Chapter 9
Changing Unhealthy Habits to Healthy Ones to Combat Anxiety
In This Chapter
Mindfulness encompasses your mental and physical health, so small lifestyle changes can make a huge impact to your mood and your life. The healthier you are, the more you enhance your ability to tackle anxiety and get into the habit of practising mindfulness regularly.
You may not even be aware that certain habits are affecting your anxiety and mood – such as what food, drink and drugs you put into your body. In this chapter, I describe how you can turn unhealthy habits into healthy ones to help you better manage your anxiety.
Documenting the small changes you're making in your life and whether you notice any changes in your mood or anxiety is extremely helpful. This (positive!) habit motivates you and helps you focus on keeping your lifestyle balanced and healthy.
Cutting Down on Stimulants and Certain Drugs
When you're anxious, your brain is already stimulated. The anxiety activates the stress hormone in your body, and you may be in the fight-or-flight response (check out Chapter 1 for details). The stimulants such as caffeine and nonprescription drugs that I mention in this section can be harmful, serving only to intensify such anxiety, so you should reduce or abstain from them.
Reducing caffeine intake with mindfulness
Caffeine is a stimulant. It increases your breathing and heart rate, which gives you a boost (the well-known caffeine kick). But if you're under stress or suffering from anxiety, you just increase your body's stress response with coffee, therefore making your anxiety worse.
As a stimulant, caffeine also keeps you awake. It stops the effect of adenosine, a chemical that lets the brain calm down.
Getting adequate sleep is vitally important for anxiety sufferers, so cut out caffeine altogether if you can. If going cold turkey is too difficult, try limiting yourself to one or two cups a day of coffee and have them in the morning so that the caffeine doesn't affect your sleep.
Many people find that when they're in the habit of drinking coffee, getting out of it is difficult, particularly if they've relied on it for several years to help them get out of bed in the morning. If you don't drink coffee (or indeed other caffeine-containing drinks) yet, best not start so that you don't have to stop later!
Mindfulness can help you become aware of your thoughts and therefore aware of your body's desire for caffeine. The body's urges tend to have a rise-and-fall effect, and people tend to submit to the urge when it's at its peak. When you feel the desire for a cup of coffee, you can begin to bring a mindful awareness to your body's sensations and watch the urge as it falls away again after the rise, therefore not succumbing to it.
Think of the rise-and-fall of urges as being like a wave. The wave rises and rises until at its peak and then gradually comes back down again. Mindfulness allows you to watch the waves from a safe distance, instead of being caught up in them (and getting soaked through). This is often called urge surfing.
This is a great exercise to try out to help manage your urges to take in caffeine. The same principles can be applied for any other addiction.
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
- Become aware gently of any thoughts that are arising for you as you feel the urge for caffeine.
- Move your focus and awareness softly to any emotions that you notice.
- Notice any bodily sensations you may be having.
- Bring a sense of kindness to yourself, your thoughts and your bodily sensations.
- Accept whatever arises for you, saying gently to yourself ‘I'm going to be kind to myself for my health’.
- Open your eyes slowly.
Reducing the use of harmful nonprescription drugs
Research shows that many illegal substances can have a detrimental effect on mental health and worsen anxiety. Even drugs that may appear safe, such as marijuana, can trigger panic attacks.
Regular use of cannabis affects the hippocampus – which isn't a big-headed, short-legged animal at university, but the part of your brain you use to develop new skills. Therefore, cannabis affects your ability to learn a new practice, such as mindfulness, as well as any other study that you may want to undertake.
Cocaine can bring about panic attacks and in some people cause severe anxiety with withdrawal. Ecstasy can bring about anxiety, too, and is a very dangerous substance to someone's mental health when mixed with another drug, such as LSD, for example.
Some of these drugs may give you a temporary lift or help you relax, but they're very dangerous in the long term. They can cause dangerous addictions and have a detrimental effect on your mental health, anxiety and finances. If you find that you have urges for some of these drugs, try out the exercise for caffeine in the preceding section. If you find these urges very strong and overwhelmingly difficult to control, seek help from a doctor or medical professional as soon as you can.
Choosing to drink less alcohol
Sometimes your anxiety can seem overwhelming and hard to manage. You turn to alcohol when you feel that you need it to be able to cope with a stressful or social situation. But although one or two drinks may take the edge off, alcohol doesn't help you deal with your anxiety in the long term – it's a form of avoidance rather than management.
Although alcohol may make you feel more confident and more alert at the time, it's a depressant and can have an adverse effect on your mood. After you've been drinking, the alcohol can affect your sleep and leave you dehydrated, feeling unwell and lacking in energy and motivation.
Mindfulness meditation struggles to help you when you're under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances. Cut out alcohol altogether if you can, but also have a look at the guidelines on the NHS website at www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Alcohol-unit-calculator.aspx for how many units you can consume safely.
