Five Myths About Anxiety Treatment In Maryland: Myth #3 “Clean Living”
Anxiety myths and some real talk From Maryland Anxiety Therapy Specialists
Tasty? Yes! A full solution for managing an anxiety disorder? No. Learn more about effective support for anxiety treatment in Maryland.
Here we are at Myth #3. If you missed posts on Myths 1 & 2 about assumptions about what anxiety looks like and the reality of how avoidance increases anxiety, go ahead and check those out too. Today, let’s turn our attention to a bit of a tricky myth because sometimes we need to separate out the kernels of truth that can live inside a myth.
Myth 3: You just need to exercise, eat right, avoid caffeine and relax in order to cure anxiety.
Hoo boy! That’s some pretty heavy lifting for a fruit salad to be doing—curing a whole condition that impacts your body, the way you think and how you behave. C’mon, can’t we just let the fruit be fruit? This myth also has lots of cousins: “You just need to go Paleo”, “You just need to do a cleanse/detox”, “You just need some essential oils”, “You just need to join CrossFit”…. You’ve heard something like this, right?
honoring the kernels of truth
I will be the first to say that the foundational basics of taking care of one’s health are crucial. If things aren’t going well and you don’t know where to start, start here—this goes for whether you are feeling anxious, depressed, stressed, or just plain old stuck. Our bodies and brains need nutritious food and water, adequate rest, and some sort of physical activity (this does not have to be “exercise”). These building blocks are essential for good health and wellbeing for everyone. They can help regulate our blood sugar levels and blood pressure, manage stress, give us opportunities to rest and recharge. All this is 100% good stuff. You can't be surprised when you are not feeling your best if you’ve been up late for days in a row and are consuming a rotating menu of energy drinks, caffeine and/or alcohol and snack food (anyone test this theory out in final exam time, holiday time, crunch time with a big work deadline?). So, yes, please get a glass of water and a meal that includes some produce, move your body around any way you like and get some good sleep, if those things are available to you. These efforts will not steer you wrong and may do you a lot of good, including possibly reducing some symptoms of anxiety.
Anxiety disorders are not caused by a deficiency of kale
If you have anxiety, it’s not because you have failed at the self-care game. It’s more complicated than that. Things like stress, caffeine, and nutritional deficiencies can certainly exacerbate symptoms of anxiety in a lot of folks, but they alone don’t cause anxiety disorders to exist. Effective treatments for anxiety disorders are available, and may include encouraging positive health habits overall, but will also address much more than that.
And miss me with that “good Vibes only” stuff
I’m going to go ahead and include this thing that drives me bonkers in this “clean living” myth because it feels to me like it carries this same icky hidden message that, if you have anxiety or depression or are struggling in some way, it’s somehow your fault and if you just try harder/think positive, you’d be better. Nope. Please, bring every single one of your vibes, “good” or otherwise. If we can have some acceptance for the messy, imperfect beings that we are, we can allow our efforts at change to grow from a sense of care and love of our whole selves, which is way more effective than the blame/shame/hide route of “good vibes only” that can heighten anxiety as we worry about what we’re doing now that’s messing it all up for ourselves.
Anxiety therapy maryland
We still have two more myths about anxiety to go, so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you are interested in how I work with people in College Park, and online throughout Maryland, looking to reduce or manage their anxiety, you can read more about that on my anxiety therapy Maryland specialty page. For information about all the options in my practice, explore the rest of the website.
