Part 1: Why Traditional Anxiety Relief Isn’t Working
Stress and anxiety are not a “new normal”. I think we can all agree that life has been stressful since 2020, overloading society mentally, and has triggered some anxiety. Sometimes we need to step back to re-evaluate and sort everything out. We need to look at both psychological triggers and possible physical causes of symptoms.
As a visual learner, I find it very helpful to do a “brain dump” on a huge whiteboard or even the back of a desktop calendar to see what I need to prioritize for business, personal, and family tasks I want to accomplish.
We can get very stressed thinking about all of the things we want, need, or must do, so using 15-30 minutes to get it all out of our heads can be such a relief as well as more manageable.
Immediate Relief Strategies for Mental Chaos and Overwhelm
Having an organized list with steps can help to eliminate worry because we have a plan of action. Mapping them out with realistic time expectations can allow for breathing room so that things will get done, so we don’t have to revisit them daily in our minds.
For some, living inside the non-stop chatter of the subconscious can be incredibly overwhelming. An off switch or solutions are needed to feel in control. One physical factor I would like to educate you on is heavy metal toxicity, which can affect our physiological behavior, pushing our biochemistry.
We can find ourselves behaving in ways that are not natural to us. It takes over the steering wheel and the gas pedal, causing symptoms.
Part 2: The Critical Mineral Deficiencies That Drive Your Stress
Carrying around the stress of mental chaos can not only cause psychological overwhelm, but it also affects us physically in the following ways that intermingle. Here are some symptoms related to anxiety or stress:
- Headaches
- Insomnia or excess sleeping
- Nausea
- Rapid heartbeat
- Susceptible to colds
- Tense muscles with aches and pains
- Chest pain
- Low energy
- Quick, shallow breathing or shortness of breath
- Increased heart rate or palpitations
- Sweating, shakiness, or trembling
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Stomach Upset
- Frequent infections
- Loss of sexual desire and/or abilities
- Depression
- Mind racing and worrying
- Angry, irritable, or restlessness
- Feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or unfocused
- Memory or concentration issues
Magnesium and Calcium: The Nerve Relaxant Alarm
When you experience sustained stress, your body’s Adrenal Glands are forced into overdrive, constantly producing fight-or-flight hormones like cortisol. This prolonged biochemical alarm system rapidly depletes your body’s reserves of key nutrients, especially the calming minerals Magnesium and Zinc. Magnesium acts as nature’s tranquilizer and is necessary for relaxing the muscles and remaining at peace.
If you are checking off every symptom on the stress list (insomnia, rapid heartbeat, tense muscles) but feel therapy or lifestyle changes aren’t enough, it’s a sign your underlying chemistry, not your willpower, is failing. Your anxiety is a Mineral Imbalance warning light.
Zinc, Copper, and Heavy Metal Toxicity: The Silent Triggers
For some, living inside the non-stop chatter of the subconscious can be incredibly overwhelming. An off switch or solutions are needed to feel in control. One physical factor I would like to educate you on is heavy metal toxicity, which can affect our physiological behavior, pushing our biochemistry. We can find ourselves behaving in ways that are not natural to us. It takes over the steering wheel and the gas pedal, causing symptoms.
Part 3: More Than 7 Proven Holistic Ways to Calm the Nervous System and Reduce Cortisol!
The Vagus Nerve Reset: EFT, Breathing, and Bio-hacks:
These techniques manually switch the body from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) to parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) via the Vagus Nerve.
- Deep breathing exercises (especially 3-6-9 breathing)
- EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping
- Exercise to release stress, increase oxygenation, and beneficial endorphins while decreasing the inflammatory hormone Cortisol
- Meditation
- Get a massage
- Ask for a hug to release Oxytocin (Vagus nerve activation), which causes a reduction in blood pressure, reduces the stress hormone Norepinephrine, and can give you a sense of relaxation
- Watch a funny movie to laugh
Many modalities help with the mind and body stress and anxiety. Some physical practices you can do are:
- Eat with mindfulness while enjoying nutritious foods
- Cut back or eliminate caffeine as well as other stimulants
- Play with a pet or visit with a loved one
- Reminisce with friends
- Schedule more sleep and relaxation
- Aromatherapy
- Create some art or do your favorite hobby
- Garden
- Practice positive affirmations
- Journal to express your feelings or gratitude for what you have
High-Impact Supplements for Immediate Anxiety Support
While most of the items above are free, there are a few herbal remedies that are worth purchasing:
- Add in or increase your Omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have found a 20-25% reduction in anxiety symptoms.
- Green tea contains many polyphenol antioxidants that increase serotonin levels (a happy hormone).
- Take Ashwagandha as found in a wonderful product called Protandim, which can decrease your oxidative stress by 40% within 30 days!
- Ask me about 5-HTTP with Valerian root, which is a popular sleep aid that has a tranquilizing effect. It is the natural form of Valium, which alters Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) receptors to lower anxiety. Check with your physician first to make sure it is safe and will not interact with any medications or conditions.
- Sunflower lecithin helps calm the neurotransmitters in our brain when used at the correct milligrams.
Note: I don’t recommend Lemon balm as it is part of the mint family that is notorious for leaching aluminum from the ground. It can slow thyroid function, so those with any thyroid issues should avoid it.
While these supplements offer temporary support, blindly supplementing can worsen existing imbalances. For instance, increasing Calcium without knowing your exact Magnesium and Zinc levels can worsen anxiety symptoms by throwing off critical metabolic ratios. You can’t guess your way to balance. To ensure you are giving your body the precise tools needed to stabilize the nervous system, a long-term testing approach is essential.
Stop Guessing: Your Personalized Stress and Anxiety Solution with Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)
Many of my clients have been diagnosed with anxiety by their physicians. If you feel the symptoms warrant a visit, do so, even if it helps to simply rule out a serious condition. If the lists above are not helping or eliminating your symptoms, consider doing a Hair Analysis to see if they are triggered by a physical component or nutritional deficiency.
Randomly taking them can harm cell membranes. When you know what is needed and get the correct amount, it can be life-changing both mentally and physically.
Blood tests provide only a snapshot of your current mineral levels, often prioritizing survival rather than cellular health. The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) offers a one to two-month history of your mineral excretion, directly reflecting the chronic stress burden on your Adrenal Glands.
This test allows us to see the precise ratios of the calming minerals (like Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc) versus the stimulating minerals (like Sodium and Potassium) that are driving your anxiety. This is not about masking symptoms with a pill; it’s about giving your body the exact biochemical blueprint it needs to permanently switch off the alarm.
The sooner you start, the sooner you can feel like yourself again. LET’s CHAT about your health goals!
Learn more about detoxing loneliness.
Copyright Scientific Nutrition, LLC 2020
