5 Ways to cope with stress, anxiety, and mental health

Hey friend,

In todays episode we will talk about mental health you are feeling stress, anxiety, or other emotions as it is an important discussion for everyone. We will go over 5 ways to help you or someone you know cope with depression and anxiety.

Some key factors to consider are:

- Food intake and some nutrition that will help with emotions and stress management.

- Journaling to release your thoughts and gratitude.

- Meditation and Mindfulness to be present in the now.

- Movement to release those endorphins.

- Talking to someone even if it’s a therapist or a coach.

Are you ready for some support?

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(00:00):

Hello. And welcome back. I am so glad that you're here today. We're going to talk about some ways to cope with mental health, like depression and anxiety and stress and things of that nature, because we know it's, it's a topic that people don't always want to talk about when it needs to be talked about. And especially now more than ever with everything that's going on in the world, there's a lot of mental health issues that are happening. And I just want to go over maybe the five ways to help you cope with it in a healthy way. Okay? Because even if you haven't seen a mental health professional, we all, as people have experienced some kind of stress or sadness in our life that we've had to overcome, Hey, nobody goes throughout life without experiencing any kind of trauma whatsoever. Right? So we're going to talk about your food intake, journaling for gratitude, meditation, moving your body and just talking to someone. Okay. Do you ever think about how food affects your health, your mental health?

(01:07):

A lot of times your gut is referred to as your second brain signals can travel back and forth between your gut and your brain through something called a vagus nerve. It starts in the brainstem and it travels down to your gut. So whatever you put into your body for food goes up to your brain. Dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, all help regulate your mood and process like your thoughts and emotions. And when your body is lacking in these chemicals, a lot of times there's going to be imbalances because there isn't enough or there's too much, and it helps them. And it winds up throwing your mood off. And when your body is healthy and working well, and these chemicals are working smoothly, then you'll feel less anxiousness. Your depression is down. Now, these brain chemicals are made in your microbiome, which consists of different kinds of bacteria.

(01:59):

So when I try to keep them balanced as much as possible and incorporating a whole food, more plant based diet is really good for this. You ever notice how you feel off sometimes whenever you eat something really heavy or just something processed, I mean, you just have like this feeling and there's his heaviness. Like he just went to sit compared to when you're eating something a little lighter or some green vegetables, you feel more uplifted and you have all this energy. Like sometimes with some people feel more anxious or depressed, they eat too much and some don't eat at all. So like I try not to even focus on talking about weight because everyone is different. So eating can come in different forms and just how you can feel depressed or anxious for a number of reasons. And sometimes you even like skip meals and then you start binging on junk food, and then you're not getting any nutrients at all and your body is depleted. And then whatever you're feeling like if you're having a bad day, it will just feed that, which is in your mind, instead of making it better then your bad bacteria starts outgrowing your good bacteria. And you feel like sluggish, right?

(03:04):

Like there's someone I know who had clinical depression and also had panic attacks. And she ate very little fruits and vegetables. And then whenever she did decide to change up her habits, by eating more fruits and veggies, and even whenever she went out to dinners like for business or something, she liked, didn't like indulge in like all the, like the junk that will comes to table and like to decrease her alcohol consumption. And she just changed, like made lifestyle choices. And she, she stayed consistent. And within like a few months, her mood lifted, it was like a miracle happen. And she started feeling more alive, more joyous, and she was less anxious. And it was, really beautiful to see now that doesn't mean use food to cope. Okay. Because that would just develop all kinds of other habits that we don't want. You have to be able to listen to your body intuitively and just pay attention to what you need and just feed yourself with the proper one thing you can do is add in more foods that are like prebiotics and probiotics.

(04:11):

So probiotics are like the good guys. They're like good bacteria that promote healthy balance of your gut and prebiotic somewhere like a source of food for your gut healthy bacteria. So like yogurt is good source of probiotic. Just make sure it has live and active yeast and not like all the added sugar. I usually get Greek yogurt because as added protein in it. And if you don't want the dairy, there's also almond yogurt, cashew, coconut soy. I mean, you always can find something out there and make sure it has the cultures in it. Also kifir miso also avoiding sugar will help with anxiety and depression. Like I had somebody come to me because they initially wanted to lose weight. But as we talk and got deeper, we noticed there were shifts as she started eating less sweets. Like she didn't even realize that she was anxious because she was just always running and running.

