Everyone gets anxiety. It’s when you worry about something in the future, which let’s face it, can be tomorrow. A meeting, an interview, an exam, a commute, the weather…so much to worry about, right? Wrong.
STOP those thoughts from spiraling because you’ve no control of tomorrow.
You have THIS moment. Make it a HEALTHY ONE. Repeat that. STAY in the NOW.
Number ONE: Exercise daily. Don’t make excuses like rich people have a personal trainer.
When I was a kid I was influenced by one man I saw on TV. He had nothing, except ONE chair beside him. I was in the first grade when I first saw him.
His name was Jack La Lanne. He spoke about the benefits of daily exercise. I listened. Kids brains are like sponges. Mine absorbed his message. His message is still true.
It is proven your brain benefits at the 45-minute mark. So, if you’re feeling anxious it may be a signal from your body or brain that you need to move.
Look at all the benefits you get simply from walking. Best part? Do it anywhere.
And stay hydrated. Drink water, even when you’re not thirsty. Look at all the benefits of staying hydrated in the photo below.
When people tell me they get headaches, the first thing I ask is how much water they drink. Most say none.
Well, that’s why you have a headache. Most tell me they drink coffee, which DE-HYRDRATES. Your brain needs water.
Your doctor in a rush to get his or her next patient will be too quick to give you pills for headaches or migraines before even asking you this simple question.
If you are prone to headaches –you need to check how much water you should be drinking (use search in my blog to find that) daily and do that. Your headaches will probably magically disappear. You’re welcome.
The times you need to visit a Physician is when you’re doing everything right and you’re still experiencing some sort of pain.
But if you’re not doing the basics of self-care, then you need to make a LIFESTYLE change first to find out if that’s what’s causing your pain. We were created to be healthy and feel good, but we need to take care of ourselves. Here’s that photo magnified.
Speaking of sweat, if you can get to a SAUNA after you exercise, even better. If not, no worries. Can’t get to a sauna? Take a long hot shower or hot bubble bath with Epsom salt afterwards. They now make Epson salt with bubbles.
Try Dr. Teal’s. It contains Magnesium, which can only be absorbed through the skin. CVS sells it. It costs about six dollars. Smells nice too. Like lavender. It’s usually near the soap section. A lot of people lack Magnesium.
Remember, the second you start to feel anxious get up, DRINK WATER, STRETCH, BREATHE and MOVE. Drink water, even when you’re not thirsty. Go for a walk.
WALK. WALK BRISKLY and TAKE DEEP BREATHES (BREATHE IN…AND HOLD FOR 4 SEC. AND breathe out slowly) until the feeling passes. It will. You can do this anywhere, even in a tiny room. Stand up. STRETCH AND HOLD. Then, walk. Every cell in your brain and body benefits when you do this. Don’t focus on what you were worried about. Instead, repeat the words “You can do it…” while breathing. Yes, you CAN walk off anxiety.
Number TWO: Take a good look in your refrigerator and pantry. Toss out the garbage. You don’t need me to tell you what’s garbage. Sugar, soda, junk food, processed foods, white bread, alcohol, cookies, cake, donuts, potato chips.
NOW replace those things with healthy go-to items like alkaline water, almonds, walnuts, blueberries, strawberries, greek yogurt without sugar in lieu of ice-cream or cottage cheese, veggie sticks instead of regular chips, cook veggies in olive oil and garlic, green tea.
Veggie sticks are so yummy I regret blogging about them because like everything else I blog about –it’s suddenly SOLD OUT on store shelves the next day.
I’ve blogged about emotional eating in the past and which foods to reach for when you feel a certain emotion because having different emotions are part of being a human being. Don’t let anyone numb them with pills.
The healthiest thing you can do is try all the good stuff first, because the good stuff works.
The good stuff is what they mean when they say the proof is in the pudding.
Proven healthy lifestyles are proven time and time again from centenarians and those of us who are healthy.
If someone gets through their 40’s and 50’s feeling great with natural energy and no prescription medications they are doing something right.
