Good Food Good Health- Anxiety and Stress

Hi Everyone

Anxiety is no stranger to any of us and in fact everyone needs to feel anxious sometimes, through this natural emotion the body enables a reaction which pumps adrenaline – the hormone stimulant into our systems.

Adrenaline is enormously important for spurring us on to do challenging and uncongenial tasks, helping us to cope with difficult situations.

Today, our lives seem to be ruled by constantly running from one emotional problem to the next, and unfortunately this is considered to be ‘normal’ life.

This is another excellent reason why ‘good food good health’ has to be part of everybody’s everyday regime, helping our immune system tackle the stress and strains put on our bodies.

Normal anxiety has almost always a cause of which we are aware – such as an exam coming up or an important interview etc, and causes different amount of pressure depending on the individual.

Anxiety becomes problematic when apprehension or worry is experienced for no apparent reason or when situations are deemed far worse than warranted.

A great deal of how we deal with anxiety depends on each individual and their outlook on life and character.

Even though anxiety is an emotional state, physical symptoms can be induced by it. Previously, it was believed that these symptoms were ‘all in the mind’, but it has been proven that some people really do feel pain and become ill from the effects.

The most common affect is of course the need to urinate frequently, of which I am sure we have all experienced, this is definitely myself before flying anywhere.

The most reported symptom of enduring anxiety is pain in the back, head, chest and abdomen. Some sufferers become nauseas and actually vomit. Diarrhoea, dizziness and muscular tension are also common problems.

In the worst cases panic attacks can sometimes occur which generally involve sweating profusely, palpitations and abnormally deep breathing.

For some chronic sufferers it is a vicious repeating cycle, as they can become anxious about being anxious, recurrent attacks that can happen over a period of years – this is known as chronic anxiety. In these cases medical attention should be sought.

Insomnia is another well-known side effect, and this again only adds to the anxiety felt by the sufferer by laying mulling over the problem that is causing concern, making the smallest of problem often seem a giant hurdle in life.

The best self-help to allow your body cope and keep good health under duress is to make sure you are eating good food. A diet rich in vegetables, raw fruit, salads and plenty of proteins will give you a good balance and help to keep your immune system on top.

Carrots, and especially carrot juice is believed to have a calming effect on the nervous system. Camomile tea is another favourite.

Many vitamins are said to help, Vitamins B and C are attributed to help in coping with anxiety and stress, functioning of the central nervous system is said to be improved with Vitamin E, and also calcium, magnesium and zinc minerals.

So by eating a varied nutritional diet these vitamins and minerals should be easy accessed for good food good health to be obtained, otherwise dietary supplements can be taken, but always check with your physician.

The other easy self-help method to try and overcome anxiety is breathing exercises. Controlled breathing exercises calm and relax you. If you have read my previous article on Visualisation Therapy, which I use for relaxation, you will see how easy it is to use and how it can have amazing effects on yourself and your outlook on life.

Many people who suffer from anxiety often tend to dwell on fears and problems making them ill, instead of being positive and this really needs to be addressed. Try to adopt a positive attitude and be kind to yourself, although make sure you are not too indulgent.

Chocolate really does have that good feel factor and a little of what you fancy can be helpful, as so can a glass of wine lift your spirits, but using this as a crutch or using too much obviously has its own side effects.

Aromatherapy is another good mood enhancing remedy, as we all know nice smells lift our spirit and essential oils are a good way of achieving this.

A combination of lavender, sandalwood, clary sage and basil help with panic and anxiety, but if you suffer headache with your anxiety or even muscle tension add camomile and marjoram essential oils.

Why not try using these oils in a pot burner while having a relaxing bath to rid yourself of your daily anxieties.

Listening to music is another great method that helps us to relax, why not try listening to some on a personal stereo or MP3 whilst waiting for that appointment or whatever it is that has you feeling anxious.

Music that appeals to us generally lifts our mood, and sometimes by listening to ‘natural sound’ such as water, whales etc can have a beneficial effect.

Uncovering the root of your anxiety is necessary to help alleviate this problem and talking things through with a good friend can really help or in more severe cases a psychiatrist can be of assistance.

I feel that our outward look on life really does help or aggravate our fight with anxiety throughout our lives, and that by eating good food for good health and keeping a positive attitude can only help to fight the symptoms, maintaining a healthy immune system to keep our bodies in tip top condition.

Remember visualisation is positive food for the brain.

Sandra & Ted

Good Food Good Health – Keeping young

Hi everybody

We all seem to be looking for that one thing that will make us feel better, defy the ever ageing process and allow us to live longer.

Recently I have been asked many times ‘what can I do to keep feeling and looking young’. I always say there are many things we can do but the main aim is for a healthy body and healthy mind.