(05:08):

And then when she started reducing the sweets that she would eat, when she would go home, she started noticing that her mood started shifting and she started becoming more light and happier. A lot of times when you're eating sugar or just different processed foods, your body just wants the nutrients that it's missing. So you just keep eating like that Pringles, commercially, remember where they used to have out with you. Can't eat just one. I mean, it's very much true to that. You can't, you just keep, I mean, in the moment you might thank you feel better, but after everything's done the stress or the depression still persists, and then sometimes you even feel worse because of you realize that you just ate all the things, not to mention all the other health concerns that can happen from eating all the excess of sugar as well. So the brain relies on glucose, right? Which is a type of sugar. But if you're eating a healthy diet, you get enough of what you need to sustain your day and to live. That's for sure, the sugar and refined processed foods to keep the inflammation down in the brain, which would decrease the mental conditions. It's about the quality of the food you eat, eat. So like whole grains foods high in fiber, like[inaudible] refined flour, the bread and the pasta potatoes. Like I know French fires are good, but you know, moderation. Okay.

(06:36):

More green vegetables and like berries, which are really good chickpeas foods that are low and low GI foods and lentils are good. And fats, all fats aren't bad, but we want to stay away from trans fats and saturated fats like avocados. A good, I mean, I love me some avocados, avocado toast, guacamole I'll eat it all. Okay. So mono unsaturated, fatty acids are good. Also mega threes, which are like an anti-inflammatory and you have to get it from your diet. Wild caught fish is really good, like salmon. And also if you don't eat seafood, you can get it from chia seeds. I like to put chia seeds in my smoothies, which is, you know, I just kind of put low chia seeds in like a little dish and put some water in it, stick it in the fridge four minutes and then throw it in my smoothie also edama

(07:27):

So there's an option for everybody. Okay. Then you could always injured day or don't we have the, in your day, just any in the day, tea is good. Like some nice camomile tea is really good at relaxing you in reducing anxiety. I know I love to have some tea. It just, it just puts my mood at ease. Cause sometimes I can take on a lot of things and I'm running around myself and just relaxing at the end of the day, with some camomile tea or just some kind of green tea in general issues is very soothing and calming to your system. Something else. That's good as keeping a gratitude journal. I mean, just writing down what you're grateful for can make you forget the negative thoughts that arising in your head. Sometimes, you know, just saying, I woke up today, I'm here and just writing down different things that you've accomplished.

(08:19):

It makes you appreciate things more. And then it just puts you in a more of a positive mindset and you just have that on. So in the morning, if you wake up and you have some thoughts on your mind to sit there and just write something down, write your blessings, what you're grateful for. And it will be amazed at just how you'll feel throughout the day, starting your day like that. Also, if you had a lot of stuff on your mind throughout the day, just taking a moment before you go to sleep and to do and to journal at that point, you know, write things that you're grateful for, that you have accomplished throughout the day. Like it, you start your day with certain goals in mind and now the day is over. What did you accomplish? Give yourself credit for that brag on yourself. That's what you need to do. Okay. And it'll help boost your mood and then you'll sleep better. Because when you sleep is thrown off, that can affect your mental health dramatically. Right?

(09:14):

Doing this daily, keeping a gratitude journal, it will just help you see the positive in life more. Cause you'll start and and your day with positive thoughts because you're saying what you're grateful for and it will start pushing the negativity out, right? It'll just make that a part of your life. It'll start boosting your confidence, your self esteem, all the things. Then you start looking for the positive, like, Oh, that's beautiful. Oh, that happened. You just start appreciating things more. Okay. You can also do that with your camomile tea, number three, being meditation and mindful. [inaudible] now edit, teach you to focus on the present moment and not overthink the past or the future. So if like you're stuck in a thought like some trauma happened, cause trauma happens to all of us. Okay. We're all human and it's okay. Now you might keep thinking about it though, and be stuck in the thought that's what we don't want.

(10:11):

And meditation can help you process those thoughts and we'll help you be present in what you're doing now. And so you can try to process and let it go learn from what happened. Just take whatever the positive was from that. And because negative things happen in life, but you cannot hold on to that. Right? You can just learn from it or you'll be stuck. We don't want you to be stuck. And the future, we have no say over. So you can write down where you want to be at the top and then figure out how you're going to get there. Right. But you don't know what's going to happen. Right. And all that overthinking your processing will create anxiety. So the meditation will help your mind from racing. It'll just, it'll help you be more peaceful and the breathing it'll, it'll just give you a moment to be like, Oh, it's going to be okay.

(11:05):

Just taking nice breaths, just sitting somewhere quiet or however you like to meditate. Find what works for you. It'll also help you sleep better because we do it. It's just, we were just talking about how the lack of sleep can affect your mood. So you can meditate. journal together and have so much more peaceful and restful sleep. It'll help your deep sleep. Right? So if you are having a bad day or you're feeling depression or anxious, you can sit there and try to visualize how you would like things to go. You could just sit there and focus and do deep breathing and just try to visualize how you would like this scenario to play out or just, or how you would like for things to be instead of in your stressful state. And it will help. It will help a lot.

