I struggled with really bad anxiety in my early 20’s, that was about 15 years ago. It took 3 dr visits for them to tell me I had anxiety disorder. I didn’t even know what anxiety meant at the time. I just knew my body was shutting down. I thought my panic attacks were heart attacks. My vision got blurry, my ears were ringing, my speech was slurring, I broke out, horrible insomnia and I was always sweating.It was horrible. I refused to take medicine. Instead, something in me told me to change my diet. I stoped all caffeine, sugar, and fried foods. Nobody gave me this advice, no phones at the time and I didn’t have internet. I stArted eating healthier, and I did a lot of self -love activities. I put myself first for everything. I made goals for everyday. These goals were simple things that could look forward to. For example, I would say, “OK, tomorrow I can look forward to picking up my little cousin and taking her to the movies.” Or “tomorrow I’m going to take a long hot bath.” Or “tomorrow I’m looking forward to buying that new blouse I’ve been wanting.” Etc. I would force myself to go to the gym and I did acupuncture. My acupuncture session included a massage. I would look forward to acupuncture too. These little things really helped me. I wish I would’ve known about journaling. Thank you for this. Now my anxiety is very low for the most part. I just followed my intuition. :) looking back, in very proud of my young self for being so good to myself and following my intuition and listening to my body.
Wow you were amazing to do that at such a young age. I am so struggling with anxiety, I didn’t really believe that food would make such a difference, e.g. sugar and processed , I eat healthy but also eat sugar and a lot of bread. I am seriously going to try and cut out sugar. I am just so scared where I am going at the moment I feel like I am going mad 😥
Dr Nicole, your RU-vid videos are reaching similar levels of clarity to your Instagram posts. You are a great communicator and I truly appreciate your generosity. Thanks again.
@Junder R Meditation brings you closer to your true self. With its techniques, it helps you harmonize with nature. Peace is your true nature and meditation leads to inner peace. ... Connecting with the essence of yourself and the surrounding nature is remedy.
I think she’s probably said it in a different video. These are just 5 different ways. She’s said on her Instagram A LOT that movement heals. 🤙🏻 She also mentions cold showers and stuff like that. Good to point out tho in case people have forgot. ✌🏻
I think movement/physical exercise is essential for trauma release to get the stuck energy out and with Depression . For anxiety , we need to practice stillness n grounding. This is what I think based on her Instagram posts.
Sugar is honestly a big one. My doctor told me to stay away from caffeine which helped a little but she never said anything about sugar. Years later, I found out online that reducing sugar can help anxiety. Cut out all processed sugar and allowed myself to only gave fruit first thing in the morning and honestly cannot believe how stable I felt after 2 weeks. That being said, it is hard! Sugar is so delicious.
To you reading this right now... you are beautiful. Everything will work itself out. You ARE not alone in this! Everyone here knows how you feel right now. This feeling sucks, but know that you will be be ok. This too shall pass...Don’t fight the anxiety, just allow it to work it’s way through. Just let it do it’s thing. It will leave on its own. I’m right here with you right now. We’re gonna do this together. This won’t stay long. It’s on its way out now. Just Embrace the moment as you become at peace with things. You are shedding this off as we speak. Now I want you to close your eyes and place your hands in front of you and lightly wiggle your fingers like you’re playing a piano. Feel it melt off yourself. Feel it drip off your fingertips...See, there it goes......we love you . Daffodils, sunshine, blue skies, refreshing peace. Breathe out. You are loved....Heavy eyelids, drift away, ahhhhhhh, light fluffy thoughts. There you go, you got this. (I’m still here with you) Now sleep. Stay at rest. Shhhhhh....Breathe out. At peace... at peace.... at peace... at peace....🙏🏻🌼🍀☀️✨🌼🍀🌼🍀🐣🌼🍀☀️✨🙏🏻. Now, if you need to, quietly and softly go back and SLOWLY read this again.
Excellent video. I used to suffer with severe anxiety and I healed myself naturally through everything you’ve mentioned. One other thing to avoid is dairy ! It’s highly inflammatory. The key here is to reduce inflammation. Eat an anti inflammatory diet. So so important.