It would be great if we could just pop along to our local supermarket and buy a product to do this, but this is where we need a reality check – as this is never likely to happen.

Through the ages eternal youth and longevity have been sought after, with hundreds of different potions promising wonders.

Today, we still pop thousands of ‘pills’, use ‘anti-ageing’ products, grind our bodies at the gym and even resort to plastic surgery; we are spending big bucks trying to put off the inevitable.

We all know that a healthy life style – ‘good food good health’ should be a way of life for everybody.

By consuming good food makes you feel good and this shows on the outside. Your skin and hair shines and glows when you are getting the right minerals and vitamins from your diet, but along with your nails are the first to show signs of deficiency.

So eating a natural well balanced diet really does go a long way. If you can cut out most processed food, relieving your body off all the additives they contain can make a fantastic improvement.

Tests carried out on some of the regular additives to popular processed foods have shown that they can make you feel lethargic, irritable, and some people have allergies. The amount of salt hidden in some of these foods is also horrendous.

I believe that a healthy mind is really one of the most important things that keep you feeling young, and that your outlook on life is responsible also for affecting your health. Having a healthy body and mind go hand in hand and really do compliment each other. I am a great believer in ‘visualisation’ a technique we can all use to calm us down and relax. This is what I use when I feel tense, such as the dentists surgery, I just imagine myself on a gorgeous beach, the sun beating down on by body while I listen to the sound of the sea. I feel better just by typing that.

I wrote an article earlier this year on visualisation therapy and was amazed at the response of how many people had never heard of this, but who had then put some of the techniques in practice and said they benefited.

I use visualisation-breathing exercises regularly – diaphragmatic, as I suffer from COPD and have found these really help and always feel clearer and calmer afterwards, our youngest daughter used this before and during her driving test, which she passed first time and said that she amazingly felt really relaxed and was sure it helped, whether this really did help pass the test or not it certainly had a claming effect, so now she is going to try it on her A level exams later this summer.

Visualisation is the rediscovery of an ancient art used for healing. There is some good literature and videos on visualisation available at http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Research has just shown that going to church can be beneficial in helping us to live longer, it showed that attending church once a week gave a 30 percent less chance of dieing during the eight and half year study that was undertaken.

That’s great and fantastic for churchgoers, but I believe that it could possibly be the affect of meeting others, socialising and interacting that lifts your spirit, so if by going to church, mothers union or any other event gives us a sense of well being and achievement can only be a benefit in making us feel good about ourselves, giving us a healthier outlook on life.

Relaxation is a must too. We all have busy lives, but we must find our own ‘space’- time to be able to unwind, and it does not have to cost the earth.

What can be easier than a lovely relaxing bath, you can make it really mood enhancing by adding a few drops of essential oil or by using fragranced candles, remember to lock the door so you are not disturbed, it also costs little.

Laughing is a great way to de-stress, whether it is on your own relaxing and watching a funny film or with friends helps immensely. We all feel 100 per cent better after a good laugh, and time seems to fly by when we are happy and what is great laughing seems to be infectious and cheers up people around us.

Music is a great way to lift our spirits, and nowadays with Ipods and MP3 players we do not have to inflict our preference of music on any one else. I feel lost without my MP3, I listen and sing along to myself when I am walking the dog or doing the housework, even listen to talking books, at the moment I am learning Spanish and has given me a real sense of achievement, if I can do it anyone can, and in turn boosts confidence and sense of well being.

Getting a good nights sleep of at least six hours gets the day off on the right foot, cat naps are excellent too, research has found that even twenty minutes during the day is the equivalent to a couple of hours sleep at night. A good time to do the breathing exercise is just before going

to sleep.

Eating fresh fruit and vegetables regularly need not be expensive if you can get to your local market or farm shop, where seasonal and local grown are excellent quality.

Gentle exercise and walking is good for all of us, keeping the body and mind supple, be realistic more strains and breaks happen when people throw them self into a heavy exercise programme. I do a lot of walking and use dance for exercise, mainly because its fun and really enjoy it and is just as good a work out.

So by eating a good balanced varied diet ‘good food good health’ gives our body the best chance, helping our immune system to combat the stress and strains we endure daily, and using as many of the relaxation methods possible will make you feel good on the inside and the outside.

Sandra & Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

The Talking Book Site

Here at The Talking Book Site we specialize in finding Fantastic Audio Books all about Health and Recreation.

Currently we have 60 great titles ranging from; Diet and Nutrition, Exercise, to beauty & Grooming. This site has some of the best ebooks on health and recreation available to download directly onto your MP3 or Ipod players.  Click here to learn more

Sandra Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com