Friday, March 23, 2012

Making a Change

I'm scared of change. Anything that's new freaks me out. However, today I'm making a big change.

I've struggled with anxiety all my life. I've been on and off of anti-depressants. Lately, I've been really working on myself in therapy trying to figure out what triggers my anxiety.

I had an epiphany yesterday. I went to my favorite bakery and had a coffee and a slice of cake. After eating the cake, I felt anxious, strange in my own skin.

I called my friend amazing friend, Donna, and told her about this feeling.

"You know, " she said "Sugar can make your anxiety worse."
That had never occurred to me before. I always assumed my anxiety was internal, and there wasn't anything that I could do externally to control it. Then I thought about it, and she was absolutely right.

Whenever I've been in a particularly anxious state, I want nothing to do with sugar. All I want to eat are bananas, actually. Bananas are definitely my comfort food.

So, I've decided to cut out processed sugar from my diet.


This is going to be a real challenge since I love cookies, and sugar is kind of my favorite unofficial food group.

But I figure, my mental health is way more important than cookies. It's time to punch anxiety in the balls.


Wish me luck!


4 comments:

  1. I just saw my doctor for depression. I spent over an hour basically crying in her office. I'm starting on anti-depressants tomorrow, something I've never taken. It's a little scary, but I want to get better! I'm starting therapy too and it's a really big step for me because I've denied the fact that I need it for years. You know you said you got anxious after having coffee too...can caffeine trigger anxiety?

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  2. Aww! Babe, I'm sorry. It's so hard. Depression sucks. But anti-depressants will help take the edge off for sure. I hope you feel better soon!! Yeah, I cut off coffee for a couple of months a while back and that helped. I'm going to begin with sugar, and then go from there.

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  3. Coffee certainly does nothing to reduce yee old heartrate ... This fact given to you by a 4-shots-a-day woman. But I feel ya. Been there, still there. Good luck!

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  4. Oh man, I'm trying to get a handle on my sugar intake too. And I totally understand, it's really hard and it kind of sucks to say 'no' cookies. But you'll feel better in the long run, I swear! Good for you for kicking anxiet in the nuts! :)

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