Unfortunately, there are males and females in their 20’s and 30’s who still think how they look, even if it’s through plastic surgery, or extreme dieting, makes them healthy. Health magazines (which I no longer buy) fuel this misinformation by placing these cropped top people on their covers. That’s insecurity, folks.
The good news is what it means to really be healthy is rising above all that noise.
As I predicted decades ago, the world has shifted conscientiousness regarding health. Take a look at this circle. There’s no bikini in it. There are no six or twelve pack abs for men.
HEALTH comes from inside and it doesn’t need external approval.
There is no longer any denying how interconnected the following are:
Every generation goes through the same feelings as the one before them, so it’s time to start educating ourselves on how to LIVE HEALTHY and PREVENT ILLNESS while living in a crazy world. Even if we live in a healthy bubble and try to shield ourselves from all the craziness –there is no escaping it. Even family members, friends, partner, colleagues, boss, kids, parents, strangers driving near you on the road can infiltrate your peace. You can’t control that.
The healthiest advice anyone can give you is DON’T REACT. The calm one is the healthy one. Did someone less qualified get a position you earned, because they’re related to or know someone? Don’t react. Don’t despair. Didn’t close a deal when something less deserving did? Same thing. It may make you angry. You’ll want to grab a bag of chips or drown your sorrows in ice cream.
Keep your pantry or refrigerator stocked with healthy stuff you can grab instead. A bag of cherries, a large bowl of blueberries or those veggie sticks I told you about earlier. You can snack on a ginormous bowl of these thing and not be left feeling even worse afterwards, as you will with regular chips and junk food.
Number THREE: Turn off TV. Get out in nature instead or read a good book. I’ve been reading a book a day since I was a kid. I thought everyone did until my younger brother laughed and said I was crazy and people are lucky if they read one a year.
Fine. Then, make it one positive book a year.
Keep that ONE book on your nightstand and reread it when you need inspiration. For non-readers I recommend you start with, “The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success” by Deepak Chopra. I used to give them out as gifts. Little gem of a book. Then, get “The Four Agreements.” These are 2 books you can re-read during stressful times.
My book, “Healthy Within” is one every celebrity who writes a Tell All Memoir should read. The reason is I never mention my ex’s name, or what actually happened. No details. Why? That part is not important. That part is no one’s business. What’s important is how to get through anything that at the time feels like a personal or professional tsunami.
That is the HEAL part in HEALthy. Other than that, it’s tabloid toxicity.
When you’re blaming someone else or pointing out all of your ex’s flaws, people reading it are actually cringing. No one wants someone in they’re in an intimate relationship with to write a kiss and tell, so to speak. There are two people in a relationship or marriage. Two.
Advice to Demi. Let.It.Go
I don’t know who advised her to write this in the first place. It feels like something that should have never been made public. When someone is in the public eye and they reveal they were someone entirely different than we believed them to be –it feels like WE were lied to and betrayed. So, I felt more let down from who I thought Demi Moore was than anything having to do with Ashton. Even when the other person betrays you it’s enough to know it was a betrayal –we don’t need details, thank you. I would have passed on this book. I’m an avid reader and have zero desire to buy it.
Back to self-care. Fuel your body and brain daily with nutritious foods. What does healthy food look like? Here are a few visuals.
And do not forget how important SLEEP is…
NUMBER FOUR: REST. NAP. SLEEP. Allow your brain and body to shut down and reset itself just like you do when your computer has lost it’s charge or starts acting up. Shut it down. Anyone who brags about only getting or needing little sleep isn’t healthy. Every cell in your brain and body is created to regenerate and health itself, but you need to sleep and shut it down in order for it to do what it does naturally. It’s called Beauty Sleep for a reason.
I’ve blogged about foods that help you sleep. If you’re a late-nigh snacker keep bananas, cottage cheese, blueberries and a bag of cherries in your pantry, along with decaf organic tea. Turn off all electronics 2 hours before a set time. Keep the room you sleep in a little chilly. Wear eye shades. Take that hot bath with lavender and you will crash naturally.
