A Whole-Person
Anxiety Protocol.
Meaningful change usually comes from the whole picture: what you eat, how you sleep, how you move, how you think, and how well your nervous system is regulating underneath it all. You might call this a natural anxiety protocol, built to support a calmer system.
Are there foods that help with anxiety?
No single food treats anxiety, but what you eat absolutely shapes the environment your nervous system runs in. Steadier blood sugar, enough of certain nutrients, and less of the things that rev you up can all help your system stay more balanced.
There are hundreds of diets to choose from, so which one when it comes to anxiety? In the words of Michael Pollan: “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.” We’ve found that a well-balanced diet is a great place to start for whole-body wellness.
Can supplements help anxiety?
And as you restore that balance with real, whole foods, rich in nutrients and low in stimulants, there are a few supplements worth considering. We’ve put together a curated list in Fullscript, chosen to support a calmer, more balanced state.
↓ Dr. Jason’s Anxiety Protocol on Fullscript ↓
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Does sleep affect anxiety?
Sleep and anxiety run in both directions. Poor sleep leaves your nervous system more reactive the next day, and a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight makes getting and staying asleep more challenging. Improving one side often eases the other, which is why sleep is a foundation of this protocol, not an afterthought.
Your internal clock
Keep the same bedtime and wake time, even on weekends, so your body knows what to expect. If bedtime comes and you’re not feeling sleepy, just accept that’s what’s happening right now. Don’t let the frustration harden into an identity like “I’m a bad sleeper.” Instead, state the fact, “Tonight, sleep is challenging for me,” and leave it there.
Winding down
Give your nervous system a runway to shift from “on” to “rest.” At least 30 minutes before bed, start dimming the lights, turn screens off, play ambient music or sit in silence, add a calming scent if you like, and try slow, rhythmic breathing.
Your nest
Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet (or a little white noise).
Don’t make it worse
A few things nudge your nervous system in the wrong direction just before bed, and you’d be wise to avoid them:
- caffeine after 2pm
- alcohol
- using your phone 30 minutes before bed
- vigorous exercise 2 hours before bed
Does exercise help with anxiety?
Movement is one of the most reliable ways to shift your nervous system out of a stress state. When you move your body, you give all that built-up fight-or-flight energy somewhere to go, and your system gets the signal that it’s safe to settle afterward.
What kind of exercise is best for anxiety?
Don’t worry about that (no pun intended). Find something that you can do often and doesn’t risk leaving you too sore or injured, thus stopping you from doing it again tomorrow. We often recommend a brisk walk (20+ minutes), resistance training, swimming, yoga, or Pilates.
How often should I exercise for anxiety?
Aim for most days, at least 20 minutes. Consistency trumps intensity. It’s nice to push yourself, but not so much that you can’t exercise again tomorrow.
What is the best time of day to exercise for anxiety?
Morning through early evening works well. Just leave a few hours between exercise and your bedtime wind-down routine.
Is indoor or outdoor exercise best for anxiety?
Whenever possible, try to get your exercise outside and in nature. There’s something special about being in nature that can shift your nervous system towards calmness.
A mindset that can help with anxiety.
Some of the most useful changes aren’t physical at all. Over the years, a few ways of thinking have helped people relate to anxiety differently. These aren’t quick fixes, but they can change how much power anxiety has over you.
Name what you’re actually feeling (emotional intelligence).
“Anxiety” often gets used for feelings that are actually different.
- Anxiety is worry and unease about an uncertain outcome.
- Stress is feeling strained by more demands than resources.
- Fear is your body perceiving a real physical threat.
They can feel similar, but they aren’t the same, and what helps with one doesn’t always help with another. Getting specific about which one you’re feeling is the first step, because it points you toward the right response. The app, How We Feel, is excellent for helping you identify your specific feeling.
Uncertainty is part of being human.
Uncertainty can’t be escaped; it never has been, for anyone. Every person who has ever lived has faced an unknown future. There can be something steadying in that: your unease isn’t a personal failing, it’s part of the shared human experience. You are not alone in it.
Anxiety lives in the future, not the present.
Anxiety is almost always about something that hasn’t happened yet. It’s the mind time-traveling forward. Bringing your attention back to the present moment, to what’s actually in front of you right now, can take some of the air out of it.
Is there a test for anxiety?
You can measure how your nervous system is functioning, which is different from diagnosing anxiety, but it provides very useful information. Thermography is a test that measures your autonomic nervous system: the same part that turns fight or flight on and off. Thermography testing can show us if your system is adapting or stuck. Being stuck in fight or flight is called sympathetic dominance.
I’ve tried everything and I still feel stuck.
All the pieces of this protocol, food, sleep, movement, mindset, are ways of helping your nervous system settle, but sometimes it doesn’t seem to help. Thermography lets you see whether it’s actually settling, or whether it’s stuck in the stress state.
Should I get a thermography test?
If you’ve given the rest of the protocol a chance to work and you still feel like your nervous system is buzzing and won’t calm down, then a thermography test would be a logical next step. It doesn’t diagnose anxiety or any condition, but it can help us determine if your system is adapting normally or stuck.
Find out if your nervous system is just stuck.
15 minutes, no cost, no pressure. Just answers.