Hiya,
Last time I announced my commitment to support Movember through writing about what I would say are the 4 pillars of mental health that you have to work on in order to improve your mental health. As a reminder all tips come from what I found to be working for myself as I shared about my personal struggles with panic attacks in the first post as well.
Big thanks to everyone who reached out with your positive feedback and to everyone who donated to my Movember team. We’re currently at 45 euros and if you want to see me moustached, you have 7 days left to help me get that number to 100 :)
So let’s get into it, shall we?
Selecting “Body“ as the first pillar is entirely intentional. That is because you have far more control over the actions you can take for improving your physical state compared to the other 3 – Mind, Relationship with yourself and with others. Furthermore, I do believe that a healthier and stronger body can deal with far more which makes it a great first step.
Your nervous system will always choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven
- Kathy Overman
As I shared in the first post as well, my personal trigger that initiated panic attacks was the feeling of not being in control. After a few months of avoiding particular situations I realised that I had to kind of zoom out and aim to insert as much stability into my life as possible. Something that would always be there no matter what.
By far the easiest way to do this is in the form of exercise which is also my first point.
Exercise
I know, getting your butt out of bed is tough when struggling with some mental health issues and with others you might be far too anxious to go through long sessions of any sport consistently, so you’re simply put off by the mere thought of it. Yet, I’ve found that to be a universal key action to improving mental health. Which is why I’ve committed to doing it every day.
Well, I feel like I’ve lost most of you with that last sentence, but bear with me. Don’t be left with the impression that I hit the gym Monday through Sunday. God, no, I hate the gym. Though I still go.
Anyway, my point is that at this stage you must define what exercise means to you. And if you’re really struggling with the motivation to do it, which is quite normal, then set yourself the minimum of what you’d call an exercise that’s so laughable it would be embarrassing to miss – say 15 burpees a day or 20 push ups or go for a 3 minute run. Then commit to never missing that minimum.
Now, will meeting this bare minimum improve your physical state? Marginally so. But it will do two things for you. You will get yourself moving which is a small win. This will also motivate you to do more.
It’s funny, I’ve never actually stopped at the numbers I initially set for myself. A set 15 burpees always turned into multiple sets. And when I found I wasn’t satisfied with my form, seeking more complex and lengthy exercise came naturally.
You don’t have to limit yourself to the examples I’ve given either. Find out what you like and do this instead. My typical weekly routine looks something like this (may vary due to weather):
Gym – 2-3 times a week. I always start with rowing for 5-10 minutes and then do 4-5 quick exercises (2 sets, 10-12 reps). Whenever possible I try to add some sauna as well, which is a pro tip both for calming the nerves and improve cardiovascular health. Here is a another workout routine for the gym that only takes 20-30 minutes twice a week that I have previously followed with some amazing results.
Hiking – 1-2 times a week. During the weekend I always aim to spend a few hours in nature, whether it be alone or with friends. Apart from it being very calming it is a perfect cardio exercise that does not necessarily feel like such.
Karting/Motion simulator – Once a week. Though it doesn’t sound like that, both are probably the greatest form of exercise, at least for me. I’ve never driven more than 15 minutes without being sore the next day, so I can really feel your muscles have done a fair amount of work. Furthermore, it requires an immense amount of focus and coordination.
Fill the gaps – 1-2 times a week. This may include pull ups, ping pong, beach volleyball (told you my routine is weather affected) or anything else I find enjoyable to play with others.
So that’s my advice here. Set low minimums, make it fun and never skip a day. And if it ever happens to miss one, don’t beat yourself up for it.
Sleep
This is something I’ve struggled with my entire adult life. There are certain periods when I could hardly get more than 3-4 hours of sleep. And I noticed that poor sleep had a strong correlation with my panic attacks – in such days they became more frequent and intense than usual.
These periods also coincided with increased anxiety levels and I found bringing them down as necessary in order to sleep well and thus decrease the likelihood of a panic attack. Yeah… no sh*t, Sherlock. But how do I improve sleep then?
Well, I’m certainly no expert here and still get an inconsistent amount of Zs. Yet, there are certain actions that help in most of the days. For me such would be the following routine:
I would aim to stop using any technology devices at least an hour before going to bed;
During this hour I tend to read something – typically anything, but non-fiction;
I also try to journal for 10-15 minutes and lay on paper anything that’s bothering me, which then makes me think less about it when I go to bed;
In the meantime I have a cup of tea, my personal preference being chamomile. I’ve read some research suggesting lavender as being a good bedtime tea as well, so you could test that as well.
This routine is not enough though and sometimes there are things that you have to be doing or avoiding throughout the day in order to get to sleep faster. I’ve personally found that these universally include getting sunlight early in the day, avoiding caffeine after 16 and getting exercise, though not too late in the day as well.
I would also advise you to avoid melatonin. It undoubtedly works well for a few times, but is not sustainable and you’d often have to increase the dose as you go. Furthermore, it may leave you feeling groggy throughout the day.
Food / drinks / supplements
Another way to control your levels of depression, anxiety, and mood swings is through what you consume. For me there was certainly a negative correlation between panic attacks / high anxiety levels and the following – caffeine, sugar, processed food and alcohol.
Unfortunately, these also tended to be the things that I craved daily. At some point I was regularly having 3 or more beers a night and a Monster to start the following day plus lots of snacks (think Reese’s, Snickers, etc.).
Although it’s perfectly obvious how damaging such irresponsible consumption is, just keep in mind that self control is, well, far from its peak when struggling mentally. Which is why limiting those isn’t an easy step, but one that is well within your control and it has made a huge difference for me.
I’ve set some firm limits with all of them and I do not allow myself any alcohol with no special occasion and I usually cap it at 1 glass of beer or wine. I allow myself energy drinks only on extreme occasions and consider only organic snacks.
In regards to the supplements, if I could only recommend one during that would be vitamin D, especially during winter months. Apart from my positive experience with it, it’s also the only one that consistently came up during my research.
If you’re interested in other supplements, just hit me up and I’ll give you a full list of everything I’ve tried.
Breathing
Last, but definitely not least – breathing techniques are arguably the greatest tool in anyone’s arsenal when it comes to dealing with anxiety and panic attacks in the moment or avoiding them before they happen.
This seems to be a universal one as well, one of the reasons being that during an attack you experience a shortness of breath or hyperventilation and these techniques help you get control back over it. My favourite one, that I’d recommend, is called the 4-7-8 breathing and you can check out more about it here.
If you all the way here – I hope you found something that you may apply. I know most of the advice might be basic. But yes, beginning the journey of regaining control and getting over mental health issues is that simple. Which, as I said, is exactly why you should start with taking care of your body. Next up – Mind.
Cheers and see y’all soon!