Anxiety & Depression

You Can be on Top of the World Again!

We are seeing anxiety & depression so often these days and there are so many nutrition and lifestyle changes that can help lift you out, up and on your way to happier days! 

Depression really can leave you feeling helpless, fatigued, and lost. It can feel like it takes everything in you just to get one thing done. That looming black cloud that can fog up everything including your memory and concentration. And when you find it within yourself to look for brighter day it is often not a quick fix.

But there are many things you can do to help lift you out, up and on your way to happier days, we promise!🙌🏼

So, if you or someone you know are suffering from anxiety or depression or just generally want to pick up your mood and get you smiling again, keep reading! 

We really need to look after 3 main areas, our body, our mind and our soul.

Nourish the Mind 

• Make a list of what you know you used to enjoy doing and do them even if you don’t feel like it 
• Practice gratefulness and future self journaling 
• Small steps are wins! Celebrate them 
• Focus on one thing at a time  

Look after your Body

• Be aware of oversleeping and catching too many zzz’s,, more sleep is not always best 
• Exercise, it increases blood flow and Increases all those feel good hormones. Also if you do it in a group you might just end up having fun! 
• Establish underlying conditions – gut issues, thyroid, hormones imbalance, environmental that may be contributing to you not quite feeling your usual self 

Don’t forget about your Soul 

• Indulge in self care! 
• This does not mean treats, which are often associated with unhealthy behaviours that worsen conditions such as eating that whole cake, drinking that whole bottle of wine, or spending up huge at the shops, oops! 
• Self care is about nourishing the soul. Recognise what your body needs mentally and physically and respect that. Do something nice for body mind or soul such as taking a bath, preparing a delicious nutrition meal, taking some time out, resting when your body needs, taking up a hobby, getting your hair done, spending time with friends that you know make you smile and laugh!

So what role does food have to play in all of this? 

We really are what we eat. It is SO important to be nourishing our bodies with the essential nutrients we need, so we can feel our best selves. “ 

• Avoid ‘drop’ foods including refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, fried foods. They might make you feel good at the time, but they will drop you even harder. These foods tend to have a crash point that can bring your mood right down and leave you feeling tired and irritable 
• Establish any intolerances that you may be experiencing, establish underlying conditions – gut issues, thyroid, hormone imbalances etc. as these really can make you feel not yourself! 
• Keep your gut healthy by eating plenty of pre and probiotic foods; garlic, onion, bananas, fermented vegetables, yogurt and a good quality kombucha to name a few.

After all 90% of your serotonin (the happy hormone) is made in your gut!”

• Increase foods that support liver function like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, turmeric, broccoli sprouts, herbs, and antioxidant rich fruits. Our liver is responsible for regulating our hormones and excreting any excess and as we know if they are out of whack our mood is all over the place. Also if our liver is overloaded and underfunctioning it can leave us feeling fatigued and irritable!     
• Don’t be shy with the chocolate… but go dark and good quality. Cocoa not only contains antioxidants but also beneficial neurotransmitters known for lifting mood.     

Are you lacking in some vital Nutrients that may be contributing to your mood? 

• It is a good idea to identify any deficiencies you may have as there are many that play a major role in mood and others that have a knock on effect you may not be aware of (your Clinical Nutritionist can help you with this) 
• B vitamins are fantastic for lifting your mood and energy production. They also help boost serotonin production, our feel good hormones!  

Magnesium is super for relaxing muscles, improving sleep, processing stress and increasing those feel good hormones also!

I hope you have found this useful and are feeling a little more empowered about how you really can take charge of how you feel again! We get how hard managing anxiety & depression can be, but you don’t have to feel this way. 

At FNQ Health Co. we have a Nutrition package to get you feeling on top of the world again. Working with people who have been through these feelings, we really do get it. And that is why we know you don’t have to feel this way. Please reach out if you would like some help in picking yourself back up and getting you on top of the world again!