If you are on any type of anti-anxiety or depression medication it needs to be under the supervision of a physician, who should ONLY prescribe TEMPORARY low-dose if you are in crisis mode, say after the death of a loved one or other tragedy. It needs to be in combination with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, fancy word for Talk Therapy, to taper you off prescribed medication.
It’s not dealing with what is causing your anxiety or depression. What’s causing it is change and stress from it. That change can come from work, finances, seasons, relationships, age, moving, parenthood –anything in life.
That’s why it’s natural and you need to LEARN healthy coping mechanisms for LIFE. Having a trusted confidante in life to go through ups and downs also helps keep your brain and body in top form.
Healthy relationships are a wonderful buffer against daily stressors in life. It’s having someone in your life to talk to, bounce ideas off of and be there during good times and bad. Healthy relationships proven to be a positive constant in a sea of change. Positive because healthy relationships release all the feel good chemicals and hormones in your body and brain. Love releases oxytocin. When you have LOVE and commitment everything is less stressful.
So what do you do when you don’t have a trusted hand to hold during it all?
Revert to the Four Tips solo, because HEALTHY attracts HEALTHY. Be your best you in mind, body and spirit. Work on healing any past hurts. Put them in the past. Forgive. Move on. YOU need to BE that which you want to attract. Think about that. You want a healthy, intelligent, kind, independent, fun, supportive, honest, loving, faithful, committed, loyal, trustworthy partner?
BE that.
When your friends and the people you surround yourself with are healthy –you’ll learn healthy coping mechanisms, even through observing their habits. 
Post note: I love tea and have blogged about the benefits of tea and my favorites in the past. USA Today and Washington Post now says tea bags contain plastic and that it is toxic. I cut right to the bottom to find out which brands contain plastic bags because not all of them do. Here are brands to avoid.
Mostly, it’s those cute triangle bags. Apparently, it looks like they are made out of paper, but it’s plastic that holds them together. They are cute. Recently, a restaurant served me on that looked was so cute. I commented asking how it was held together Now we know.
Avoid brands in RED
“So which tea bags contain plastic?
Brands that use plastic sealants include Tetley, Twinings’ ‘heat-sealed’ and ‘string and tag’ ranges, Yorkshire Tea and some Aldi tea bags.
Co-Op and PG Tips have all switched to 100% compostable bags.
Abel & Cole and Teapigs using plant-based SoilOn and Clipper makes a plastic-free teabag made from bananas, while some Tetley and Twinings ranges are biodegradable.
But if you want to be absolutely sure your tea is plastic free, loose leaves are the best way to go.” [Source: USA Today, September 2019]
It’s not all tea and it’s not all brands, so get past their hype to the facts. Then, get back to:
Remember, when you have a bad day, week, month or year –don’t call it a bad life. Think of it as a bad season, like leaves falling off a branch in Fall. What do you need for leaves to grow back? Oxygen, water, nourishment, sunshine. Nourish yourself every day and your leaves will return one day at a time. You got this!
Stay healthy!
blog contact: maria.dorfner@yahoo.com
Blog contact: Maria.Dorfner@yahoo.com
MARIA DORFNER, an award-winning health journalist, TV writer and producer, including original health programming, is the founder of NewsMD Communications, LLC promoting best in class health startups, hospitals, non-profits, health books, physicians & health stories to national media & consumers. She is the founder of Healthy Within Network, a health content production, programming & distribution company.
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MARIA DORFNER is the founder of MEDCrunch, a division of Healthy Within Network. She can be reached at maria.dorfner@yahoo.com
Maria Dorfner is an award-winning broadcast journalist and producer. who began her career with an internship at NBC in 1983 on The Today Show. She is the author of Healthy Within, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in non-fiction. Other books include Health Heart and Humor in an Italian-American Kitchen and PRESSure. She was a Sigma Tau Delta National English Honors student, Fellow Intercollegiate Model City Council Member, mentors journalism students at her alma mater, where she was Miss Pace University and received an Outstanding Achievement Award, an Outstanding Leadership Abilities Award and Commitment to the Advancement of Women in Media award from Women in Corporate America, National Association of Female Executives and Pace University Dyson School of Arts and Sciences.
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