Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns in the U.S., affecting around 6.8 million people. That’s 3.1% of the population! The term anxiety actually covers a whole list of disorders, from phobias to social anxiety to generalized anxiety. It can be treated with therapy and medications, but there are some things you can do along with more traditional treatment that can help reduce your anxiety.
For example, you can try breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. And while these methods can help you reduce the constant tension or fear caused by anxiety, there’s an even easier – and tastier – strategy. You can add certain foods to (and take others out of) your diet. Nutrition is the first step in caring for our physical health, but it can also help our mental health, so we’ve compiled a list of foods that can work along with your treatment to reduce your anxiety.
1.Green Tea
Green tea leaves have an amino acid called Theanine. According to research, theanine significantly lowers stress by lowering your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that can cause those anxious feelings. Theanine may also increase production of dopamine and serotonin, the hormones that cause happy and blissful feelings. Increasing these levels can have anxiety-reducing effects.
Additionally, green tea contains other antioxidants that promote brain health. These antioxidants can relieve some of the symptoms of your anxiety and help your brain process your emotions better, making you feel calmer.
2.Almonds
Snacking on almonds can reduce symptoms, like depression, that often come with anxiety, especially in men. Research found that men who ate nuts were 66% less likely to experience anxiety. This is because the nutrients in almonds, including vitamin E and healthy fats, promote healthy brain function.
Why is vitamin E so important if you’re struggling with anxiety? Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress, which can cause anxiety. When you are in an anxious state, your body will use a lot of your vitamin E supply to help counteract the symptoms. So increasing your vitamin E levels by eating almonds can help give your body the supply it needs to ease your anxiety.
3.Dark Chocolate
Not only is chocolate delicious, it can help reduce your anxiety. Dark chocolate contains a compound called flavanols that act as antioxidants. And antioxidants, as we explained earlier, promote brain health and relieve anxious symptoms.
The amino acids in dark chocolate also aid in the production of serotonin, which is a hormone that triggers euphoric feelings. Triggering those feelings can help boost your mood and help relieve some of your stress.
4.Eggs
Eggs are all-around healthy. They’re a source of complete protein, which means they have all the essential amino acids you need for growth and development. And it means they contain tryptophan, an amino acid that specifically helps relieve anxiety. This is another one of those amino acids that promotes serotonin production.
We’ve mentioned how serotonin helps reduce anxiety but it has other benefits, too. Serotonin can help regulate your sleep and mood, and even strengthen your memory!
5.Yogurt
The probiotics in yogurt and other types of fermented food help reduce inflammation in your gut. What does your gut have to do with anxiety? Well, your gut and brain send signals to each other through the central nervous system. Those signals help regulate stress response and anxiousness. Have you ever said “ I have a gut feeling about this”? That’s where the phrase comes from.
When your gut is overrun with bad bacteria, the signals to your brain become weaker, which in turn can cause an overactive stress response and anxiety. The probiotics in yogurt help keep those signals loud and clear.
Foods To avoid
Knowing what foods to eat to reduce your anxiety is great. But you also need to know what foods can heighten your anxiety, as well.
1.Alcohol
Alcohol is tricky. A small amount can actually stimulate GABA, a neurotransmitter that produces a calming effect on your body. But heavy drinking can have the opposite effect on GABA. It can cause a disruption to the signals to your brain, and cause you to become more anxious.
2.Sugar
As with anything, moderation is key, and too much sugar can have severe effects on your mind. A high sugar diet can cause your blood sugar levels to spike and crash often. When your blood sugar is on a rollercoaster ride, the lows can drain your energy and cause your mood to drop. During those lows your anxiety can spike. You don’t have to remove sugar completely from your diet, you just have to be careful with your intake.
3.Processed foods
We talked about how inflammation in your gut can increase your anxiety. Processed foods can cause that inflammation. Things like fried or frozen foods and pastries all trigger the inflammation that leads to your gut and mind not communicating with each other correctly. Again, moderation is encouraged here.
