In part one and two of this three part series about working with anxiety and insomnia, we talked about “getting off electronics and getting into nature” and “sleep hygiene.” Now, we will give a brief shout-out to some other (free!) tools that can help with anxiety and insomnia—and of course, just overall well-being: human connection, movement and food.
Human Connection
Human connection is so important to our health on every level—mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. It’s an important one, and is something that is often overlooked or taken for granted. It is really important to have human connection on an ongoing basis. It helps with mood, motivation, energy, sleep, focus, and pretty much every system in our body. Healthy interactions with other people promote the release of many necessary hormones and neurotransmitters such as oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.
Human connection and what this looks like will of course be different for each individual. For some it’s group activities, while for others it is one-on-one time with a friend. Sometimes even just a short phone call or text exchange with a friend or loved one can go a long way in making us feel connected. The key is to make sure we are in connection with people and not in isolation—we are not meant to be solitary creatures, and are social/tribal by nature. It of course can feel challenging at times to find “the right” humans to connect with, but, sometimes something as simple as going to the grocery store, attending a yoga class or going to a movie by yourself can be nice just to be around other people, even (and sometimes especially if!) if you aren’t talking/interacting so much.
Movement
Movement is so foundational to mental and emotional well-being, as well as quality sleep. Getting some form of movement every day is incredibly supportive on all levels. Like human connection, it stimulates all sorts of happy chemicals (hormones and neurotransmitters) in the brain, improves circulation, digestion, detoxification and more. Movement can come in so many forms; the best way to get yourself to move everyday or most days is to find something that you really enjoy. So whether it is walking, hiking, cycling, running, going to the gym, roller-skating, dancing, or yoga—pick something that you will look forward to. Next thing you know, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it, not to mention the joy it will bring.
The great news is—it could be as simple as taking a walk for 15-20 minute break at work, or taking a 30 minute walk after dinner (which will both aid in digestion and just overall calm the mind and integrate the day).
Food/nutrition/nourishment
So often, we forget that what we consume/put into our bodies has a major impact on how we feel each day, and how we sleep at night. Often people just think, “food is food,” or eat based on how tasty it is, or simply eat it for caloric fuel/energy, but—we do not always think about all of the other ways it can affect us with regards to mood, energy, sleep, focus, motivation, staying power and more.
Believe it or not—it is actually possible to eat healthy and eat delicious and enjoyable food, but more often than not the, question we really should be asking is: what sorts of food are we eating? Often, maintaining good energy, mood and digestion is more related to if we are getting enough protein? Fats? Vegetables? Are we getting enough carbohydrates to support energy, but not consuming so much that our blood sugar is either too high or too low at any given moment? Are we eating enough? Sometimes when we are stressed we can eat too much, but sometimes our body shuts off its hunger signals when we are stressed, and we forget to eat, thus increasing our stress levels—but we often don’t even realize this. Often, and especially as we get older, we wake up too early in the morning, or during the night. This is often due to not having gotten enough calories during the day, and our hunger wakes us up, and then we are not sleeping enough.
