Respond to Stress With More Confidence,

Written by Sandie Lynch

Stress may or may not lead to feelings of anxiety. Some individuals are prone to feeling more anxiety than others, but anyone with anxiety may lower their levels of anxiety by adopting the following lifestyle behaviors, biological strategies, and mindful practices for greater confidence during stressful times.

In the article, The Biology of Fear and Anxiety Related Behaviors, Thierry Steimer Ph.D., states anxiety is a psychological, physiological, and behavioral state induced in animals and humans by a threat to well-being or survival, either actual or potential. He describes anxiety as characterized by specific behavior patterns of the autonomic nervous system facilitating the release of specific hormones to increase alertness, preparedness, and possible action for coping with an adverse or unexpected situation. Steimer goes on to discuss the differences between fear and anxiety, stating that both are alerting signals, but anxiety is a generalized response to an unknown threat or internal conflict, whereas fear is focused on known external danger. Therefore, instead of seeing anxiety as a negative reaction, but as a natural reaction when sensing an internal or perceived threat. The beauty lies as a human instead of an animal, we have an opportunity to use our developed brains to help evaluate the threat, and resulting response, and ensure they match.

Research by Julia Velten, et.al. found that healthy lifestyle choices improved psychological well-being and resulted in fewer mental health diffi- culties such as excessive anxiety. Below are the lifestyle choices that Velten and other researchers note improve well-being and lower mental health problems such as anxiety:

Lifestyle Choices for Lower Anxiety:

• Engage in regular physical activity: Physical activity is protective against and lowers anxiety symptoms. Walking for at least 5 minutes in green space lowers stress hormones like cortisol. Strength training 2 times a week for 20 minutes increases both physical and mental confidence.

• Eat a healthy diet: A specific diet, such as a vegetarian or simi-vegetarian diet like a flexitarian diet is not protective against increased mental health problems, especially when using such diets to improve mental health. It is best to focus on a diversified healthy diet eating predominantly plants. Feeding the microbes in the gut with a variety of plant fibers and phytochemicals has been shown to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• Refrain from smoking: Smoking has been identified as a risk factor for mental health problems such as anxiety, and those who quit experience a significant decrease in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress while increasing a sense of well-being.

• Limit alcohol consumption: Individuals who drink moderately for leisure show no correlation to increased anxiety, but those who abstain or use alcohol as a coping mechanism show increased mental health problems such as anxiety in response to stress. Individuals who drink any amount of alcohol have higher circulating levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

• Attain and maintain a body mass index (BMI) within a healthy range: when BMI is elevated self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress are increased.