No-fuss anxiety tips #16: Lifestyle Tweaks
Welcome to blog number 16 in this no-fuss series on anxiety, made up of 20-short articles with simple tips and techniques for managing anxiety, drawing on therapeutic thinking from a range of psychological and psychotherapy theories. In this blog, we’re looking at lifestyle tweaks that can make a difference when it comes to anxiety.
What these tips won’t do is explore the origins and purpose of anxiety for you – this type of deeper exploration is what therapy offers. That said, having strategies for managing anxiety is a great place to start. Each article is designed to be quick read, no-fuss. So, let’s get into technique number 16: lifestyle tweaks.
A holistic approach to health
We talk about physical health and mental health as if they are two different things. I like to think of “health” as encompassing both simultaneously. My therapeutic approach draws heavily on Gestalt psychotherapy, where I aim to meet you as a “whole person”, rather than focusing only on your thoughts, behaviours, emotions or bodily sensations. Whilst it might feel like a bit of a broken record to hear the message that attending to your diet and lifestyle can help with anxiety, it really does make a difference!
The interplay between physical & mental health
Poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health problems. Poor physical health and poor psychological health often co-occur (Hanna et al., 2024). When people experience physical health issues, life can be impacted. That impact can take a toll on mental wellbeing across a number of areas:
Work
Poor physical health may stop you working, or mean you have to adapt your role at work. The loss of status, identity, or the changes you may need to make can affect self-esteem and mood. Financial worries and anxieties can also develop as a result.
Daily activities
Poor physical health can make it more challenging to engage with activities you enjoy. You might need support from friends, family or a professional service to do the things you used to do on your own - which can feel difficult to adapt to. You may find it hard to keep on top of household tasks, and begin to feel overwhelmed. Again, this can impact self-esteem and also affect mood.
Relationships
Being physically unwell may make it harder to stay in contact with others, and you can feel lonely and isolated from friends and family. Some people find they don’t want to open to open up to others about their illness, or feel that others just can’t understand what they’re going through.
Stress
Being physically unwell can lead to anxiety about the future. Medical tests, and the uncertainty of how your condition will be managed can take a toll.
It makes sense, then, to take steps to care for your physical health through lifestyle tweaks - as, doing so, is likely to have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing, too. Attending to lifestyle choices lies within your own responsibility and internal locus of control - two other aspects of anxiety support we’ve explored in previous blogs.
I like the the adage, “health is wealth” - and see that it applies to both physical and mental health. To feel healthy in body can support mental wellness - and that can be priceless.
Lifestyle based steps to improve your physical (and mental) health include:
Reducing alcohol intake
Increasing exercise
Building in relaxation and stress management
Eating a balanced diet are also effective self-help strategies for anxiety.
Let’s take a closer look at a couple of these lifestyle areas to better understand practical choices, then, you can consider to support with anxiety.
Eating well for anxiety
Research (Grajek et al., 2022) suggests that probiotics, prebiotics and psychobiotics can benefit our physical and mental health. Consuming probiotics, prebiotics and psychobiotics can support optimal physical health through improving immunity and regulating inflammation. Likewise, they can have protective effects on mental health. We know that anxiety symptom severity is lower in people who consume high prebiotic and/or probiotic foods in their diet (Tae & Kim, 2024). Kefir, miso and Kombucha are a good source of probiotics. Prebiotics can be found in bananas, apples, oats and onions. And, if you are looking to boost your intake of psychobiotics, you could try adding garlic and kimchi to your diet.
Magnesium is another nutrient found in food that has the potential to impact mental health as well as physical health. Physical health benefits of a diet rich in magnesium include good muscle and nerve function and energy metabolism. Research shows diets low in magnesium can lead to increased anxiety (Kris-Etherton, et al., 2021). Examples of magnesium rich foods include leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains (Pickering, et al., 2020). Building in more of these to what you eat could help you with anxiety.
Relaxation and stress management for anxiety
Relaxation has physical and mental health benefits - being able to take steps to manage stress, and promote a relaxation response in your nervous system helps to lower the stress hormone, cortisol, and can decrease heart rate and reduce blood pressure, lowering the risk of stroke. Relaxation techniques can also help manage anxiety by calming the autonomic nervous system. Some trials have shown relaxation strategies to be as effective as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) when it comes to managing anxiety (Montero-Marin et al., 2018).
Working out what helps you to manage stress and promote a relaxation response could be a worthwhile quest for both your physical health and mental wellbeing. Common relaxation activities that work for many people include:
Meditation
Guided breathing / breathwork
Time in nature
Engaging in hobbies
Getting creative
Yoga, Tai Chi or other forms of mindful movement
What lifestyle change can you make to help manage anxiety?
So, are there any lifestyle tweaks you want to make? Rather than making multiple changes at once, aim to make one manageable simple lifestyle change. It could be as simple as setting yourself a goal to pack a kefir yoghurt in your packes lunch each day, or to take 5 deep breaths each time you go to the toilet. Being specific about lifestyle tweak goals you want to set yourself may help you to keep them up.
Next steps?
I hope this short blog has given you something of use. If you’ve got an appetite for more, then do look out for other blogs within this anxiety-themed series. The next article, #17, focuses on how embracing mistakes, rather than fearing them, can be support for anxiety.
And, if you’d like to talk through how counselling can help you with a deeper exploration of your anxiety, do make contact with me, Claire Law.
I’m a BACP Senior Accredited Psychotherapist offering professional counselling and psychotherapy in Preston, Lancashire and online for adults based in the UK.
We can talk through how online counselling or face-to-face counselling at my therapy room in Preston could be helpful for you in managing your anxiety and getting to the roots of what lies behind your anxiety. I’d love to hear from you.
References:
Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Białek-Dratwa, A., Sobczyk, K., Grot, M., Kowalski, O., Staśkiewicz, W. (2022). Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Front Nutr. 2022 Aug 22;9:943998.
Hanna, M.R., Caspi, A., Houts, R.M., Moffitt, T.E., Torvik, F.A. (2024). Co-occurrence between mental disorders and physical diseases: a study of nationwide primary-care medical records. Psychol Med. 2024 Nov;54(15):4274-4286.
Kris-Etherton, P. M., Petersen, K. S., Hibbeln, J. R., Hurley, D., Kolick, V., Peoples, S., Rodriguez, N., & Woodward-Lopez, G. (2021). Nutrition and behavioral health disorders: depression and anxiety. Nutrition reviews, 79(3), 247–260.
Montero-Marin, J., Garcia-Campayo, J., López-Montoyo, A., Zabaleta-Del-Olmo, E., Cuijpers, P. (2018). Is cognitive-behavioural therapy more effective than relaxation therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders? A meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2018 Jul;48(9):1427-1436.
Pickering. G., Mazur, A., Trousselard, M., Bienkowski, P., Yaltsewa, N., Amessou, M., Noah, L., Pouteau. E. (2020). Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited. Nutrients. Nov 28;12(12):3672.
Tae, H. & Kim, T.S. (2024). The effect of prebiotic and probiotic food consumption on anxiety severity: A nationwide study in Korea. Front Nutr. 2024 May 28;11:1385518.