Take your time
You don’t have to overhaul your diet in one day. Slowly start to introduce some of these foods or cut back on others. Give each new adjustment a week or so and see if you notice any positive changes. Keep track of your results, and over time you’ll have a clear view of what works for you.
Remember, food isn’t a cure-all for anxiety disorders, it’s just a helpful tool. Consult with your doctor or therapist about your diet changes as well as other treatments to help your anxiety.
Veganism has become a mainstream lifestyle and has been becoming more popular within the last couple of years. There are many health benefits to becoming vegan and now there are financial benefits. An Israel-based health insurance company, Clal Insurance, offers discounts to people who are vegans. The trend has caught on in America with an insurance company offering discounts for life insurance to vegans.
The insurance company requres you to sign a declaration of health to qualify for vegan savings.
The Israeli insurance company began a Vegan Pay Less, VPL, initiative for life and health insurance plans for vegans. The discount will be available to member sof vegan associations who provide a signed declaration of health to qualify. The company is hoping that more people will choose to make the diet change to become healthier which will reduce health issues and costs.
Benefits of Vegan Diet
Plant based diets have become popular due to how well it ranks in healthiest diets in the world.. Studies have shown that a vegan diet has been shown to aid in the prevention and treatment of major diseases. These studies from the Public Health Nutrition Journal have shown what the benefits vegans receive. Their hypertension reduced by 63%, type 2 diabetes reduced by almost 50%, cardiovascular issues reduced by 20%, and a 15% lower chance from all types of cancer.
A lot of fruits and vegetables can help your body from high risks of cancer, alzheimer’s, and diabetes because of the antioxidants and phytochemicals provided. The National Cancer Institute believes that antioxidants can prevent certain forms of cancer because these antioxidants prevent cell damage.
A person is less likely to become obese or have a high BMI if they are on a vegan diet. A meatless diet will help you to have less body fat. This in turn will keep you from having high blood pressure and cholesterol issues.
A meatless diet has many benefits from maintaing your BMI, to lowering your chances of cancers and high blood pressure.
People who eat fish are exposed to mercury in their diet and high levels of it can damage your kidneys and lungs. A large intake can impact your cognitive skills because it is damaging to the nervous system.
An insurance company in America has joined the bandwagon of giving discounts to Americans who practice a healthier lifestyle by going vegan. Health IQ made the shift in order to help people save money. They base premiums on a person’s lifestyle rather than family history. The likelihood that other insurance companies will join the vegan discounted rates are high because vegans are healthier than non vegans.
Insurers want healthier customers so they do not have to pay a lot to insure them, in other words, the healthier a customer then the more the insurance company saves. Insurance companies do not want to take on sick customers. This will not only benefit the insurance companies, but also the customers. Bottom line is the more greens you eat, the more green you save in your pockets.
Three. That simple number changed my life forever.
I Was Lost
For years, I struggled with achieving what I thought to be perfection. I stressed myself out studying for tests on subjects that made no sense to me, staying up late surrounded by piles of my meticulously-written notes, likely with tears in my eyes because I was afraid of missing the mark. In the end, the work paid off, I was a straight A student.. I was rewarded with a Bachelor’s degree, with honors. Though I aced my exams (except you, organic chem), I failed to really understand the way my mind worked, failed to really understand myself and because of that, I failed to be kind to myself.
In college, I thought I was going to be a dentist. I wanted to make my parents proud, to give them bragging rights that their child was a six-figure earner. I wanted to show up my bullies, so that they would regret every unkind thing that they had ever said about the “ugly girl.” I wanted to feel powerful behind my smirk when I told everyone about my career during house parties at my beach oasis in the Hamptons. I wanted to have what I thought was the perfect career choice, even at the expense of my own happiness.
Nothing Changed
After graduating college, I still relied heavily on my instincts in my day-to-day life, in the workplace, in relationships. Can I attain perfection? What is the next big thing I can achieve? I stayed up late writing out lists of my goals, pasting new images on my vision board. After I moved out on my own, however, things shifted and I truly broke down.