(11:54):

Also number four is movement. Now moving your body, help boost your brain activity. And it just helps you feel better. It can reduce your anxiety, depression, just like all the things it increases the size of your brain. Now moving your body, increases your oxygen in your blood circulation, in your brain and your body. May you ever just hear about that runners high when you're like working out, like you have all this increased energy and just like, feel amazing. It can elevate your mood. I mean, sometimes it's hard to get in there or to just start, like whether you go to the gym, you like to work out outside or just move your bike, just getting up and just walking around whatever movement you do. You just feel amazing. Sometimes you just need that little push to get started. I mean, you could have a workout partner, a coach, there are just different things you can do.

(12:44):

I mean, there's apps for everything. Now there really is. And you could even set your phone or your watch to go off, to get, to get you in the habit of going. Then, soon as you start moving, you will notice that you'll start to relax and distress or just feel happier when you're starting to move your body. It's like, there's these chemicals that are activated dopamine and the serotonin and a neuro nephron it'll help improve your mood. Let's like once your heart rate starts pumping, it releases endorphins and your energy is increased and your mood is just ecstatic, right? And then your body just starts craving it. So try moving your body at least for 30 minutes, if you're not used to doing it on a regular basis, even if it's just three times a week, just try to commit to three days a week, at least for 30 minutes.

(13:31):

I know sometimes if you are depressed, it's really hard to get up and move. So just start with what you can just start with one day, then increase to two, 10 to three, just get out there and start moving. Also, if you're feeling anxious, you might want to try. Yoga is amazing. It's like a mind, body practice where you get to move your body and you were focusing on your breath and it's like meditative all at the same time, there's many different styles of yoga. You could just find one that resonates with you. I remember many years ago when I started yoga, I initially got into it because I had like back pain and for doing it on a regular basis, I felt so much peace. I mean, it was just amazing. The benefits that I got out of it that I was not expecting to get out of it.

(14:23):

And my stress levels went down because of all the breathing that you do throughout the poses, I was always into fitness, working out, but yoga was new to me and I just fell in love with yoga. And I just do it all the time. Now to this day, if you're new to it and you're nervous about the poses, you can always find an instructor. There's many wonderful instructors out there there's programs, depending on where you, you might can take a class probably outside because we're going through COVID. But there's always a way. And the fifth way is just talking to somebody it's best not to keep things bottled up. Sometimes you don't know who you could trust. And as society there has been this picture of like a stigma around asking for help for mental health. And that should not be because it it's worse when you hold it inside is best to find somebody you can talk to.

(15:24):

Whether it's a loved one, a therapist, a coach, just ask for guidance about where you should go. If you're nervous about talking to somebody, you could take a piece of paper and write down the pros and the cons. And just be completely honest with yourself, know that there is people that you can get help from there's lines. You could call, don't let it get so bad and bottled up because stress and anxiety also leads to heart problems. And we don't want to take it that far. So it's always best. You could talk with somebody. You might receive encouragement through them. And if the person you're talking to find somebody who is going to be understanding you guys can work together and find out where else you could go to get help from. This is why as, as a society, we need to be kinder to each other because you never know what somebody is facing.

(16:15):

You know, it could be somebody who's extremely happy. So they seem right, but underneath people are going through things you don't ever know what's going on behind closed doors to try to be kind to one another and seek help, because you are definitely worth it and you deserve it. And if you know somebody that looks like they're going through something, try to reach out to them in a caring, loving way and be like, Hey, do you need anybody to talk to just be there for somebody? A helping air can go so far. Sometimes people don't feel heard. They don't feel seen. You know, sometimes you just gotta be that support system from somebody, but there's always therapists. You can call, make an appointment with talk to somebody. You can do things. Everything is on a resume now. So you don't even have to be uncomfortable. If you feel like you don't want to go into somebody's office or find a coach, just find somebody that you feel comfortable with. Okay? So I hope this helps you guys. So to recap, over the five ways to help you cope, you have nutrition, a gratitude journal, meditation, mindfulness movement, and talking to somebody.

(17:41):

And I am also available. If you feel like you don't have anybody else to talk to, because there's always somebody out there to help. I love to help people with weight management. And it's not just about losing weight because everybody's situation is different and anxiety and stress. So feel free to contact me if you need somebody to talk to you. Okay. Until next time.