Five Ways to Lessen Your Anxiety
When winter appears and our exposure to sunshine diminishes, this can seriously affect our mental health and happiness while increasing our anxiety.
This even has a medical term - S.A.D. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mood condition in which people who typically have normal mental health throughout most of the year, exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year. It is commonly, but not always, associated with the reductions or increases in total daily sunlight hours that occur during the summer or winter..
We start to miss the feelings of wellbeing that we get from the sunshine when we have to deal with grey, cloudy days.
But what can we do about this?
We share some solutions and remedies to help take away those feelings of anxiety without having to resort to medications.
And in addition such solutions will help to strengthen the body while improving our health overall - both our mental health and our physical health.
1. Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a role in many physiological processes, including nerve function and muscle relaxation with some studies even suggesting that low levels of magnesium could be associated with an increased risk of depression.
The evidence is clear. Get more magnesium rich foods in your diet! You can also take a magnesium supplement as well
2. Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy is a sunshine replacement for those that live in the northern hemisphere. During the winter months this helps to stimulate parts of the body that need it most.
Red light therapy, also known as photo biomodulation, involves the use of low-level red and near-infrared light to stimulate cellular processes in the body. It has been studied for its potential benefits in treating a variety of conditions, including depression.
If you are fortunate enough to live somewhere receiving sunshine all year round, then S.A.D. is unlikely to be a problem for you. But for those in more Northern climates, red light therapy can provide a good solution.
3. Exercise
There have been numerous studies conducted on the relationship between exercise and depression, and the majority have found that regular physical activity can have a positive impact on symptoms of depression.
One meta-analysis of multiple studies published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that exercise is associated with significant reductions in symptoms of depression. Another meta-analysis published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that exercise is as effective as antidepressants in treating mild to moderate depression, and it may be more effective than no treatment.
Additionally, a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that adults who engaged in regular physical activity had a 20-30% reduction in risk of developing depression over time. Move your body more often to reduce depression.
4. Omega-3 fatty acids
These are found in fatty fish, nuts and seeds along with anti-inflammatory properties that can improve brain health and reduce symptoms of depression.
5. Vitamins D and B plus zinc
Vitamin D: This is a vital nutrient for overall health, and studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased risk of depression. The best source of vitamin D of course is safe exposure to sunshine.During the warm and sunny summer months, spend at least twenty minutes out in the sun (between the hours of 10am and 2pm) with as little clothing as possible - and minus any sunscreen - until your skin starts to turn pale pink.
During the winter months, start a course of good quality vitamin D3. When supplementing with vitamin D3, you will also need to add in magnesium and vitamin K2. Take with a spoonful of fat (such as grass fed butter or coconut oil) as vitamin D is fat soluble. Make sure you have calcium in your diet by including dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables.
It can be difficult to know what dosage to take if you have not been tested but as we have already pointed out, most suggested doses of vitamin D are too low and it is hard to overdose. 40 ng/mL is a good level to aim for initially, rising to 60 or 70 if you can for optimum health. In the meantime, a suggested dose when supplementing with vitamin D3 is 5000 IUs per day.
B-Vitamins and Zinc. B-vitamins, particularly folate and vitamin B12, are important for brain health and have been found to be beneficial for treating depression while zinc plays a role in the regulation of neurotransmitters and studies have found that low levels of zinc may be associated with an increased risk of depression.
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.