I felt alone, isolated, and I lacked the support system that I needed to keep me going. I dragged my feet every morning, apathetic about life, until I stumbled upon the Enneagram Assessment. The short quiz claimed it would help me better understand myself and since I was so ready to give up on everything I thought I knew, I took a chance and answered the all questions that same day, eager for the results to give me direction on my then, undefined path. The assessment listed a series of short statements, asking that the user honestly grade each as applicable to their personality and ways of thinking. In noting whether users “agreed”, “disagreed”, or felt “neutral” about the statements, they were pinpointed as one of nine personality types.
The Results Changed My Life
Type Three: The Achiever. These individuals want to be affirmed and admired to feel valuable, and fear being worthless. As children, Threes learn that when they performed well in certain activities that were valued by their parents or peers, they were praised — thus continue to put their energies into excelling in those activities. The assessment results were spot on.
(A list of famous 3’s include: Condoleezza Rice, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith, Tony Robbins, Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway, Ryan Seacrest, Elvis Presley, and Oprah Winfrey. Not a bad group to surround yourself with, huh?)
As the eldest child of first-generation immigrant parents, I was easily overlooked.
As the eldest child of first-generation immigrant parents, I was easily overlooked. With my siblings being significantly younger than me, my parents’ energies and efforts primarily resided in keeping them fed, clean, and happy. I learned that I got positive feedback from them when I earned high marks in school, when I achieved. I was never the “pretty, popular girl” in school, but I did get praise from my classmates when my project was the most artistic in the room. I thrived on how impressed teachers were with my posters and reports, beamed with pride when my peers commented on their jealousy of my academic and creative abilities. Boy, was I a true Three.
Where this threeness became dangerous was getting so wrapped up in everyone else’s expectations that I lost sight of my own hopes and dreams, my own interests and passions. Quickly, that left me defeated and incredibly depressed. There were low days that I fell back into the suicidal thoughts that taunted me at age 13, and it took every ounce of strength in my body to continue moving forward.
This ‘Threeness’ Really Made Me Think
The results of the Enneagram test provided me with the clarity I needed to step back for a moment and finally put myself first. It gave me the permission to give myself a bit of grace when I don’t hit the mark of perfection. I still often have to remind myself that I shouldn’t be so wrapped up in performance or be image-conscious, but I think that I’ve made great strides in setting up a daily routine that keeps me balanced and grounded in my surroundings. A gratitude journal reminds me of all that I have to be thankful for, and the checkmarks on my daily To Do lists assures me that I’ve successfully completed the important tasks that matter at work and at home. And my 2 dogs definitely give me all the positive attention I need to know that I’m doing something right in life. It’s not true perfection, I guess, but it’s my own little version of it.
I can’t say I was surprised by the personality type that the test pinpointed. Because the results from this simple, free assessment were accurate, I really took the time to diligently read through the detailed
The Enneagram Wheel represents the 9 different personality types, and shows how they interact with one another.
results via the Enneagram Institute page. The descriptions really outlined not just the strengths of each type, but provided a level-by-level analysis of the development needed for each Enneagram type. As I read through the descriptions of each of the 9 types, various people in my life — family, friends, coworkers, neighbors — flashed through my head, and it gave me a little bit more awareness of the different lenses that these different people may see the world. Greater patience, understanding and empathy was granted to every person I encountered, and I was able to gift myself more grace for my own shortcomings and limitations thanks to the self-awareness that the assessment provided.
Today, I am no dentist. I am not a PhD student either. I don’t even own a house (of any size). I am Jessica… plain ol’ Jessica. And you know what? I’m so incredibly happy about that.
So, what’s your number? What is it that makes you tick? I encourage everyone to take a moment and retrieve your Enneagram assessment results to gain some insight about why you think the way you do and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to find your own little slice of perfection in life too.
