External Triggers That May Be Fueling Your Anxiety
Rapid heartbeat, racing thoughts, challenges in breathing deeply… “what is happening to me?” You suddenly become aware that your anxiety is very present for you in this moment. Maybe you have been battling with this experience for years and are finally getting support to manage your symptoms. Maybe this is something new for you and you don’t know where to start.
Anxiety is our body’s alarm system - it is the way in which our body’s communicate to us that there is a presence of perceived threat. Anxiety can manifest and present itself in many different ways - in our mind, in our body’s and sometimes a combination of the two. While anxiety may be present due to a variety of internal factors such as chronic history or past trauma, there may also be external factors that can influence our experience.
Food : different foods may affect our body’s experience of anxiety, some of which can include foods that are high in sugar (typically processed), foods that are fried/heavy in nature or general food sensitivities that may be unique to each individual’s body.
Sleep : are you getting enough sleep? Are you sleeping deeply and feeling well rested when you wake up? Are you spending all night dreaming and find your mind racing? All of these different scenarios and forms of lower quality of sleep can influence your body’s expression of anxiety.
Phone/social media use : spending excessive amounts of time looking at your phone screen and scrolling through social media can leave you comparing yourself to others, checking out from your body’s inner experience and may also disrupt your sleep.
Lack of movement or exercise: if we are not moving our bodies we are not moving the energy that is present inside of us - often which may present as the form of the physical anxiety symptoms.
In all of these experiences, our body is perceiving threat and a need to protect us. If you are eating foods that your body is sensitive to, your body needs to warn you in some way that this is not food you should be eating. If your body is not receiving adequate rest, it will inform you that it needs more sleep. If you are comparing yourself to others and checking out from your body’s inner experience, your body needs to send you signals to find ways to come back to yourself.
….Sensing a pattern here?
If you are wanting to explore and heighten your awareness to these cues, I created a printable checklist for you to journal on and keep on hand to explore these various factors to help you see the many ways they may be affecting you.
Click the image to download the printable free today.
Know that the process of befriending your body, understanding your anxiety and finding ways to manage it is is process but any step that you take will help you get closer and closer to finding the relief and ease you desire.
If you are looking for a more personalized approach to managing your anxiety, schedule your free consultation call with me today to learn the many ways I can support you.
