The Science Behind It
I apologise, but things are going to have to get a bit technical for a moment.
Six months ago I discovered my methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene, known broadly as MTHFR, is a bit wonky. Specifically, I inherited variations in the MTHFR gene, at the particular locations of C677T and A1298C, predisposing me to high levels of homocysteine.
This is a chemical found in a metabolic cycle called methylation that relies heavily on B-vitamins and plays an important role in, among many other things, mood regulation. MTHFR, when working properly, synthesises folate into a specific form needed to turn toxic metabolite homocysteine into methione, which is essential for cell growth and DNA metabolism.
To bypass this problem, all I need to do is take folinic acid and methylcobalamin B12. Thats it.
CSIRO principal research scientist, Professor Michael Fenech who leads the genome health and nutrigenomics project first started looking at MTHFR because of the C677Ts association with increases in homocysteine, which has also been linked with an increased risk of DNA damage, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimers disease.
Perhaps I should let him better explain the link between MTHFR and depression and anxiety.
Problems with folate metabolism have been associated with depression and/or anxiety. This is partly due to inadequate SAMe synthesis. SAMe is required for neurotransmitter synthesis which is important for proper nerve and brain function.
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Curcumin is a polyphenol compound found in turmeric thatâs been shown to have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may have antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties as well .
A 2017 study in 123 people with major depressive disorder demonstrated that those who received 500â1,000 mg of curcumin or 500 mg of curcumin combined with 30 mg of saffron per day for 12 weeks had greater improvements in anxiety symptoms than those who took a placebo .
Curcumin has also been shown to reduce anxiety in people with diabetes and in people with obesity and depression (
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Cannabidiol has become a popular natural remedy for a number of health conditions, including anxiety.
Evidence suggests that CBD, when used in doses ranging from 300â600 mg, may help reduce anxiety in people with SAD, as well as in people without anxiety disorders .
In addition, a recent review of 25 studies found that CBD may help reduce anxiety in people with SAD. However, the researchers acknowledged that many of the studies are low quality, so more high quality research is needed .
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Research suggests that multivitamin supplements may help improve anxiety symptoms.
What Is The Best Time Of Day To Take Magnesium For Anxiety
I usually take around 600mg to 800mg spread out throughout the day.
Which for a 31-year-old female, youll notice Im taking double if not more my RDA.
Magnesium overdose is not very likely, with the Office of Dietary Supplements noting that very large doses of magnesium-containing laxatives and antacids have been associated with magnesium toxicity.
Personally, I find 600 to 800mg is the ideal daily amount for me, but I would encourage you to first talk to your physician if you are considering going over the RDA for any reason.
Ill take 200mg in the morning, 200mg in the afternoon and then 400mg before bed helps me to sleep like a baby.
If theres one thing I recommend starting today for your own anxiety struggles, its taking magnesium.
You may feel more chilled out, your mood will start to lift.
You wont have any stomach woes and youll sleep better, what could be better?
The worst that can happen from too much magnesium is looser stools but I think anyone would take that over a dark cloud of depression any day, I know I do!
Sorry if TMI, but you deserve to know!
Hopefully now you know a lot more about the connection between magnesium and anxiety. But, if youd like to learn even more about how great magnesium is for your overall mood and health, then check out this book, The Magnesium Miracle.
Weve come to the end, kudos for you if you made it all the way down here.
Im always excited to read comments from you!
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Unplug From All Sources Of News
Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.
Robert J. Sawyer
It took me a long time to see it, but the news was my single biggest source of anxiety.
The websites I was reading each day talked non-stop about crime, corruption, economic breakdown, and the end of the world. As a result, my fear of being attacked spun out of control. I became obsessed with protecting myself from every possible threat. I researched what to do if I was arrested and thrown in jail. I spent hundreds of dollars on food and equipment that I hoped would save me in the event of a disaster.
There was nothing inherently wrong with preparing for an emergency, but obsessing over apocalyptic scenarios, every day, for months on end?
One day, it finally dawned on me: my fear of an imaginary future was destroying my ability to enjoy the present.
And what planted those seeds of fear? The news.
When I made the commitment to cut the news out of my life completely no TV, no conspiracy sites or truth deliverer blogs, ignoring / blocking every sensationalist link I came across on social media, etc. my anxiety plummeted in less than two weeks. The negative information I removed from my conscious awareness freed me from the confines of other peoples frightening narratives.
But if you are consuming content thats joyous and playful, your mind will become happy and loving. Simple as that.
Consistent Bedtime & Afternoon Naps
My girlfriend asked me, Did you sleep good? I said No, I made a few mistakes.
Steven Wright
I really cant overemphasize the importance of consistent quality sleep. Every anxious person Ive met has either been in denial about how little sleep they get, or theyre overlooking the fact that theyre going to bed at random hours every night.
One of my readers wrote this message to me after reading an early draft of my book:
When I began forcing myself to sleep eight hours a night, my physical health problems cleared up, my emotions balanced out, and my anxiety disappeared. My mind could function and that tight feeling around my eyes vanished. Eight hours of sleep is a miracle pill.
I was chronically in a severe sleep deficit, which took a major toll on my mental health.
The endless stream of digital information I was taking in every waking hour only compounded the problem. And because I kept going to bed at random hours, my mind never had enough time to shut down, relax, and digest everything that poured in during the day.
During the month I cured my anxiety, I made consistent sleep one of my highest priorities. The first thing I did was optimize my bedroom for ideal sleeping conditions. Here are the steps I took:
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Diy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is the most common thing therapists do when you have anxious thoughts. It lets you analyze recurring thoughts you have that bother you, check if theyre realistic and if not change them in your mind to a more realistic perspective. You can pay a therapist a lot of money to explain this to you, but Id say do-it-yourself.