Stress can cause our bodies to become tired, causing them to become weak when fighting against an illness. When constantly dealing with stress, including constant stress at work, it takes a large toll on your health. Not only does your physical health deteriorate, but your mental health does as well. Physically you lose sleep and do not digest your food fully, while mentally you can become depressed, anxious, and lose memory over time. Stress can cause a person to become so irritable, that their social life will begin to decline. In order to fight all of this stress consider booking a relaxing vacation for yourself. Even just one vacation a year can help your mental and physical stress levels.
Getting away can have great benefits for your health.
Studies show that improvements in your psychological and physical wellbeing are caused by taking a vacation. According to a study, American employees only take about half their accrued vacation time. This can be because they think that have too much to do at work and do not have the time or finances to take a break. A vacation can be something as simple as a week off staying in your city connecting with friends and family or meditating and treating yourself. There is no better reason to take a vacation than keeping yourself healthy. Some of the benefits of taking regular vacations are:
Better Sleep
When it is time to go to sleep, it may be hard to sleep because we have too much on our minds. We will replay our day, or think about work projects and deadlines, or chores that need to be done. It can become overwhelming and cause us to lose sleep. Loss of sleep can cause you to become less alert and lose memory, causing you to make mistakes. A vacation will help you to reset and get back to a more stable sleep pattern and essentially helping you become more focused.
Better Productivity
Taking time off to rest will increase productivy, mood, and physical health.
With better sleep comes better focus and productivity because time away produces a clearer mind and more ideas. Overworking can cause a person to burn out, especially when it comes to being productive and creative. Studies have shown that employees who go on vacations have higher performance ratings and are less likely to leave their job. A vacation gives you the opportunity to come back refreshed with a more productive mindset and happier mentality.
Boosts Mental Health
Stress and lack of sleep take a toll on your overall well-being, making it harder to be productive not only at work but in life. Psychologically it takes a toll on you when you do not take a break to de-stress. Vacationers have a better mental health alongside a better mood. Happiness and generosity are shown to be higher amongst those who vacation regularly, and they also tend to value personal connections more than materialistic things. When we are anxious at work, it becomes harder to find solutions. Vacations lessen this stress and keep anxiety low.
Boosts Physical Health
Studies have shown that people who go on vacations are more likely to not only be happier, but healthier than those that did not go on vacations. Vacationers reported having less stress, and less physical issues; less complaints of headaches and backaches. Reports show that not going vacation at least once a year is associated with a higher risk of heart disease. This is because vacations offer the relaxation you need that in return lowers your blood pressure and stress levels. Anxiety and stress that builds up over time from work and life takes a toll on your physical and mental health. Too much stress can lead to higher blood pressure, and even a heart attack!
Vacations help us become our best selves, and be more productive not only in life but at work. There are so many benefits from vacations, especially for our health, that it is important to utilize them and take that time away to reset and refresh our minds and bodies.
Working out is recommended at least 3-4 times a week by doctors to stay fit. It takes some discipline to go to the gym, and current fitness trends can influence how you work out. Every year there are new fads and fitness trends that people follow to get fit and stay fit. For example, have you ever heard of prancercise? Yes it is a real thing where you prance around like a horse. You might also remember the thighmaster, where you squeeze a contraption between your thighs to reduce inner thigh fat, & we all have heard the shake-weight which promises to tone your arms faster and effectively. Some of these fads come and go, or are just a gimmick that promises results, but some trends are exciting and give you a new reason to WANT to go to the gym.
To see real results, you have to put in the work– hard work. There are fun ways to exercise and get a workout in other than just going to the gym and lifting weights or running the treadmill. There are workouts and classes such as aerial workouts that work your muscles while you have fun at the same time.
So What Is An Aerial Workout?
Aerial exercise is a workout that is also a form of art, kind of like dancing in the air. People often describe an aerial workout as flying, which to be honest we all wanted to do when we were a kid. Even though it is a fun pastime, it’s also a great workout. You work out your arms, back, and core muscles. When trying to describe these workouts you might think of Cirque Du Soleil, where people are hanging on ropes from the ceiling floating around. Just like them, you hang in the air using an apparatus.
