Today I want to look at something so simple and yet equally powerful in alleviating the symptoms of general anxiety. This tip also helps reduce the frequency and strength of panic attacks.
Fresh Drinking Water
There is no quicker way to significantly reduce general anxiety than adopting good eating and drinking habits. One of the most easily implemented and effective additions to your diet is fresh water.
Water is a great quencher of thirst but more importantly here –a great quencher of anxiety.
Nearly every function of the body is monitored and pegged to the efficient flow of water through our system. Water transports hormones, chemical messengers, and nutrients to vital organs of the body.
When we don’t keep our bodies well hydrated, they may react with a variety of signals… some of which are symptoms, of anxiety. Here is some interesting information about water
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so
weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism
as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for
almost all of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
Regular fresh drinking water is a vital ingredient to your diet. This is something the medical profession has been telling us for years. When we are dehydrated our cells can feel this at a molecular level and communicate this to the subconscious as an underline subtle anxiety or threat to survival.
The key to rebalancing a deficit of fluids is to drink eight glasses of fresh water daily.
Have you noticed the effects of dehydration on your emotions before? If you have ever suffered from a serious hangover after a night out on the town, you will understand the feeling of dehydration all too well.
Hangovers result from dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the “the hangover fear”. This is a heightened sense of anxiety and jumpiness that results from the dehydration of hangover.
The surest way for someone who suffers from high anxiety to experience yet more anxiety, is to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and wait for the hangover to set in the following day.
It is important to be aware that dehydration is a factor that contributes to anxiety and nervousness. The good news is that it is easily remedied by drinking regular fluids. Personally, I have found that not only does regular intake of water ward off any subtle feelings of anxiety, but it is also incredibly useful for building stamina and avoiding fatigue. Give this some real consideration. Simply increasing the amount of fresh water you drink is a very easy step to incorporate into your daily routine. Most of us fall short of consuming the recommended amount.
Always remember that there is a lot of hope for an immediate and successful recovery from all forms of panic attacks and anxiety disorders. You can have the life of your dreams – Anxiety does not have the right to steal that hope from you.
Sometimes taking very small steps can lead to massive improvements. One of my favorite writers wrote about how everyone should approach their problems with the same philosophy as the woodpecker.
Keep chipping away at it and eventually the whole damn tree will collapse!
Barry McDonagh