That's exactly how I have healed my anxiety and panic attacks -obviously I did researches on my own because the opinions of the doctors didn't convince me, simply taking drugs didn't seem to me the right path. The first thing I changed was my diet and then I introduced meditation and little goals to achieve every day: my life had already changed that way. Then with breathwork and journaling my life has improved even more, I have started changing my limiting beliefs and working on my future self! I really appreciate your job, keep it up!
I spend 8 years at home, i have a pretty bad avoidant personality. I was constantly finding excuses to remove myself from social life, i stopped my studies, work, i was barely seing my friends, still living with my mom. I couldnt even think of going to a psychologist i truly thought everything was fine with me and that i was just lazy, i just needed to push myself. But the few times i pushed myself went horribly wrong, so i slowly got depressed. In 2014 and 2015 i almost didnt get out at all. I discovered your videos a few months ago, when i was looking for people with the same problems as me. I started feeling so much pain in my body 3 years ago due to the fact that i was barely moving at all and eating pretty badly. So i started exercising and eating clean. I started meditation in the beginning of september, at first i really didnt like it, it felt like a waste of time and i just couldnt focus at all. But thats exactly why you should keep meditating! Its been a month now, and this had the most powerful effect on my bad thoughts. It is just so amazing. I was trying so hard to stop the flow of catastrophic thoughts i had since i was a child. Everytime i was asked to do something simple, like going to the cinema with my best friends, my brain was creating a million excuses to make me run away like my life depended on it. Now with meditation i learned (in such a short amount of time!!) to train my brain to stop telling me all the time to run away from normal situations. Also when i am alone now i dont constantly panic about my future and my life anymore. I finally learned to live in the present. I am so happy i made this step in my life. Ive been going outside regularly since 3 months and i hope to keep doing like that. I am so thankful for this channel and your work, thank you so much. Now i will also try those other points i didnt do yet, to keep healing myself. :)
Hi Madison. Would you mind telling me what, if anything, did you use to help you meditate? I keep hearing good things about meditation but do tend to struggle to stick with it. I will give it another shot but if you have anything specific you could share that'd be awesome. Wonderfully positive post from you, by the way. I did enjoy reading it and I wish you continued success.
@@bonhomiegal omg i'm so sorry i'm seeing your comment only now ! :( I am using an app called Headspace, you have to pay to use it (12.90euro/month if i remember well) but it's not so much to get better, in my opinion. (you can try it for free for 30 days i think) Maybe they are others that are free out there but i never tried. I can just confirm that this app has changed my life for the best. I'm still using it, but not as often as before. It explains very well what to do, you can meditates on different topics, and the one that helped me get out of home without panicking was "self esteem". It's really a learning process and a routine to get used to but once you got it your life improve so much. I hope that, if you try it, it will work for you :)
@@cold1992 Hi Madison. Thanks for the reply and no worries. It happens in the world of binary:). Yes I am familiar with Headspace. I actually had to laugh a bit when I read your reply because I had that App on my phone for ages now. But when the free period expired I have not really bothered with it again (which is a bit of a shame, seeing how much it’s helped you - still amazing by the way!). It was interesting to me what you said about routines. It’s so true. I have found something similar myself with other things and giving oneself enough time to let things work. Anyway, I’ve decided to give Headspace another go and have just re-subscribed. Thanks again and all the best. :)
How were you eating during all those years !!! Wow you most be an angel from God ....God bless you !!!! I hope you already recovered from anxiety !!!!! Childhood trauma has affected so many lives in this universe!!! Stay awy from toxic and Pessimistic folks .....
Quitting caffeine and alcohol has been the most life-changing decision when comes to overcoming chronic anxiety. Now it is 80-90% less intense. Anyone reading this - QUIT CAFFEINE and see your level of anxiety drop dramatically!!!! Edit: May work for most, not all, people. Because of course, almost nothing works uniformly for all people.
I 100% agree with you!!! This is not talked about enough, if at all. I honestly think most people don't even have anxiety, they just have a caffeine sensitivity!
