What I do to get out of the Anxiety, Overwhelm and Sleeplessness rut.

I’ve been struggling with anxiety, overwhelm and sleeplesness recently. Historically I would have beaten myself up for being rubbish, but I’m gradually getting better at being kind to myself 💐 and actually there are several reasons why I’m a bit stressed out at the moment and it’s OK to not be OK! 😊

What isn’t OK is to do nothing about it and keep struggling. Not only is it bad for my headspace and mental health, but constantly pumping cortisol and adrenaline into the system from overworked adrenal glands is also putting my physical health at risk.

So what do I do at times like these?

🌄 Get out in nature. There are so many bits of research which show how getting out in nature is good for your mental and physical health. And, getting out in bright light, (even if it is a cloudy day, there are many more lux outside than in a brightly lit house) first thing in the morning can help to start readjusting your sleep patterns and resetting your circadian rhythms, ultimately improving your sleep. Just 10-15 minutes can make the world of difference to your day.

🏃🏼‍♀️ Exercise. Generally I run. Problem is, when you feel low, and if like me you’ve had a week where you haven’t been able to run for whatever reason, and you are tired, your head can tell you to stay home and wob on the sofa with chocolate! But getting up and exercising - choosing something which you really enjoy, and perhaps asking a friend to come with you - will always make you feel better, both in terms of your energy levels and mood. Plus, if you are physiclly tired, you are more likely to sleep, so just do it!

🎈 Breathe. Breathe using your diaphragm, allowing your belly to expand as you breathe in through your nose. Breathe out through your mouth, making the breath out twice as long as the breath in and when you think you’ve breathed out as far as you can, try to breathe out more! Your diaphragm sends signals to your adrenal glands telling you if you are in danger (“Keep producing cortisol and adrenalin, we need to keep fighting or running!”) or if you are safe (“Chill out adrenals, the sabre-toothed tiger has gone, we need to rest”). So breathing like you are safe - slow, deep and controlled - will turn the adrenals off and stop the flood of stress hormones, allowing the body to relax.

☕ Cut out caffeine. Caffeine sets off the fight or flight mechanism, which is why it keeps you awake when you are tired, because you can’t sleep with cortisol and adrenaline pumping round your veins with the body ready to pounce! However, if you drink caffeine when you aren’t sleeping well, it will likely only make things worse, as the stimulation can continue much longer than you think if you are sensitive to it - the half life of caffeine is typically 8 hours, which means that 8 hours after you have drunk it, there is still half the effect in your body. However, the half life depends on your genetics and what you eat with it! And if you are unlucky, the half life may be 12 hours, meaning even that morning cuppa at 11am will be having a detrimental effect on your sleep at 10pm.

🍷 Cut out alcohol. It does not help you sleep! It puts you into a stupor - which isn’t sleep, and will likely wake you up early. Plus stupor doesn’t aid repair or detoxification of the body and brain like a good 7.5 hours of good quality sleep will. Just notice how you feel after alcohol (and I’m not just talking about a heavy drinking session on a Friday night) - do you feel jittery, anxious, low? If you don’t get a good 7-8 hours sleep, your emotions aren’t put away because you don’t get enough REM sleep, and the anxiety and overwhelm will carry on.

🧘🏼‍♀️ Meditation/mindfulness. I find this really hard at the best of times, so ask me to do this when I’m anxious, overwhelmed and my brain just won’t shut off, then I’m going to struggle. So rather than sit trying to meditate or be mindful of tasks I’m trying to do at home, I get out for a walk and use my 5 senses outside to see, hear, smell, taste and touch something. I try to see something I haven’t noticed before on my usual walk. I smell the flowers. I try to identify how many different birds I can hear. I feel the wind in my hair or cold on my nose. (I’ve even been known to hug a tree!) Taste is a tricky one, but you can always take your cup of mint tea with you! Don’t get me wrong, it can take a good hour and a half for me to switch off, but boy does it feel good when I do!

➕ And all of these things will impact on your sleep, the health of your adrenal glands, your hormone balance, the health of your heart and cardiovascular system, your ability to think…

Today, I went for a run. I was tired and didn’t really fancy it, but I feel so much better for it and saw some fantastic views, smelt some amazing honesuckle and heard blackcaps singing in the trees - what could be nicer? And look - I’ve come home and I’m writing a blog! No way I was going to get this done this morning before I ran!

If you are interested in understanding more about your nutrition, your sleep patterns, your exercise regime, your lifestyle, and how they are affecting your health, both physical and mental.  Follow me on social media (https://www.instagram.com/sarahshawwellbeing/ https://www.facebook.com/sarahshawwellbeing ) My DMs are always open if you would like to know more about what you can do to lead a healthier life, or book a nutrition and lifestyle consultation at https://www.sarahshawwellbeing.co.uk/nutrition-and-lifestyle