8 Practical Means To Overcome Anxiety

The current fast paced and stress laden life has transformed us human beings into a race of overanxious individuals. Right from the time we get up to the time we go to sleep, we are chewed up with anxiety.

We are anxious about a million things; our jobs, children, spouse’s health, finances and future just to name a few. Excessive anxiety gives way to multiple health complications which causes us to become more anxious. In short extreme anxiety traps us in a vicious cycle which can ruin the quality of our life completely.

Anxiety ruins our mental peace and destroys our health. It can leave us feeling drained of all energy. So how do we define anxiety? Anxiety can be defined as a feeling of foreboding, uneasiness, nervousness, or fear of the possible outcome of an event which is likely to occur in the immediate future. Anxiety can leave us feeling irritable, feeling fearful constantly, can affect our sleep and can cause us to feel physically sick.

While most people are able to control their personal anxieties others are not. Excessive anxiety causes a person to talk constantly about their fears and worries which can ultimately alienate them from their friends and family. Increasing anxiety levels often causes people to seek medical help even though there are many simple steps that each person can adopt to control their anxiety levels.

No individual can go through life without a certain degree of anxiety. That is totally normal. However when a person is constantly anxious 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a years then anxiety takes on a more menacing role and is called a disorder. There are many simple lifestyle changes that one can make to overcome the problem of anxiety without taking powerful medications. Let us explore some of the simple yet powerful ways to curb the problem of excessive anxiety.

If we allow our minds to be crowded with negative thoughts constantly, then we tend to be in an anxious, depressed state perpetually. One must understand that every single person on this earth have their own problems and worries, But what differentiates a happy person from a constantly anxious person is their ability to control their thought processes. Instead of thinking of only negative thoughts, make it a point to fill your mind with happy ideas. As negative thoughts are slowly weeded out, anxiety levels also come down drastically.

Practicing deep breathing exercises first thing in the morning is a fantastic way of clearing ones mind of all worries. Once a person has mastered the art of deep breathing, they need to visualize the particular thought or worry that is plaguing them.

With each breath of fresh air that is taken in, psyche yourself into believing that positive energy is flowing in and with each exhalation think that all your anxieties or negative energies are escaping from your body. Deep breathing exercises are a wonderful tried and tested method for reducing anxiety levels in people. In fact deep breathing exercises can even help to prevent panic attacks and reduce extreme fear among young children.

There are two ways to use positive affirmations or assertions to reduce anxiety levels. One is to use positive declarations on how you would want your day to be. Instead of using negative words like sad, pressurized and stressed out, use words which will define your day to be happy, productive and fruitful. The other way to reduce excessive anxiety levels it to use positive affirmations, to describe oneself. Instead of constantly running oneself down by using words like loser, failure and the like, use words which will bring out your positive traits like hardworking, punctual, and industrious.

If you really want to reduce your anxiety levels then set achievable and realistic goals in life. Never set targets for yourself that is not attainable. This will not only cause you to lose face in the end but will increase your anxiety levels as well. Extreme anxiety caused by setting unachievable targets will undermine ones personal confidence.

There is a saying that an ‘Idle Mind is A Devil’s Workshop’. This could not be truer in the case of people who worry constantly. People who are busy have no time to worry incessantly. It is those people who have a lot of time on their hand that turn into worry warts.

These people are not only anxious about personal issues, but they spend a lot of time being anxious about issues happening through out the world. Identify your personal interests or hobbies and convert leisure time into some fruitful endeavor. This way one can reduce anxiety levels and become a more cheerful person.

It is very important to communicate your fears or anxieties with a close friend or family member. Keeping your anxieties bottled up will only cause it to become worse. In fact most people who suffer from excessive anxieties have confirmed that communicating openly with someone they trust about their personal anxieties have helped to reduce their anxiety levels vastly.

The old adage ‘A healthy body in a healthy mind’ is extremely apt for controlling anxiety levels. People who lead sedentary lives and suffer from multiple health complications are twice as likely to spend their time worrying about their health and allied matters than individuals who exercise regularly and are fit and healthy.

Exercising helps in releasing certain hormones into the body which act as natural stress busters. In fact doing simple exercise like walking or aqua jogging twenty minutes every day can cut anxiety levels by almost half.

People who sleep less or suffer from various sleep disorders are more likely to suffer from increased anxiety levels as compared to others. A healthy adult should try to get a minimum of eight hours of proper sleep every night, to get up in the morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Poor sleep can cause a person to get up in the morning feeling depressed and with too many negative thoughts.

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Overcome Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome With Proper Diet

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition seen in women in which ovary produces multiple follicles but none of them releases egg after maturation. Normally an ovary produces about five follicles during a menstrual cycle of which at least one will release an egg after maturation.