Honestly stopping caffeine changed my life! It made me so nervous, unable to actually concentrate, irritable and I used to metabolize it really slowly so I had terrible insomnia too. Ever since I stopped it, I feel like a new person
Dr. Nicole, Until I saw your content I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my psychology degree (I will be graduating next year from undergrad). And to a degree I am still unsure. But I would love to do something similar to this; educating the public and helping people free themselves from negative patterns and thoughts. How did you come to this career and what tools did you use to get to where you are? I am a bit afraid of graduate school since I am not the most academically skilled person but I'm not sure how much of an impact I can have without a higher education. Either way, I just wanted to express appreciation for your work both for everyone who watches your videos and for yourself, since uncovering layers to who we are is maybe the ultimate challenge in life. Thanks for everything you've done, and I hope to someday get to work or speak with you in person. Marcos
The future journaling work sounds like an excellent idea!! Thank you. I also need to do a lot of body work as in turning up the music and dancing all the energy out of my body and doing yoga like stretching moves such as shoulder rolls and neck rolls, etc, to get in my happy bubble before I go outside into the world containing people 😝 It really changes my energy so I can naturally be in flow and joy and be embodied enough, and people notice, too! It is interesting the reactions of people from when we’re giving off anxiety or giving off inner joy 💗💗
This makes me feel very empowered about trying to focus on what's good for my true self over mind chatter/addiction to trying to make things feel right... thank you, and I've just started future-self journaling too!
I seem to get racing thoughts when I wake up, either in the middle of the night to go to the toilet or when I wake in a morning. Sometimes it feels like my mind has not shut down the whole night, instead it's just playing out on loop as I 'sleep'. I never feel well rested or refreshed when I wake. Anyone recognise this? Thank you for such great content. xxx
The nutrition point is so important. I am so glad you’ve talked about it. Fried food, coffee, alcool take me to a place of uncomfort and bring me anxiety. Thank you for your words ✨
I heal my anxiety through deep breaths, nature appreciation, better nutrition and finding a new hobby which is art/junk journaling - it makes me so relaxed and happy!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've experienced anxiety, racing/overwhelming thoughts of pending doom; mostly of me having some serious health (heart and/or gut) problems and panic attacks that sent me to the ER because of a string of back to back heart palpitations. I have been a care taker for my mom and that has affected me in many ways, stress-wise. I just found this video tonight and after I finish this comment I'm going to watch the videos you have linked. Again, thank you for your compassion and willingness to share your insights.
Nikki BonBon listen to your body. Does your heart beat fast or are you out of breathe after certain meals. Do you experience anxiety after certain foods. Then avoid or limit them. That’s what I got from her nutrition section
I fill the gap for point #2 and #3! I provide guided meditations, especially to manage anxiety! Thanks for making this video and providing all of your work Dr. Nicole. Your work has changed my life.
You are a great communicator, when you speak it makes so much sense and easily flows. I love these videos btw. I have severe panic disorder and do not currently have the money to be able to get help so I am very greatful you are sharing your information with the world. Thank you🙏
I cut sugar,dairy and gluten 15 months ago.I am also doing intermitent fasting for 15 months now.Recently, I have decided to become more active,meditate and fix my circadian rhytm.I still deal with a lot of anxiety,but It is somewhat bareable.Hope I will get rid of it
South Asian families in England especially those with low education levels tend to not even recognise anxiety as a serious issue. It's like struggling with double anxiety. I've suffered with class inequality at university in England as I was the first UK born in my family to experience the HE system. I was defined as unsuccessful by extended family because I studied sociology. It's been hard at home, in the Indian community and also dealing with inequality at university. I have to watch self help videos almost every day and my siblings think that by acknowledging it and reading about any mental health symptom makes it worse. I believe differently. These videos actually help me take one day at a time. Thank you
If you havent already, i recommend reading Dr Clare weekes’s books on anxiety. Her books have been a huge help in reducing my anxiety. Wishing you a great health :)
Hi Dr. Nicole, I just wanted to say that I really really love your videos! They’re brief, easy to digest, informative, and genuine. I also love that the action points are spelled out, making it that much simpler to execute on them. Thank you so much for putting these out there!
