My anxiety story
If you struggle with anxiety, you are not alone and it IS possible to get your mental health back on track
I was always a shy child. Generally happy but a bit highly strung, with a tendency to worry about things that didn’t seem to concern other people. Knowing what I know now, I realise that I probably had anxiety, but that wasn’t really ‘a thing’ back in the 80s, at least not in my world.
Several years ago, I had my first panic attack. It was completely out of the blue and the scariest thing I have ever experienced. I was under quite a bit of stress at the time but I felt fine as I drove down the ramp onto one of Sydney’s busiest motorways. Suddenly my heart started racing, I began to hyperventilate, my vision blurred and I felt like I was going to pass out.
Luckily, I was able to pull over and I called my husband, who phoned for an ambulance (not sure why I didn’t phone 000 myself, but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight at the time!). Several hours later, I was sent home from hospital with a referral for a heart specialist but I was pretty sure there was nothing wrong with my heart.
A few days later it happened again, but this one was worse than the first. The panic attack struck after dinner, once again out of the blue and my husband took me back to hospital (the doctors had said to come back if it happened again). I know this sounds melodramatic but I really believed I was dying and as my husband helped me walk to the car I actually thought to myself “I’m never going to see my kids again”.
For a long time after this, I was scared to drive anywhere for fear of experiencing another panic attack. As a busy mum of three young kids, avoiding the car was just not going to be possible so I had to force myself to get back behind the wheel, but this led to ongoing driving anxiety and a raft of uncomfortable physical symptoms, including shortness of breath, shaky sweaty hands and heart palpitations.
As someone who had always been a relatively confident driver, I was fed up and frustrated. I tried everything I could think of to get on top of my anxiety. Deep breathing, psychology sessions, meditation, essential oils, Rescue Remedy. After many months of battling on with little success, I asked my GP for a prescription for anxiety medication but at the last minute decided not to take it.
I’d like to make it very clear that I am not opposed to using medication to treat anxiety. People grappling with severe anxiety often find it challenging to focus on therapeutic strategies without medication, as many struggle both physically and emotionally just to navigate daily life, particularly when their anxiety is at its worst.
Anyway, back to my story. My driving woes and anxiety continued and I also then developed claustrophobia for no apparent reason. I desperately wanted to be back to my old self!
This is where nutrition came in. I decided to do a DNA test, which revealed that I had several "dodgy genes" (gene variations) that impact mental health, neurotransmitter production and mood, including MTHFR.
The beauty of this test is that it can tell you whether your genetic profile increases your susceptibility towards mental health issues (along with many other conditions) and it provides diet, lifestyle and supplement recommendations to reduce the impact of gene variations on health and wellbeing.
I’ve always eaten a pretty healthy diet but my gene variations meant that I had a greater need for several essential nutrients. It is also worth noting that chronic (long-term) stress depletes our nutrient levels (particularly B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and vitamin C) so I was pretty much running on empty.
As a nutritionist, I was already taking supplements but what I was taking wasn’t enough to meet my nutritional needs at the time. I started taking extra magnesium, folate and vitamin B12 and I made sure that I included choline-rich foods in my diet each day (e.g. eggs, fish, broccoli, chicken). I also made sure that I ate protein with every meal to support healthy neurotransmitter production.
Alongside the dietary changes and supplements, I continued to work on my breathing, meditation (something I’ve always struggled with) and the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) strategies recommended by the psychologist.
Correcting my nutrient deficiencies was a game changer. Within a very short time, I started to feel like myself again and I no longer experience panic attacks or claustrophobia. Like anyone, I still get stressed at times but I feel happier and calmer in general.
For those of you who are struggling with anxiety, please know that you are not alone. You may not have the same dodgy genes or nutrient deficiencies as me but you could still benefit from a personalised nutrition approach.
Whether you are on medication or not, implementing a diet and supplement plan that addresses your individual needs can make a huge difference in managing your condition and getting your life back on track.
This was a long post so if you've made it this far, well done and thank you!
Click here if you are interested in finding out more about DNA testing. or check out my ‘Functional Testing’ page