About 5 to 15 percentage of women in reproductive age gets affected with polycystic ovarian syndrome and this happens when a woman’s hormonal system goes out of balance. The root cause for polycystic ovarian syndrome is resistance to insulin hormone. Usually the food breaks down to produce glucose which is then absorbed by the cells with the help of insulin.

But in certain cases the cells becomes de-sensitive to insulin and hence it becomes difficult for the body to absorb glucose from the blood. The glucose is then sent to the liver which then converts glucose to fat which leads to weight gain and obesity. In order to get glucose, body produces more insulin than normal and it increases the level of insulin within the blood.

Excess insulin in the blood affects the hormonal level of the body and instead of producing follicle stimulating hormone, it encourages the production of luteinizing hormones which makes the follicles in the ovaries to produce more male hormone called testosterone than the normal female hormone called estrogen. It also affects the adrenal glands and promotes the production of testosterone. The matured follicles do not release egg in the absence of sufficient estrogen.

In addition ?if polycystic ovarian syndrome is left unattended then it increases the cholesterol level, blood sugar level and leads to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Usually women came to know about their polycystic ovary only when they try to get conceived. Since ?eggs do not get developed during ovulation, the sperm can’t unite with an egg to produce an embryo. Those who are suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome have irregular menstrual cycle and are more likely to have nine or even lesser cycles per year.

Most of them have heavy or light bleeding during their cycle accompanied with moderate abdominal discomfort. They may also have excessive hair growth on face, lower abdomen and chest, skin acne, skin tags etc because of the excessive testosterone level in the body. Weight gain or obesity is another symptom of this disease and all these ultimately result in infertility.

Since polycystic ovarian syndrome is caused by insulin resistance it has to be dealt with multi-faceted approach of well balanced and nutritious diet and regular exercise. If the diet is specifically designed to lower the testosterone and insulin levels and the associated cholesterol and weight gain, then it improves the fertility status of the women ?as it lead to the restart of ?ovulation. There are hormonal treatments and drugs to correct hormonal imbalance but before trying fertility drugs most of the doctors prescribe the natural methods of lifestyle changes and dieting to regain the fertility.

Losing about 5 to 10 percentage of the body weight can correct the menstrual cycle irregularities, skin problems, insulin resistance and even fertility. But a low calorie, low fat diet is not enough for this rather a low glycemic index diet that releases glucose slowly to the blood provides better response. Patients who have regular periods, non-obese nature and have insulin resistance and infertility problems can take their 50 to 55% calorie intake from complex carbohydrates, 20 to 30 % calories from protein.

However an obese patient with insulin resistance should limit their calorie intake from complex carbohydrate to 40% and the carbohydrates can be replaced with monounsaturated fats. The diet plan should be customized as per the individual requirement and the level of insulin resistance and the effectiveness of the diet can be determined only after having improved menstrual cycle, decreased insulin level and weight loss.

The dieter should include low glycemic index foods in her diet like pearl millet, whole wheat, sorghum and green vegetables as they increase the blood sugar level slowly and insulin gets sufficient time to act on the glucose produced after the breakdown of the low glycemic index and thus it helps to maintain a balance between glucose and insulin within the blood. Change the habit of consuming white bread, maida or rice naan etc and rather prefer whole wheat bread, wheat roti, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, cereals, quinoa, beans etc.

Also substitute the fruit juice with fresh fruits with low glycemic index. Most of the low glycemic index foods have high fiber content. Space the intake of complex carbohydrates evenly throughout the day. Also take care to have small and frequent meals that balance the blood sugar level instead of three large meals.

Women under polycystic ovarian syndrome diet should restrict the intake of simple carbohydrates that have high calorie ingredients and sugar such as candies, pie, pizza, chocolates, sweets, ice cream etc as they trigger the craving and hunger by increasing the blood sugar level all of a sudden and then drops it down drastically and causing craving for food. Protein constitutes another part of the diet and protein obtained from plants is ideal. Lean meat taken from pork and chicken, seafood etc is also good substitutes for carbohydrates.

Protein obtained from egg and milk is also good for women trying to regain their fertility. For reducing the weight and to regain the health the dieter should limit the intake of saturated and trans fat like whole milk, red meat, butter, desserts rich in fat, fried and processed foods etc. Instead of that choose monounsaturated fats which can be obtained from canola oil, olive oil, nuts, omega 3 fatty acids, flax seed etc, which are heart healthy foods.

Along with this diet the dieter should take at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day because the high fiber carbohydrate foods may cause dehydration. Besides this a woman trying to conceive can supplement herself with 1000 to 1500 mg calcium per day and multivitamin tablet that contain folic acid. Regular exercise should be a part of your daily routine as it not only reduces the weight but also improve the insulin response of the cells and regains the functioning of pituitary gland that regulates the hormonal level in the blood. ?A properly followed diet and exercise can help you to have a baby which you are longing for.