Dr.Nicole, what do you recommend for someone who has difficulty falling asleep? This is a constant struggle for me and I know sleep is so important but I’m not able to fall asleep until 5/6am (then I wake up around 7am). Do you have any suggestions?
in my personal experience, caffeine can be very highly triggering of anxiety. i think its similar to the approach nutrition/food she mentions, listen to your body.. some people are way more sensitive to certain or all substances than other people. I am just one of those people. ive tried to stop drinking high caffiene energy drinks so regularly, they are like asking for an anxiety attack for me
I strongly believe that my hypothyroidism evolved into something else that my endocrinologist couldn’t detect because he was stuck on his cookie cutter approach to my treatment. My step mother found many symptoms that were the same across the board amongst hypothyroidism, menopause, and anxiety disorder. I’m much too young for menopause. I double checked with my GYN to make sure there wasn’t anything premature happening. Long story longer, other recommended doctors wanted to put me on everything from antidepressants to benzodiazepines. Most of these “medicines “ put me in the ER, and I was convinced I was having some sort of medical emergency 🚨 I am excited to watch to your meditation video, because I also deal with transient insomnia and an negative overactive imagination. Thank you for sharing this information.
Dr. Nicole, I LOVE YOU😂💕 you seriously are THE BEST! Sending lots of love your way. Thank you for all you do💕. Could you maybe also do a Video about OCD's?
Great video and the work that you do. I think another avenue to explore is the awareness of when the anxiety starts in life. I remember as a young kid taking Sudafed for allergies not realizing how nervous it made me. Also a traumatic event can disrupt your nervous system as well. I was involved in serious accident around 16 and since that event I haven't been the same. With your help I am getting better, kudos to you 😊
Great video Nicole, thank you so much. I believe, we should ALWAYS breathe through our nose. Nose breathing creates Nitric Oxide which triggers a ton of beneficial processes in the body. Check out the videos of Dr Patrick McKeown and also Buteyko breathing.
i find your story realling inspiring Nicole. i get veryy Loving and compassionate vibe from you. kindly make video on your life story, what struggle s u faced how and what helped u on your journey
Magnesium citrate (avoid mg oxide) helps with brain fog, anxiety, conpulsive behavior, muscle pain and learning disabilities. It helped me a lot with racing thoughts, felt a higher sense of peace and everything seemed so much clear. It also aids with sleep. If still unsure check out "the magnesium miracle" by Carolyn Dean.
@@vidfav1221 both, but supplements can be best if you suspect a high deficiency. You can incorporate foods and even stop the supplements if you are sure you are getting it from food. Or use both if you feel you still don't get enough.
@@supDARe36 thanks I have been suffering from anxiety past few months, this is new to me. I am trying my best to get out of This struggle without tablets and feel confident normal life again
@@vidfav1221 supplements are not meant to be permanent but can give you fast relief if your depression is severe. Take note of all the advice on this column and I wish you the best of life.
Amazing! I was just like you have known about meditation for years along with breath-work, it wasn’t until a few months ago that I used journaling and breath-work together. Today I am stronger than ever and am going to take your advice to use all of these things together. I’ve seen improvements in my self control in the last few weeks and this is just going to sky rocket me to the next level. Thank you so much, Dr. Nicole! 💚
Dr Nicole, Thank you for your work and for sharing it! Your Instagram account is an absolute treasure. Could you suggest some readings or authors or resources to learn about food and mental health correlations? I am especially interested if there is a certain correlation between meat-eating; as well as vegetarian and vegan diets and anxiety/depression or mood swings.
Because you have a fear disorder. You are likely very intelligent and/or creative and it is this interaction in your brain that creates risk assessments which give rise to anxiety. People without this predisposition cannot suffer. Please call The Linden Centre or join TLM to receive the truth about anxiety and recovery. I'm not affiliated in any way.
I’ve been having a really bad relapse around food. I get anxious around food and I have this shocking anxiety . With high metabolism and this I lost a lot of weight and I’ve tried everything. If someone can help .. please I don’t know what to do...
Thank you so much for all that you do!!! You share such invaluable information here & on instagram . Very grateful. Currently struggling with chronic anxiety/ stress and insomnia, alot to do with work stress.... your information is helping guide me to self heal. Thanks. 💕🙂
I have suffered from Anxiety for 2 years. My healing started when i gave my life to Jesus Christ. Just as written in Matthew 11:28 - Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Now I am free because of Jesus.