Looking after Yourself Physically
Mindfulness and physical health go hand in hand. In fact, mindfulness can aid your physical health by getting you to be compassionate to yourself, recognising negative patterns and therefore choosing to engage in healthy mindful habits.
Exercise, diet and sleep can all help manage your anxiety.
Moving your body mindfully
Exercise is very important to your mental and physical health. It boosts endorphins and serotonin (the happy hormone). It helps you increase your focus, sleep better, have a better mood, maintain a healthy weight and lessen your risk of developing some chronic diseases. In fact, if you exercise regularly, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease is dramatically reduced.
Most of the mindfulness meditations I describe in this book involve sitting or lying down, mainly still. But bringing mindfulness to everyday physical activities is important as well, including exercise. So in the following practice, I show you how to be mindful while swimming.
I chose swimming because it's a low-impact activity on your body and protects the joints from stress and strain, which is particularly useful if you have any injuries. Ellie Simmonds, the British Paralympic swimming champion, says swimming can raise well-being levels up to 20 per cent in just one session!
If you don't know how to swim, use this exercise as a guide for any other physical activity, such as cycling, badminton, tennis or squash or even slow walking (I also describe such an exercise in Chapter 11). You can even bring mindful attention to activities such as cleaning the house or mowing the lawn!
Try this exercise to make your swimming experience more meditative than just physical movement:
- Begin with a few mindful breaths.
Feel the sensation of your breath as you stand at the side of the pool.
- Allow yourself to notice your body and what it feels like.
Can you feel any tension anywhere? What thoughts are going through your mind? How are you feeling?
- Get into the pool and become aware of the feeling of the water on your body.
Is it cold or warm?
- Become aware of your limbs as you start to swim.
What do your bodily sensations feel like? What does your body feel like to float?
- Continue to feel your bodily sensations as you move through the water.
Just swim as best as you can and let go of any outcome you wanted to achieve.
Creating a healthy diet
A healthy diet is good for you for lots of reasons. It can boost your immune system, give you energy, stop you from getting sick and help prevent against cancers and other serious diseases. It can also help with anxiety and depression.
A healthy diet doesn't mean that you can never allow yourself a packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate again! It means having a balance between eating healthy food most of the time and a treat sometimes.
The 80/20 rule is a good way to remember this guidance. For 80 per cent of the time eat well and then allow yourself a treat for the remaining 20 per cent.
For example, for six days of the weeks eat healthy meals and then allow yourself some treats on the seventh day, such as a chocolate bar or a takeaway.
Lots of information is readily available online and in books for healthy meal plans and what a healthy diet comprises. Here are a few guidelines to get you started:
- Stay hydrated and drink plenty of liquids, ideally water. Drink 1 to 1.5 litres a day or eight glasses.
- Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Aim for five or more a day. For example, you can get several of your five a day by making a tasty morning smoothie.
- Get plenty of protein. Vegetarians can get protein from nuts, seeds, pulses and eggs. Meat eaters can find protein in fish and other types of meat as well.
- Consume foods that contain vitamin B12 and other vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, D and minerals like iron and calcium. Avoid eating too much processed food and food that contains a lot of sugar, such as ready meals, fizzy drinks and sweets. Sometimes additives or preservatives in food can affect your mood.
Getting into a regular sleeping pattern
Some people manage to drop off immediately and sleep heavily for hours, whereas others find falling asleep difficult and have disturbed nights. Whatever your tendency, getting enough sleep can be a vital step toward managing your anxiety.
Falling asleep and staying asleep
Try these general tips to help you sleep:
- Go to bed at the same time every evening. This helps to get your body into a routine and deepens your sleep. Once in a while, it's okay to stay up late, but if you go to bed at different times every single night, it can lead to sleep problems.
- Make your bedroom as quiet, dark, cool and comfortable as you can. Use earplugs if the surrounding sounds are too noisy or a bedroom fan if you feel too hot when sleeping. Invest in black-out curtains to keep your room dark or alternatively sleep with an eye mask.
- Keep your bedroom as uncluttered as possible. Having a cluttered environment can cause a cluttered mind, so don't put off that clearout!
- Try not to work in your bedroom if you work from home. Ideally, use the bedroom only for sleep and other fun nocturnal activities – something to keep in mind!
- Don't sleep during the day. Limit naps to 10 to 20 minutes if you absolutely have to take one. These short power naps work best in the early afternoon when there is often a post-lunch dip in energy.
- Exercise for 30 minutes a day. But don't do it too close to night time because it can energise you instead of relaxing you.
- Have a warm bath and drink some warm milk before bed. But avoid having too much liquid before bedtime because it disturbs your sleep if you have to wake up to use the bathroom.
