| Can following a strategy based on the pillars of | | | | struggle with anxiety. |
| brain fitness help you cope with anxiety? | | | | Exercise doesn't have to mean joining an |
| Absolutely, and not only do you cope with | | | | expensive gym or working out with weights. You |
| anxiety, you grow new neurons. Not sure about | | | | can take a walk around your neighborhood, build a |
| you, but when it comes to brains, I think bigger is | | | | flower garden in your yard, or volunteer to coach |
| better. | | | | a children's sports team. |
| So what are the pillars of brain fitness and how | | | | For a lot of people, exercise isn't something they |
| can I implement them? | | | | enjoy the thought of doing. But you can turn any |
| Those pillars are; physical exercise, nutrition | | | | activity into a form of exercise. Decide what it is |
| including lots of omega 3 fatty acid and | | | | you enjoy doing and add it to your schedule as if |
| antioxidants, sleep, stress management, and novel | | | | you were making an appointment. |
| learning experiences. | | | | Consider it mental therapy that relieves your mind |
| If you have a lot of stress in your life, learning | | | | of stress. Another positive to exercise is that if |
| coping strategies for anxiety can help you | | | | you struggle with feeling down along with having |
| manage that stress. While some of the strategies | | | | anxiety, exercise can also help relieve certain |
| cannot replace the care of a doctor or the relief | | | | types of depression too. |
| some medications can give, these steps are ones | | | | Some coping strategies for anxiety are simple to |
| you can begin right away. | | | | enact. Get enough sleep. Being tired and |
| The first step in handling anxiety is to make sure | | | | overwhelmed can lead to anxiety. When you feel |
| you spend some time every single day doing | | | | tired and overwhelmed, sometimes the best thing |
| something fun. Laughter helps to loosen the tight | | | | you can do for your body is to take a nap. |
| bands of stress in the body and can help you | | | | Twenty quiet minutes with eyes closed may be |
| relax. Whatever it is that you find joy in doing, | | | | all you need. |
| seek that out. Go see a stand up comedian, head | | | | Nutrition is vitally important for your body. |
| to the theater and watch a funny movie or have | | | | Without enough omega 3 fatty acid, which is |
| a night out with your friends. | | | | what most of your neurons are mostly |
| When you have situations or people in your life | | | | composed of, neurons do not talk together very |
| who trigger anxiety, then you should avoid them | | | | clearly, and poor decisions can result, leading to |
| if you can. Surround yourself with people who see | | | | more stress. The best source of omega 3 fatty |
| the positive side of life and can laugh about the | | | | acid is fish, but you can supplement too. |
| irritations rather than people who get down about | | | | Stress management the way I teach it too my |
| them. Spend time with 'glass half full' kind of | | | | clients means using a computerized heart rate |
| people. | | | | variability biofeedback tool. I have been teaching it |
| It's true that if you're in the company of people | | | | to my clients for about 10 years and I use heart |
| who are down and full of negativity, it won't be | | | | rate variability biofeedback frequently over the |
| long before that negativity transfers to you. The | | | | course of each day. Stress management then |
| same works with being around people who have | | | | becomes a heart beat by heart beat process, |
| a zest for life-you'll pick up on their zest and it can | | | | which means I am steering my body between |
| help to calm anxiety. | | | | eustress and distress very effectively. |
| One of the best coping strategies for anxiety is | | | | Another very important pillar of brain fitness |
| to exercise every day. Exercise promotes the | | | | which is also an excellent coping with anxiety tool |
| release of endorphins. Endorphins have been called | | | | is the novel learning experience. Usually that |
| the body's way of combating pain. They're | | | | involves the kind of learning we experience in |
| chemicals that can reduce pain within the body. So | | | | learning a new instrument or a new language. If |
| as you exercise, your body releases this chemical | | | | you do not have time for a new language, then I |
| and you feel better. | | | | recommend some of the newly available brain |
| Exercise, especially walking, can help to calm fear | | | | fitness tools. |
| and stress and it improves how you view | | | | So if I am focusing on growing new neurons, |
| yourself as well. You'll gain muscle tone, lose | | | | called neurogenesis, then I will be taking care of |
| inches and your self esteem will rise. Low | | | | the pillars of brain fitness which is a powerful |
| self-esteem is a common factor in people who | | | | stategy for coping with anxiety. |