Anxiety

LIVE IT UP eNews!                                                                                                                           November 2007

1.  Anxiety and 7 Top Ideas that may assist with relief of anxiety
2. Recipe: Summer Kebab

Dear Reader

I have now settled into Gordon Park, on the north side of Brisbane and love walking around the Kedron Brook creek. It’s been wonderful to observe the wildlife in and around the creek. There were 17 turtles in one patch of the creek, it’s so cute to see them hanging by their nose, which just peaks out the water’s surface. Plus a snake, (I’ve lived in the bush so snakes don’t worry me) eels, little fish, a guinea pig, and the gorgeous array of birds: ducks, moorhen, ibis, parrots. Oh, don’t forget the water monitor lizards, sunning themselves in the morning light. How blessed are we to live this close to the CBD and have this fantastic wildlife in our midst?

Take a walk and visit your local wildlife, and feel fit and fabulous while you are out and about.

Warm regards Narelle

1. Anxiety

Anxiety manifests in many symptoms that interfere with the autonomic nervous system – this is that part of us that runs many physical aspects of our body ‘automatically’. When anxiety occurs, instead of normal physiological activities occurring, such as perspiration because you are hot, or rapid breathing because you have been for a run, or trembling jelly legs because you’ve worked them hard; no instead of those things happening because of appropriate activities, they happen because you are anxious about something.

Imagine the worst, and anxiety hits!

You see, when you go out into the future and imagine the worst, or something that’s hard to do, your subconscious responds to your imagination as though it were real and happening right now. Gradually, because you keep imagining the worst, your body becomes conditioned to experiencing this worst, and so before you know it, you always have anxiety with it’s accompanying symptoms.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Here are just a few symptoms of anxiety:

  • Dry mouth
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Shaky or jelly legs
  • Feeling faint
  • Noticeably perspiring
  • Feeling scared

What can you do?  

Here are my 7 top tips to reduce anxiety.

Simple yes, easy yes, so do it!

  1. Focus on seeing, feeling and believing that you are getting better, every day, in every way.
  2. Stop your negatively impacting self-talk. Stop it now. Tell yourself something positive such as, “Every day in every way I get fitter, stronger, healthier!”
  3. Drink loads of water and ease the stress on your brain.
  4. NO CAFFEINE! Uh Uh, I said NO CAFFEINE! No tea, coffee, chocolate, or cola or cola substitutes.
  5. SMILE!
  6. EAT REGULARLY! I mean it. People who eat nourishing food regularly have less emotional swings than those who eat irregularly – when your blood sugar decreases (through lack of food) your mood worsens.

BREATHE! Take a slow deep breath through the mouth and breathe in and push your tummy out as you breathe in. This will expand the lungs to allow more air in.
Now breathe out SLOWLY through your mouth and pull your tummy in so it pushes up against the diaphragm and that pushes against your lungs to expel all the stale air.
As you breathe in, on the first breath breathe in peace, and breathe out tension.
Next breathe in calm and breathe out anxiety.
Lastly breathe in love and breathe out negativity.
Do the three breaths 3 times a day and notice your body begin to relax. And come and see me!

Master’s Wisdom!

Master says,

“Drink lots of water!

Your mind and body is 90% fluid so hydrate.”

2. Recipe: Summer Kebab

 

Packet of baby spinach leaves, mixed with these ingredients, sliced thin: 1 shallot, 1 tomato,  1/2 capsicum, small sprig parsley, 1 small cucumber, 1 stick celery, 1 ripe avocado, and 2 hard-boiled eggs.

Toss gently together, and serve with salad dressing:

In a jar, combine 2/3 cup grape seed or macadamia or olive oil, 1/3 cup lemon juice or white vinegar and finely chopped: 1 clove garlic, 1/2 small medium chilli, and small squirt basil paste from tube. Put the lid on and shake vigorously so ingredients are well combined.
Delicious!