Photo Credit: Subhblog.blogspot.com

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How To Recognize And Overcome The Problem Of Binge Eating

Binge eating like anorexia nervosa and bulimia is a type of eating disorder. When a person consumes large portions of food in extremely short periods of time he is said to be bingeing.

The problem of bingeing on food is referred to as binge eating disorder. People who indulge in binge eating are not able to control their food intake and often feel depressed or unhappy after eating excessive amounts of food.

Eating large amounts of food should not be mistaken for binge eating disorder. Some people are born with a huge appetite. However if people eat huge quantities of food and later feel unhappy about the fact that they have consumed such a large quantity of food, then they are said to be suffering from the binge eating disorder.

Initially when a person starts having this eating disorder they may be able to maintain normal body weight. However as time passes and they are unable to control their excessive eating habits it begins to take a toll on their health and they start to suffer from obesity. Along with uncontrolled eating habits people with binge eating disorder also suffer from anxiety problems, depression and other allied emotional problems.

Nearly four million Americans suffer from the eating disorder called binge eating. A common misconception is that overweight or obese individuals are the only ones who suffer from the binge eating problem. In fact many people of normal body weight also have this condition. Women are more likely to suffer from this eating disorder than men.

Women may binge eat to hide their anxieties, worries or depressions. Teenagers who are extremely obese may also be suffering from binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is not restricted to a particular race. People of any race who suffer from various psychological problems may seek comfort by eating excessive amounts of food. Research has revealed that younger people are more likely to suffer from this problem as compared to older individuals.

Extensive research has revealed that individuals with certain unique personality traits are more likely to suffer from binge eating than others. Attention seekers, people with low self esteem, control freaks, perfectionists, moody people, and those who suffer from different kinds of phobias may suffer from the problem of binge eating.

Children whose parents are very controlling and individuals who suffer from identity crisis; as also people who have the need to constantly please others have a higher incidence of suffering from this eating disorder. Researchers have yet to determine the causative factors behind binge eating disorder. Negative emotions like anger, sadness, depression and anxiety play an important role in creating this disorder. People who suffer from extreme loneliness also start binge eating. People vent their anger or hide their depression by eating far too much food.

Some people start binge eating after an extended period of dieting.? Here negative body image is causing people to binge eat. After dieting and becoming very thin some people become unhappy with their body shape and start eating excessively to put on weight and change their body shape. People who act in an impulsive manner may also suffer from binge eating problem. A part of the impulsive behavior extends to their eating habits as well. Once they start eating they are unable to stop themselves.

People who abuse alcohol or take drugs also exhibit unnatural eating habits. Alcoholics and drug addicts are mostly unaware of what they are doing and may end up eating far too much food because of their impaired levels of consciousness. A person who suffers from this disorder will exhibit many classic symptoms which are unique to this particular eating problem. One of the classic signs of a binge eater is eating food far too quickly. In fact it almost feels like the person is shoveling food into their mouth.

A person with this disorder will consume huge portions of food spread over a period of two hours and will repeat this process of eating vast quantities of food twice a week. A person suffering from binge eating disorder will continue eating despite feeling uncomfortably full. Binge eaters also eat during periods when they are not feeling hungry. Here food is not eaten to meet energy requirements of the body but in order to find relief from some anxiety or simply to get comfort.

When a person is binge eating, they will do it in the privacy of their homes or bedroom away from other people’s scrutiny. Binge eaters normally feel upset and depressed after a binge eating episode. They also experience a sense of complete lack of control.

Obesity is the least of the health problems that individuals with binge eating suffer from. Those who have this eating disorder may suffer from multiple health complications including high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, heart diseases, type2 diabetes, and gall bladder disease and may also have a higher chance of suffering from certain types of cancers.

A physical examination is the best way to understand whether a person is suffering from binge eating disorder or not. Other than a physical examination the doctor would request to see the patient’s medical history as well. Once the patient has been diagnosed with binge eating disorder, the doctor may refer the binge eater to a counselor who can give them proper advice and counsel them to give up eating excessive amounts of food.

A two pronged approach is normally adopted to treat the problem of binge eating. A combination of counseling and medication can help people overcome the problem of binge eating. There are basically four types of counseling which can people help with this particular eating disorder overcome their problem. These are cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, group counseling and family therapy.

The urge to binge eat is controlled by cognitive behavioral therapy. The connection between your relationships and binge eating episodes are examined through interpersonal therapy. A binge eater may be asked to go in for dialectical behavioral therapy to control their negative emotions. Group counseling helps a binge eater to connect with other people having a similar problem. Family therapy helps to control any undue pressure or interference on the part of the family members. Antidepressants are prescribed to control mood swings and manic depression episodes.

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