Eating the right foods can help you cope with anxiety and depression.

Part of life is going through low points off and on, this is a normal part of life.  However, if you constantly experience emotional ups and downs then it’s time for you to take a closer look at your lifestyle and diet.

There are many triggers that could be behind depression and anxiety attacks. Extreme mood swings and depression could call for medical attention and therapy. However, often times the food we eat has a bearing on our behavior and what we feel.

There is good news, there are ways to stabilize moods by choosing foods that fight anxiety and depression. The brain produces a chemical called serotonin, which has a calming effect on your nervous system and body. Good nutrition is important to fight anxiety and depression.

Foods That Fight Anxiety And Depression

Carbohydrates
A diet too low in complex carbohydrates can cause serotinin depletion. Therefore, increase your intake of foods rich in carbohydrates. Foods rich in carbohydrates are yam, potatoes, wheat, rice and other cereals and starchy roots. However, keep in mind that there are some people who get more depressed after consuming white rice. So monitor your food consumption and your moods.

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is needed for both physical and mental health. Vitamin B6 deficiency can result in depression and
hyperirritability. Some foods that are rich in Vitamin B6 are carrots, chicken, eggs, fish, meat, peas, spinach,
sunflower seeds, walnuts, and wheat germ.

Folic Acid/Folate
Folic acid is considered a brain food and may also help with depression and anxiety. These foods contain a significant quantity of folate, asparagus, barley, beef, brown rice, cheese, chicken, dates, green leafy vegetables, oranges, root vegetables, salmon, whole grains and split peas.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant, a low level of which can lead to heightened anxiety and depression. Foods rich in Vitamin E include oils such as canola oil, chickpeas, wheat germ, oats, green leafy vegetables, sprouted beans, egg yolks, seeds and nuts.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids help prevent  heart diseases, stroke and cancers, apart from stabilizing
mood swings. Salmon and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Other sources of omega-3 fatty acids are seeds, nuts and flax oils.

Water
When your body is dehydrated it is affected in many ways including liver function and brain impairment.  Do not try
to substitute your water intake with coffee, tea or soft drinks since they themselves need to be flushed out of your
system by water.  Also, the side effects of coffee and soda can contribute to anxiety.

College Students Use Alcohol as Way of Coping with Social Anxiety

It’s no secret that alcohol use is alive and well on college campuses across America. New research studies investigate a largely unexplored area — the relationship between heavy drinking and social anxiety.

According to a recent report by the National Institute of Health (NIH), anxiety is a psychological risk factor associated with heavy or problem drinking among college students.

Along with anxiety and other psychological factors, the NIH report suggests that an impulsive personality and a family history of alcohol abuse may be additional risk factors for problem drinking.

People with social anxiety, students and non-students alike, can benefit from these findings by taking action to eliminate risk factors for problem drinking and address their anxiety.

Social anxiety is the most common type of anxiety disorder and it affects 15% of Americans. Social anxiety, also known as social phobia, is diagnosed as overwhelming anxiety, fear, and self-consciousness in everyday social situations.

It triggers a host of physical symptoms, anxious thoughts, and avoidance behaviors.

People that suffer from social anxiety disorder usually realize that their fears are unfounded or extreme, but still feel unable to control their fears that others are looking at or judging them.

What You Can Do

Ask yourself why you drink. Do you drink to relax, to relieve stress, or to help alleviate social fears and anxieties? If any of these reasons describe you, you may be using alcohol in a vain attempt to cope with the root cause — social anxiety.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol may mask the problem for a few brief hours. However, once the mask comes off you are faced with yourself, and your anxiety returns stronger than ever.

In fact, problem drinking hinders you from making positive strides forward in healing because instead of one problem to overcome, you now have two problems, social anxiety AND alcohol abuse.

Related articles to anxiety disorders

• What is Anxiety? (psychcentral.com)
• Alcohol and Anxiety: Alcohol Aggravates Anxiety Symptoms (thindependence.com)
• Young adults ‘anxiety overload’ (news.bbc.co.uk)
• What is the difference between shyness and social phobia? (liveactivecultures.net)