Get allergies under control even if need medications. When histamines going crazy 🤪 you feel crazy 🤪 clean up home environment. No carpet as holds dust, bacteria, lets off voc's in the air, no oil based paints on the walls, no mold growing, opening windows and doors for fresh air. I noticed a huge improvement in my health, skin, calmness, sleep, energy from moving into said environment. For some reason when not well we dont pay attention to living with yucky old carpets, paints, mold and furniture. Leather couches are better too they hold no dust and easy to wipe clean. Take care fellow anxiety peeps ❤
Man it fucking terrifies me to be calm, i even dont really know why. Im just so so scared, i've been working on These exact tools for almost 10 years. Argh! :D I wanna heal! I guess there's so much fear of doing everything wrong/shame coming up and i dont know how to handle it but fleeing from it makes it even Worse. (I will Master it, i am not giving up im going to love the shit out of myself but it sure is hard as fuck.) THANK YOU beyond words that fit into this RU-vid Comment section for everything you do. ♡
If you haven't heard of her yet, check out Sassy Holistics for nutrition / gut healing mineral balancing piece. She teaches everyone these tips you are sharing. But broken down into more detail. Love and light. 🙏❤
I have major depression, anxiety and Cptsd. I started seeing a good psychologist who talked me into seeing a psychiatrist which pills I do not agree with taking every day. I told them this. I do not want my body adjusted to pills especially heavy drugs like they want me on no way. When I tell them what I believe will work they do not listen, so in turn I turn to drinking to help my anxiety and I don’t know any other way. I’m just way to messed up inside. I cannot see or even guess where to begin and seeing my psychologist makes everything so confusing, the client doctor relationship really messes me up . Also I have a special hoodie I wear when I feel anxious and depressed, it has a horse on it and it makes me feel so happy in an instant. My hoodie has been more beneficial than any drug but not 100 percent effective. Thanks for your input. I’m really going to work on your diet tips. Seriously. Thank you. I wished my psychologist would focus more on tips like yours . She’s really good. I cannot speak ill of her I’m amazed by how smart she is it’s that dang pill pushing psychiatrist, I’m never going to take his pills Thank you for making this content for people like us. My psy has been on vacation for two weeks and it has been so hard . It’s literally my favorite day
Does this include social anxiety ? I’ve heard that SA is caused by unprocessed emotions lingering in the sub/unconscious mind and that accessing and processing these from a place of “higher self” will unroot them, causing the protective symptoms to fall away by default
For the nutrition aspect, it might be better to encourage adding things to your diet rather than restricting anything. For example, pro and pre biotics have a lot of promising research coming out about their work in the GI tract. Increasing fiber, limiting (not eliminating) ADDED sugar (not all sugar), and limiting (not eliminating) saturated fat are all great tips too. As long as a certain food doesn't diasagree with you, there's really no need to completely restrict it from your diet. As we say in the dietetics world, all foods can fit!
I needed this explanation. My anxiety is sometimes a monster, due to so many factors. Being in my head and not sleeping enough being the main two. I've researched most of the topics mentioned before, and this video has given me a better guide to operate with. THANKS SO MUCH
How would you teach the breathwork to a patient who's anxiety is triggered by concentrating on their breath? I have come across this so many times with several different psychologists, and have never been given an answer or alternative..... I can't be the only one?!
Hey All, I dealt with a personal issue which led to worry then full blown anxiety for 2 1/2 years, I’ve since dealt with that issue beginning of 2022, it’s been 2 months now and still have anxiety issues at times but it feels I’m on a healing path.. anyone haves any tips or how long it will take to heal..
Not sure how I feel about your suggestion to cut out gluten! Do you have an meta-analyses or anything to look at? I was under the impression gluten was only bad for you if you have an intolerance, which although is underdiagnosed, is not everyone's case! :) I love your channel though, I'm a Psych student and I really appreciate the way you explain things, I love your approach to therapy!
Hi! Love all of your other videos besides this one. #1 is not eating disorder informed and can be damaging to those with eating disorders, who I am sure are watching these videos. Please advise, thanks!
My initial reaction is to nitpick your recommendation that nobody should eat gluten because there isn't enough science to support that blah blah But I know that's just my ego kicking up because MAN do I not want to hear that sugar is on that list 😂 I know, my body has been telling me for a long time I'd be happier and more balanced without so much sugar in my diet. But man, that dopamine is hard to give up! I've been addicted to it since I was four years old 😭
My anxiety is so bad and I'm doing some of these things but I hadn't looked at my diet before. I wake up every morning and for the first few hours I feel super anxious. Then it settles somewhat because I meditate and keep reminding myself that it's just my anxiety. I struggle to go out especially alone and will avoid going out alone anywhere that's at a distance. I'm ok if it's close by and I don't need to get a bus. I am completely reliant on my boyfriend to help me get to further distances. I don't work because I have a phobia of working. Some days I struggle to cope with the symptoms. I will look at your other videos, I'm desperate to find a solution. I want my life before anxiety back, I just don't know how.
