Certain lifestyle factors
can aggravate anxiety, increasing the duration and intensity of panic
attacks, and can even influence the way we think, increasing phobias
and generalized anxiety.
For people with moderate
anxiety, or occasional worry, implementing lifestyle changes may be
all that is needed to live an anxiety- or worry-free life. For those
who suffer from severe anxiety, who need professional counseling and
drug therapy, these same lifestyle factors are not cures in and of
themselves, but are no less helpful.
I will focus on negative
lifestyle factors in Part I—on our bad habits which lead to
increased stress. You may find that avoiding these factors are
beneficial for people without anxiety as well, and for people with
depression.
Stress
Stress is a general cause of
anxiety and panic attacks. Each topic in this post is an example of a
stressor, be it drugs, poor diet, the way we think about others and
ourselves, conflict, or emotional and physical isolation.
Not dealing with stressful
events as they occur leads to a buildup of stress over weeks, months,
or years. This chronic stress causes illnesses, mood swings, and
unpredictable behavior, further compounding life's troubles.
Though stress should not be
(nor can it be) avoided at all costs, it's good to have a way of
coping with the stress, and avoiding what stress we
can do without. Being aware of stress's role in life can be a big first step.
Knowing the difference between avoidable stress (having a
disorganized schedule) and unavoidable stress (a death in the family)
is important.
What follows deals with
avoidable stress. Avoiding these things in our lives can go a
long way to reducing or even curing anxiety.
Drugs
Drugs like alcohol and
tobacco give people a false sense of security. The first drink or
smoke can make us feel good, take away feelings of stress and
apprehension, but the more someone self-medicates with drinking and
smoking the more they play “catch up” as the body craves another drink or smoke.
Addiction is a see-saw
between feeling a high and being in withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms are similar to panic and anxiety symptoms and so an
alcoholic or smoker who is dealing with an anxiety disorder may not
realize the difference.
The chemical compounds in
alcohol and tobacco are also detrimental. Nicotine in cigarettes acts
as a stimulant, much like the caffeine in coffee or chocolate.
Alcohol can quickly dehydrate the body, causing hang-over symptoms
which can feel like the pounding headache and churning stomach of a
severe panic attack.
Unhealthy Diets
Poor diet negatively effects
our moods and increase anxiety, especially foods high in sugar and
chemical additives.
Sugar (and other processed
carbohydrates) is digested quickly, and just as quickly used by the
body, resulting in a quick high and an even quicker crash. Many
people who consume large amounts of candy or soda are familiar with
these mood swings. But instead of avoiding sugar, most people remedy
the crash by eating again, and the cycle repeats itself.
Overeating can also mimic
panic attack symptoms like uncomfortable bloating, upset stomachs,
heartburn, and headaches. Some people have trigger foods like greasy pizza or milk. Chemicals like MSG in processed foods can
cause migraines. Other food additives like artificial sugars can
increase appetite, leading to even more sugar intake. An
unhealthy diet can lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and
cancer, creating even more instability and anxiety.
A majority of my own panic
attacks have come during or shortly after a meal, and
controlling my diet has been one of the most effective means of
controlling my anxiety.
Sedentary Lifestyles
Exercise and anxiety
medications have something in common. Serotonin. Serotonin makes us
feel happy, but when we sit and watch TV all day, unless we're taking
a healthy dose of drugs, we're probably lacking this one vital
neurotransmitter.
Watching TV and playing
video games has been linked to increased feelings of uneasiness, and
when we sit for long periods of time we're also more likely to get
bored and eat, or dwell on negativity. Sitting too much also
depresses the immune system and a slew of other hormones and bodily
activities.
A lack of activity also
impacts self-esteem. Few people can gain confidence on a couch.
Pessimism
If life were a race, it
would be smart of us to begin at the start/finish line with the
rest of the runners.
Having a pessimistic outlook
on life means starting a mile behind where we're supposed to. By the
time we catch the other runners, assuming we even do, we've come
farther than we had to, and worked harder than necessary, because we
were holding ourselves back. And the other racers—life's
challenges—have the edge on us.
With pessimism it's hard for
us to overcome obstacles, or to even think clearly about life and
what we're doing in it. How this effects those with anxiety disorders
is simple: pessimism gives us every reason to give up and not finish
what we've started or hope to one day accomplish—healing.
Conflict
Some conflict
is unavoidable, like a project that must be finished immediately, or
a major illness in the family. But much of the conflict we face in
life comes in the form of drama. Life's drama is conflict that is not
dependent on others or life circumstances. This is drama we create
for ourselves.
People who gossip, treat
others rudely, or lose their tempers and lash out at friends and
loved ones only make their anxiety worse by creating unnecessary
tension in all of their activities and social interactions. It is
important to understand that when we are rude and harsh to others, we
will not be treated well by them. But when we are kind to others, we
can generally expect others to be kind in return.
It can be very difficult to
know when the problem is us or someone else, but typically if it's
happening a lot, across many relationships, we're likely the ones to
blame—and the only ones who can fix us.
It is far easier to heal in
a happy, relaxed atmosphere than in a chaotic and tense one. Building
relationships based on kindness instead of treachery is vital.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism
is a common cause of
generalized anxiety and feelings of uneasiness. When it comes right
down to it, what bothers many people most is a feeling of lack of
control which contradicts a strong, inborn need to have things work
out perfectly.
We want everything to go right on the first day of school or work, but
there's an uncertainty that it won't, and so we worry. We worry when
anything may turn out less than perfect. We fret over the cooking,
over the kids, over neighbors and coworkers. We fret when life
isn't perfectly in our control.
But
life doesn't have to be perfect to be happy, fulfilling, and fun.
Isolation
The
last item speaks specifically to those with Social Anxiety Disorder
and Agoraphobia. In the face of phobias the first instinct is to
hide, but isolating oneself is counterproductive. The intuitive
feeling of running away from what we feel is harmful is wrong
precisely because it is just a feeling.
In
reality unfamiliar social situations (like driving a car, going to
school or work, or talking on a telephone) may be nerve-racking, but
they are not dangerous, and so do not require the same response as meeting a predator in the wild would require, which is to run and hide.
Because
there is no real, valid threat, isolation not only fails, but often
results in the exact opposite of what we need to cope with life.
Isolation can lead to an increased phobia by entrenching us in our
comfort zone. And when dealing with a phobia, or even worry, the best
tactic is to grow, not collapse, even if growth happens slowly.
Further Reading:
Tao of Anxiety: Series
Further Reading:
Tao of Anxiety: Series
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