessed foods whenever possible. This is good news and easy to add to your daily regime. Always check with your doctor about any interactions that may occur. If you would like to be assessed and receive support while you reduce your anxiety symptoms, call or schedule an appointment so we can work together to reduce the unpleasant inner turmoil you may be feeling.
Is Your Life Out of Balance? Published February 22, 2018 | By Jean Does your life need balancing? Is exercise part of your life balancing routine? Balance is what I believe is one of the most important things in life. Not extreme exercising or weight loss programs or changes in any area in your life but gradual and enjoyable movement toward balance. In his book, The 20 Minute Break, Dr. Ernest Rossi tells you how to recognize your natural rhythms so you can avoid stress and learn how to maximize your performance and health. If you continue to ignore your need to take a break you can experience more and more stress until you actually get sick. Read More… This imbalance can be corrected. I help my clients by coaching them with support and accountability. It isn’t that hard, just a decision you make and then move through small steps toward your goals in each area. The life wheel represents the major areas in Life, Health and Exercise being one area. It is so important to use exercise as part of your life balancing. The more you improve one area of your life you will see a positive overlap in other areas. You will see improvement in all areas of your life when you raise your level of enjoyment in one. Some of the other areas on the wheel are Health, Relationships, Finances, Socialization, and Life Purpose. You can start with a FREE 5 minute session with me at 888-821-2935. Call and schedule a FREE phone session to get started.
Honesty and Intimacy Published February 9, 2018 | By Jean ‘How can you have intimacy without hearts speaking to each other?’ — Rumi How is it possible to have intimacy with anyone without speaking from your heart? Listen to your heart. Enjoy music that touches your heart. Feel your heart beating and speak from your heart when in conversations with others. You will see quickly whether the other person is present with you. If not, move on to those who can join you in true honest conversation. Daily situations give rise to human intimacy. For example, when the person at the drive through hands you your coffee, you can make eye contact and thank the person from a place of gratitude, remembering he or she is a human being with feelings, family, and fears just like your own. A quick exchange like this can be intimate because the source is the heart of humanity. In your more intimate relationships such as those with your family and life partner, if your hearts stop speaking due to fear, anger, anxiety, greed, resentment, or disappointment, you may become distant and your hearts will yearn for that connection. I believe we search for that connection and that is why we smile at newborn babies, play with puppies and kittens, and enjoy beautiful soulful poems or songs. We are human beings with beating hearts. Let us not forget that, especially in a time when we look for role models in this country who speak from their heart and soul with honest integrity. We are challenged to do this now. Come back to your heart. It is beating. It is alive. It is the source of love and life.
Eat These Foods to Improve Your Mental Health Published February 1, 2018 | By Jean Can your mental health be affected by what you eat? Yes, there are foods that can impact your mood and psychological well-being. Can you actually feel better by eating healthy foods and staying away from processed and fast food ? The answer is absolutely! Are you stressed and don’t have time to create a healthy meal? Try to go toward Omega 3 fats with the essential vitamins for a healthy brain and mood. Try a soup that includes spinach and other folate rich foods. Vitamin B is important for psychological well-being and a deficiency in B6 or B9 or B12 can trigger symptoms of depression. If you’re too busy for a big meal, over the weekend, make a large soup with organic leafy vegetables such as broccoli asparagus, cabbage and turnip greens that you can heat up during the week for a comforting and mood-enhancing lunch or dinner with a side salad. If you add bread, try non-gluten because many people seem to have symptoms of inflammation when eating gluten. Tryptophan is also an important ingredient to add. High tryptophan foods include nuts, seeds, tofu, cheese, red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans, lentils, and eggs. The recommended daily intake for tryptophan is 4 mg per kilogram of body weight or 1.8 mg per pound. So a person weighing 70 kg (~154 pounds) should consume around 280 mg of tryptophan per day. If you need coffee in the morning to get going, try organic coffee. Although the benefits for depression are inconclusive you can at least know that organic coffee has less possibility of harmful toxins. Do you want to bring balance into your life, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being? By taking small steps you can make progress toward a less stressful and mentally healthy lifestyle. When you start to make small changes in your diet and lifestyle, your relationships, energy, and mental health will also improve. Learn more about healthy living on my blog
What’s New with Seasonal Depression? Published January 11, 2018 | By Jean Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs seasonally, typically more noticeably in the fall and winter months then often disappears in spring. According to Women’s Health, although SAD may differ from one person to another, when the days become shorter and the light is less. People with SADS may feel sluggish, develop insomnia, increased desire for sugar and carb cravings with an increase in weight. Some people feel sluggish and just don’t feel motivated to get out and enjoy life as usual. Here are some ideas to help reduce your SAD symptoms: A light box can be helpful to provide full Spectrum HD-LED Light and it can be used daily. Follow the recommendations that come with your lightbox. Exercise is helpful even if it is the last thing you feel like doing. Just put a favorite exercise video on at home if you can’t make it out to the gym. Add vitamin D to your regimen as it has been shown to decrease symptoms of SAD. Researchers have shown that a decrease in vitamin D is related to SAD. Eat a healthy diet (refer to my blog on healthy food) and last and most important talk to someone. Lastly and very important, talk to someone in person. Texting and Facebook can create more feelings of isolation. Talk to a friend or a therapist http://www.emdrcoach.com/with-winter-coming-try-therapy-in-your-home/. Cognitive Behavioral therapy can be very helpful to improve your outlook and your sense of motivation so your mood can lift as you await spring!