Overcoming insomnia with mindfulness
Mindfulness can help you reduce your stress and constant worrying, which makes it a great tool for overcoming insomnia.
Here are some mindful exercises to help combat sleep problems:
- Practise mindfulness meditation or mindful movement before bedtime. Use meditations or exercises, such as yoga, that are more relaxing than energising.
- Focus on your breath if you're lying in bed unable to sleep (see Chapter 3). Take a few deep breaths and then gently expand your awareness to any bodily sensations you may feel and any sounds you can hear. Bring curiosity and acceptance to these sounds and sensations as best you can.
- Practise the body scan if you tend to wake up during the night (see Chapter 5). Many people find that this meditation relaxes them.
- Count every time you breathe out. Start from one and when you get to ten, start again from one. Place a hand on your tummy to feel the breath, if it helps you.
If you still have difficulty sleeping, don't worry about it and don't make sleep an ultimate aim. If you manage to meditate all night, that's great! You still get some benefits from that.
Avoiding Overuse of Technology at Home
Although technology has many benefits, taking a break from it is also useful. Computers, mobile phones and TVs can all halt relaxation and the chances of being in the present moment because your brain is overstimulated with information.
This section describes how technology can affect you and ways in which you can better balance your use of it for your own well-being.
Not watching TV last thing before bed
The body can take some time to come down from the effects of stimulation from TV, particularly from the light that the TV and other electronic devices give off, such as computers and game consuls. This light keeps the brain awake and delays the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps you get to sleep.
Leave an hour between watching TV (screen time) and sleeping in order to get the best night's rest. Also, watching negative TV programmes at night, such as the news, can also contribute to sleep disturbance. (For more information on the importance of sleep for tackling anxiety, see the section ‘Getting into a regular sleeping pattern’, earlier in this chapter.)
Turning off your computer and mobile phone early
Technology is great, but it pushes people to achieve the ultimate levels of multitasking in the hope of becoming more productive. The brain doesn't cope well with too much multitasking, and the stress hormone builds up.
When you bring work home with you, sometimes even checking just one email triggers the fight-or-flight response (see Chapter 1). If you're already anxious, it further exacerbates your anxiety. You're not in the present moment because your mind is on work tomorrow or something else entirely.
Check whether you can have a go at choosing a time in which to switch off your mobile and laptop and stick to it. Then do something relaxing in the evening, such as having a nice meal or reading a book. Be mindful of your urges to use technology and whether you can allow that desire to subside in its own time, instead of reaching for the phone or remote control.
Some people find that having a technology-free 24 hours is helpful, such as 8 p.m. on a Friday to 8 p.m. on a Saturday.
Motivating Yourself to Meditate
Getting into a new routine can be hard, but if you brush your teeth and shower every day, you can also get into a routine of meditation. The irony is that the benefits of mindfulness meditation can be highest in those very situations of a busy lifestyle when finding time to practise is most difficult. You're better able to cope with any stress and anxiety that arises, and you find that your focus and energy increases as well.
This section is about getting (and staying) motivated, doing it gradually and not berating yourself if you miss a meditation. Routine is learned, and although you may not be able to manage it straight away, step by step you can improve on your practice.
Taking things one breath at a time
Scheduling your meditations is helpful. Put a reminder on your calendar or your phone or a prompt online for the time of day you want to meditate. Start meditating for ten minutes twice a day or whatever feels manageable to you. Even just sensing your breath for a few minutes is a meditation and an invaluable present-moment awareness (check out Chapter 3).
Think about the environment in which you're meditating. Is it comfortable and quiet for you? Opposite where I live is a park, and I often see a man meditating quietly under a tree. Even if that's not suitable for you, you can create a little corner in your home or bedroom with some soft cushions where you can go to do your meditation. Just build up slowly and gently and do whatever works for you.
Forgiving yourself for the occasional slip
You don't stay motivated and stick with any new habit if you give up easily. Take things step by step and don't beat yourself up if you make a slip. Bring as much of an attitude of kindness and self-compassion for yourself as you can manage (see Chapter 6 for more on kindness). You've picked up this book so that's a great start already!
You're only human and every human on the planet makes mistakes. Ease off any pressure you put on yourself and go at a steady pace. Remember perfectionism feeds anxiety.
Rewarding yourself every so often
To maintain your motivation, you need to reward yourself when you do manage to stick to your healthy habits. For example, if you manage to turn off your technology early every evening, go to the cinema with friends, family or alone and enjoy a good movie. Just make sure that you take care of yourself with a reward and an attitude of compassion and kindness as much as you can.
I have to be very disciplined with my writing. I wake up early, do a little meditation, have a healthy breakfast and write for a few hours in the morning. After that, I sometimes reward myself by seeing a friend for a nice lunch or doing something fun in the afternoon. This approach helps to take the pressure off the striving to make myself write or meditate, and I can enjoy the process more as well.