Thank you so much for this video. I felt so uneasy after eating a 12 ounce steak and i started overthinking everything after and I noticed an anxiety feeling was rising up so much i have never felt this intense feeling before so i did research and saw this video. It helped so much, thank you especially for the breathing technique. I will stay away from these kind of foods. Drinking water as well really helped.
i had a social anxiety like if i am talking to any strangers my body will be like vibrating and moving like cant stop moving and i think was that was my ptsd because i was an anti social i don’t like many people i just don’t feel ok with that due to what i was when i was a child i was always getting fun by my related like my bloodline and i was angry i don’t even getting a friend to them now and they think i have a mental disorder but i just don’t want to remember everything that happened before to us i just want to be alone but every of my aunts saying i cant live like this but i just wanna be free of my anxiety if only i had enough money maybe im going far far away to my country just to forget everything that my past that build my anxiety. i dont even know how to heal it
Love the advice. I do all of those practices other than the journaling. Just an FYI, although an unpleasant experience that involves purging (vomiting) Kambo is amazing for releasing trauma and healing anxiety 🐸
Peace sol family! I just released a video explaining how to CURE your anxiety. I know, it sounds like clickbait, but I assure you it worked for me personally! Thank you⚡️🔱
@holisticpyschologist I had anxiety attacks just recently and I decided to try breathing to help and then my mind now fixated on the breathe. What can be done.
I am gluten intolerant and to be honest, I haven't seen any convincing studies that say EVERYONE should avoid gluten. However if you are struggling with any inflammatory condition like IBS, eczema, acne, arthritis, etc it's a great idea to avoid gluten for two weeks to see if it helps. I couldn't believe the difference it made. There is no reliable medical test for gluten intolerance so exclusion is the only real way to discover it.
Oh and as for why gluten specifically, it's a unique protein, and proteins are often what our bodies decide are allergens (like peanuts, soy) and might attack/inflame the digestive system if you have a gluten intolerance. Celiac sufferers have a different illness mechanism where they don't produce enzymes to break down gluten, so it travels far into their gut intact and actually damages the gut lining. When the gut lining is damaged, they can't absorb nutrients and become malnourished. It's a much more serious condition than just gluten intolerance but I think people get the two mixed up a lot.
Thank you so much. I’ve always had anxiety but lately it has gotten so horrible and I don’t want to have to take medications. I am feeling really hopeful after this video that I will be able to heal from within.
So agree with point number 1. Sugar is SO bad for me...and gluten and processed food...in that order. I couldn't agree more! I love the brain / gut connection that you are talking about! I believe!!! Would LOVE to learn more about this! Sleep I'm good with. Usually...unless anxiety wakes me up at 2:30 or 4:30 :) To that end, I will concentrate on 2, 3 ,4 :) Thank you! Excited to see more! I've dealt with anxiety, depression and panic attacks. I am mostly healed and when a rare attack resurfaces, it usually has a physical manifestation. Homeopathic Histaminum saved me! I'm going to go find that meditation video! :) And the future self journal video... THANK YOU!
Nutrition is so important. I notice many people claim to eat right, but they may not know what that really means. Or they are using toxic products in their home that cause more anxiety. Thank you for sharing this :)
Thank you so much for this video! This topic resonates with me 100% and that's why my Depersonalization hasn't fully gone away. I need to practice the tips you have laid out in this video
Dr. NICOLE thank u for ur video n inspiration.. I feel the call to study this holistic psychology to help other N myself. Are you doing private session or have an online course? I come from strict Italian family, I am 33 n still struggling with depression N need of recognition.. I spent the past 16years traveling, probably running from facing deep shadow, putting myself 100%at service helping others in slum in India, in México, in Palestine.. I saw more than 1psycology in Italy but they are only focus on the mind ignoring the emotions N family conditioning. Can you help or suggest someone please??
