Sarah W
11-01-2013, 09:03 AM
I doubt this is fool proof, but I found something that has been working for me.
Over a month ago, I started taking magnesium supplements with sort of iffy improvement. They made me a bit more relaxed, but for weeks I didn't feel a whole lot better. I still felt anxious all the time. The magnesium I was taking was magnesium oxide, up to 700mg a day.
I added some B vitamins (continuing to take the magnesium oxide). Those picked me up a bit. They made me feel more alert and like my mind was coming back. But I was still anxious.
A couple of weeks ago I switched to magnesium citrate, up to 500 mg a day, and started taking ground flaxseed. After reading a bit of The Chemistry of Calm.
This appears to actually work:
A good B vitamin complex once a day,
Magnesium Citrate 300-500 mg/day,
Two tablespoons of ground flax seed (gets you all of your omegas).
In the book he recommends getting Calcium and D3 as well. And there are a list of other supplements that he considers secondary to those first five.
I've worked on my diet a bit too, consuming mostly plants and grains that aren't white bread. I had something click recently with not caring too much about...I dunno...what people must be thinking. I'm usually on my feet all day, but I try to get a good walk in at least a couple days a week and, you know, do sit ups, squats and curls and stuff that I know is exercise.
Anyway, chances are that you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency that may be exacerbating your anxiety. Especially if you've spent years drinking a pot of coffee a day like me in between mostly candy, noodles and fast food.
So give it a shot, I endorse it fully. And I'm happy to give a more comprehensive list of the supplements he recommends (that I've yet to try myself). You can probably guess what the exercise and dietary advice are about: eat mostly colorful plants; eat a rainbow. Avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners, and prepackaged foods, walk for at least a half an hour several times a week and do some strength training. I think it's the supplements that have packed the most punch, hence the lack of focus on everything else. Later in the book he gets you to do some exercises that make you more present in the moment. "Meditative" exercises. Haven't read past that part yet and have yet to actually do them.
Over a month ago, I started taking magnesium supplements with sort of iffy improvement. They made me a bit more relaxed, but for weeks I didn't feel a whole lot better. I still felt anxious all the time. The magnesium I was taking was magnesium oxide, up to 700mg a day.
I added some B vitamins (continuing to take the magnesium oxide). Those picked me up a bit. They made me feel more alert and like my mind was coming back. But I was still anxious.
A couple of weeks ago I switched to magnesium citrate, up to 500 mg a day, and started taking ground flaxseed. After reading a bit of The Chemistry of Calm.
This appears to actually work:
A good B vitamin complex once a day,
Magnesium Citrate 300-500 mg/day,
Two tablespoons of ground flax seed (gets you all of your omegas).
In the book he recommends getting Calcium and D3 as well. And there are a list of other supplements that he considers secondary to those first five.
I've worked on my diet a bit too, consuming mostly plants and grains that aren't white bread. I had something click recently with not caring too much about...I dunno...what people must be thinking. I'm usually on my feet all day, but I try to get a good walk in at least a couple days a week and, you know, do sit ups, squats and curls and stuff that I know is exercise.
Anyway, chances are that you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency that may be exacerbating your anxiety. Especially if you've spent years drinking a pot of coffee a day like me in between mostly candy, noodles and fast food.
So give it a shot, I endorse it fully. And I'm happy to give a more comprehensive list of the supplements he recommends (that I've yet to try myself). You can probably guess what the exercise and dietary advice are about: eat mostly colorful plants; eat a rainbow. Avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners, and prepackaged foods, walk for at least a half an hour several times a week and do some strength training. I think it's the supplements that have packed the most punch, hence the lack of focus on everything else. Later in the book he gets you to do some exercises that make you more present in the moment. "Meditative" exercises. Haven't read past that part yet and have yet to actually do them.