For example, youre super scared to lose your job and it keeps you up all night. CBT would ask is there any evidence you will lose your job?, if there is none it means thats an unrealistic thought and everytime you think it, think the realistic thought there is no evidence I will lose my job at this moment.
If there is evidence you DO might lose your job then you should think is losing your job really that bad to be anxious about?, cant you get another job? If you can then its not really something to lay awake at night over! This is typical doom scenario thinking and its quite fixable by repeatedly doing this.
You can also keep a journal, whenever a repetitive thought comes in to your mind, write it down in your notes on your phone, then in the next paragraph write a more realistic perspective on it, for example if youre a freelancer you could write this:
Vitamin B Helped My Friend Get Rid Of Her Anxiety Attacks
Just like me, my friend also suffers from anxiety and depression. I have not asked for permission to use her name so lets just call her Anna. Well, Anna is a 31 year old woman who has been struggling with mood issues and severe anxiety attacks since she was 25, starting when her husband left her.
Even though she works out and loves jogging she is not always that great with eating a healthy diet. So when her problems started I insisted that she would try to eat better diet and in particular implementing foods that contains vitamin B12 and vitamin B6. I also gave her my bottle of the B vitamin complex supplement
Does vitamin B help with anxiety? she asked, and I responded that of course I dont know if it will help her but its worth a shot. She agreed to try it out and after one week she started experience less intense anxiety attacks. After two more weeks they were gone. Completely. She could not believe it and the relief she felt was, in her words, heavenly.
Supplementing with vitamin B for anxiety did indeed work amazingly well for my friend. My guess is that Anna was probably deficient in it and thats why she experienced such dramatic improvements. Again, we are all different and what works for one might not work for another so
the only way to know for sure, is to try it.
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Do You Feel Disconnected From Reality
If you have a lot of anxiety or stress over a time, you may also start to get derealization, depersonalization or disassociation. Theyre all kinda related and theyre about the most scary shit you can imagine. It feels like youre in The Matrix. The world feels fake and it looks like youre watching a movie of your life. It also saps you of wanting to do stuff because, well, it doesnt really feel like youre in control. I got that. Especially at night. The nights felt pretty different.
If youre reading this and you have it. Dont panic. Youre already IN a panic, thats WHY you have it. Your body is going fight-or-flight primal attack/defense mode, so it makes sense it doesnt have time to process reality accurately. The problem is that its a response that doesnt make sense.
Ive had this on and off for years, it comes and goes with my anxiety. Its really annoying and literally Im like oh god, the leaves on the trees look like a fake 3d render again, please make it real lol.
This stuff sounds like fucking bananas, and it is, but is very common though and comes along with anxiety and depression. So most people will have it at least at one point in their lives.
If you dont break it, this becomes a pretty vicious cycle downward. You lay awake at night worrying about stuff, get short-breathed from it and your heart starts racing. Hopefully you get some sleep. Then when you wake up, it feels like youre in The Matrix, haha. Yes, sucks.
How I Cured My Anxiety
2020 Update: I’ve now also tried CBT therapy to go a bit deeper and it’s been really helpful to vacuum clean my brain
After the last post on RSI did so well, I thought itd be nice to talk about anxiety, another thing that seems to be an epidemic especially in the tech scene. And as more people enter the tech scene, itd be nice if we could fix this.
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Learning To Be Assertive
Being assertive means communicating your needs, wants, feelings, beliefs and opinions to others in a direct and honest manner without intentionally hurting anyones feelings. A person with an anxiety disorder may have trouble being assertive because they are afraid of conflict or believe they have no right to speak up. However, relating passively to others lowers self-confidence and reinforces anxiety. Learning to behave assertively is central to developing a stronger self-esteem.
Best Vitamins For Anxiety Stress And Mental Health
Anxiety rates are at an all-time high. Support your braincare with nutrition to ease stress and reduce anxiety.
If youre feeling anxious today, youre not alone. Mental Health First Aid England reports that anxiety and other mental health concerns are at an all-time high, and one of the main drivers for this sharp increase has been our collective health and safety worries during a global pandemic.
Youve likely heard the stereotypical de-stressing advice recommended by wellness experts ad nauseam . But many people are missing one essential step: providing the right vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to reduce anxiety levels and support a healthy mind and a balanced nervous system. These essential vitamins include:
With a smart nutritional approach to braincare, you can face your days challenges and opportunities with less anxiety, less stress, and more confidence.
If youre feeling anxious or stressed, or want to take proactive steps today to prevent problems down the road, start with these five natural vitamins that can help with anxiety, depression and panic attacks. We’ve also included all of these nutrients in the Smart Supplement to help relieve anxiety and soothe stress:
Get the nutrients you need to help feel less anxious with the Heights Smart Supplement.
Daily nutrient reference values for vitamin B12:
-
Adults: 2.4 g/day
Top food sources for vitamin B12:
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Play Is What We All Love To Do
Play is where our subconscious naturally guides us.
Play is the state where we are truly ourselves, once we let go of our egos and fear of looking stupid.
Play immerses us in the moment, where we effortlessly slip into flow.
Play allows us to imagine, to create, to bond with and understand each other.
Play is what creates our strongest social circles.
Play gets you around other humans, face-to-face, and allows you to form a real connection with them.
Play allows you to stop taking your life so damn seriously, so you can start living again.
Life was never supposed to feel so serious or scary in the first place!
The people who try to convince you that it has to be that way just arent very good at playing. Theyve forgotten what its like.
So have a laugh, remind them, then go find better playmates.
Everyone is looking for someone to have fun with.
Go out, create your own games, then get others to join in.