PCOS is linked to higher rates of anxiety in women. Women with PCOS are 3x more likely to experience anxiety than those who don’t have PCOS. More research is still needed to understand what exactly occurs on a biological level that creates this susceptibility when a woman has PCOS.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to a stressful situation. It becomes a mental health disorder when it affects a person’s ability to function in their everyday life.
It’s best described as that feeling you get when the cashier hands you back your change, and the next person in the line is giving you the eye. You’re desperately trying to put your money away but you suddenly can’t get your wallet open in time.
You’re shaking and panicking feeling like the change in your hand is going to instantaneous combust if you don’t put it away in time… All of a sudden you find yourself shoving what’s left of your change and receipt into your bag, wallet and all and your dashing for the car.
Never had any situation even remotely similar?
…. Good. That must mean we are sisters of some sort 🙂
What are the Symptoms of Anxiety?
The symptoms can vary from person to person. Symptoms include but are not limited too;
- Feelings of intense danger,
- Trouble breathing
- Heart racing
- Difficulty breathing
- Shakiness
- Lightheadedness
- Irrational thoughts
- Sweating
- Increased Heart rate
- Other physical and emotional symptoms.
What are the 6 types of anxiety disorders?
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
– Generalized Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed when a person cannot control how much they worry. Topics of worry can include money, health, family, work, or children.
Social anxiety
– Social Anxiety involves the fear of being judged in a social situation. Usually affects introverts.
Specific phobias
– Specific Phobias can be related to any particular thing such as spiders, dogs, bridges, etc.
Panic disorder
– Panic Disorders include an intense sense of fear with no known cause or problem. Panic Attacks can feel intense as if you are having a heart attack. They can cause trouble breathing and focusing/concentrating.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
– Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a disorder where a person has uncontrollable thoughts and behaviors that he or she has to repeat over and over again.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
– Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs after witnessing or being a part of a very traumatic event. The person may experience constant replays of the event in his or her head without any control.
15 Best Tips to Naturally Combat Anxiety for women with PCOS
Tip 1: Stimulation Free Mornings
- Wake up 30 minutes before your alarm
- Ensure you place your cellphone at least 5 feet away from the bed
- Spend the first 5 minutes focusing on breathing only
- Visualize what a good day would look like for you
- Create a to-do list to keep you accountable for the day
Tip 2: Take Natural Supplements
- Omega 3: Studies show that people who suffer from anxiety may be deficient in Omega 3. Consuming Omega 3 has the potential to treat not only anxiety but other mood disorders too.
- Magnesium: Assists in the brain in regulating neurotransmitters. It is also considered a natural muscle relaxer.
- Zinc: It also works to help balance the neurotransmitters in the brain. An imbalance of neurotransmitters may contribute to anxiety.
- Vitamin D: Works by helping the body to absorb other nutrients. A low Vitamin D level can prevent the body from absorbing other necessary nutrients, which can lead to anxiety.
Tip 3: Reduce Caffeine Intake
- Caffeine is a stimulant. It has been proven to activate the fight or flight reaction in the body. For someone who is already prone to anxiety, caffeine may initiate panic attacks.
Tip 4: Reduce Sugar Intake
- Diets low in sugar such as the ketogenic diet have been reported to reduce anxiety. This is due to limiting the inflammation that is caused by high levels of sugar intake.
Tip 5: Exercise
Exercise is proven to increase the levels of serotonin in the brain, and decrease anxiety.
….Plus there’s that confidence factor that comes immediately after the first workout 😉
Tip 6: Deep Breathing exercises
- When people feel anxious they tend to breathe very fast. Breathing exercises help to calm anxiety. Specifically, Diaphragm breathing is proven most effective.
Tip 7:Positive Affirmations
- Infusing yourself with positive thoughts. This is done by the use of rewiring those thoughts that cause anxiety. If it is caused by irrational, negative thoughts, then positive affirmations work to reverse those thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
Tip 8: Weighted Blanket
- A weighted blanket provides a weighted or grounding effect. This is said to have a calming effect on the body. Weighted blankets are also known to provide Deep Pressure Touch (DTP) which not only reduces anxiety but also helps with chronic stress.
Tip 9: Pray
- Prayer has been used to reduce anxiety since the beginning of time.
Tip 10: Hire a Certified Life Coach
- Find someone who speaks your language. Finding a certified life coach who can help you put plans and goals in place can help decrease anxiety. Life Coaches can help you to establish goals and put systems in place to achieve your goals, help reduce anxiety, and rewire limiting beliefs.
- To Learn More about Life Coaching, Visit our Life Coaching Page.
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Tip 11: Create a Music Playlist
- Listening to music has been shown to decrease anxiety levels and increase the brains’ feel-good hormones.
Tip 12: Create Gratitude Journal Post
- Continue until you’ve completed all the steps.
Tip 13: 5 Step Grounding Technique
- Look around you and identify
-5 Things you can See
-4 Things you can Touch
-3 Things you can Hear
-2 Things you can Smell
-1 Thing you can Taste
Tip 14: Get a Massage
- Massages improve blood flow to the body and decrease anxiety.
Tip 15: Use Essential Oils
- Aromatherapy involves the use of essential oils to help relax mood, stress, and anxiety.
The Last Thing You Need to Know About Anxiety
Anxiety can be very silent.
What are some things that you do to reduce your anxiety?
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