Struggling to manage stress and anxiety? One of my favorite sayings is “It is not what we do some of the time, it’s what we do most of the time that counts”. I wholeheartedly believe this, but even more when it comes to how we care for our mental health. With an expanded awareness in mental health, we are learning more and more each day about different concerns and how to care for ourselves, and like health, I believe mental health and wellness is a daily practice. This means, that our mental health can be affected by what we eat, what we listen to, how much we move, what we watch, our sleep, who we speak to about our feelings, our relationships and even our genetic makeup. While most of the above-mentioned factors are within our control, and we can learn or modify these things, one thing that remains outside of our control is our genes.
Assess environmental factors
If you are an anxiety sufferer looking for treatment options, I think it is extremely important to consider how your environment might be contributing to your anxiety level. However, what if you are doing all the things and are still having a hard time coping? What if you have considered many different treatment options but nothing is working? Does this mean you are out of options?
Consult a professional to better understand how your brain chemistry may affect how you manage stress and anxiety
Many people will seek out my practice because they have a chronic condition, which gets better and worse but never really goes away. They are hesitant to take medication, or they have tried it and they don’t like how they feel. They are searching for more answers around why they feel the way that they do and want a deeper understanding around what is happening in their brain to make them feel this way. Luckily science has made advances in the treatment of mental illness, and we are now able to test very specific nutrients that contribute to the production of neurotransmitters. I also describe it as rather than giving someone the product (neurotransmitter) we look further upstream to understand why your brain might be underproducing these materials, which can unfortunately negatively impact mood.
Through a series of specialized testing, we can identify imbalances in brain chemistry, and restore this balance with a targeted nutrient approach. This can be a primary treatment option or be added to current conventional medication to improve results. If you could feel better, with less medication, that’s a plan we all can agree on.
For more information, book a free 30 minute mini virtual session with our Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Tamarah Chaddah.