Aerial exercise is a workout that is also a form of art, kind of like dancing in the air. People often describe an aerial workout as flying.
There are different variations of aerial classes, from aerial acrobatics to aerial yoga and bungee fitness, all focusing on your core muscles. Aerial yoga uses hammocks hung from the ceiling where you do different yoga poses and stretches. Aerial art/acrobatics is when you use the trapeze, silks or a hoops (lyra) and learn to perfect different tricks. If you try bungee fitness you are strapped to a bungee cord from the ceiling and jump around, kick, floor dive, and work your core muscles without even knowing it.. You can expect to break a sweat with bungee fitness because it is similar to a cardio workout with music, and more bounce. Your arms will definitely be sore after the first time you try this exercise, as you will be using your rhomboids,your back muscles used during pull ups.
It is not as easy at it looks and it may take some practice to perfect, but once you have it down, people often claim to be addicted. This fun and adventurous exercise will require more muscle strength to keep yourself up in the air. But like anything, practice and time will make it easier to do.
Over time, these workouts provide you with the balance of strength and flexibility that is needed to perform them. Your teacher will make sure you are safe and you should always voice any concerns you have with them. They are there to make sure you are comfortable and get a good workout in. You should always consult with your doctor if you have prior injuries to find out if this type of exercise will be best for you.
A Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) was announced by the CDC to begin in 2018. The model will be added as a covered benefit for Medicare enrollees who meet the criteria. The program started April 1, 2018.
New Medicare Programs For Diabetes Can Result In You Saving Big!
Diabetes affects more than 25% of seniors 65 and older in America, and Medicare has spent billions on beneficiaries with diabetes. But type 2 diabetes can usually be delayed or prevented with healthy lifestyle changes.
The model offers a classroom-style support group that has gone through many successful pilots which resulted in better management for diabetes patients. The services include core sessions during the first 6 months, core maintenance sessions during the second month, and ongoing maintenance sessions during the second year. Check-ins are to make sure the participants are sticking to a healthy lifestyle. CMS Deputy Administrator and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Conway believes that programs like these can prevent disease and help people live healthier lives.
The MDPP model aims to prevent type 2 diabetes from developing among Medicare beneficiaries. It will provide coaching services to prediabetic patients and help them lose weight. The goal is to reduce their weight by at least 5% from baseline and they must achieve this by the end of the first year to be eligible for ongoing maintenance in the second year.
People who went to more sessions had a much higher percentage of weight loss than those that skipped classes.
In the pilot tests conducted, patients who followed the program reduced their body weight by around 5% and lowered their spending by $2650 over the course of 15 months. The patients who attended more sessions had higher weight loss, which is the main goal of the program. “The final payment structure values beneficiary weight loss most significantly, as weight loss is a key indicator of success among individuals participating in a DPP due to the strong association between weight loss and reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes,” CMS said.
“For the first time CMS, is going to be reimbursing for diabetes prevention based on this evidence-based program,” says Robert Gabbay, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, and Chief Medical Officer at Joslin Diabetes Center. “Currently the challenge is that when we identify people who are prediabetic, which is easy to do with a simple blood test, we don’t have a program to enroll them in that is reimbursed.”
Providers/physicians will receive Medicare reimbursement for providing the services to eligible patients. If their patients do not meet the required minimum weight loss, they will receive lower reimbursement rates and lose out on $160 per patient. But, if a patient successfully does the programs and meets the requirements, the provider could receive $610 per patient. If the patient comes to all the sessions but does not meet the 5% weight loss goal, the patient will help accrue $195 reimbursement for the provider.
Patients are eligible for the MDDP only once in their life because the CMS believes that the one-time benefit will be more likely to motivate them rather than allowing them to re-enroll any time. But, if a patient develops diabetes at any time during the program, then they can keep receiving services.
Diabetes is a national issue and is growing among children, adults, and senior citizens. This program that will be a preventative covered benefit will open up the idea of developing healthier lifestyles, and reduce the onset of diabetes. It is a hopeful step forward for Medicare beneficiaries.
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