Robert Frost
In mindfulness-based psychotherapy there’s a technique called “urge surfing” that’s used to help individuals overcome addictive and impulsive behaviors.
In this article I identify 3 of the most common forms of anxiety (including social anxiety, performance anxiety, and choice anxiety), as well as 5 of the most common causes of anxiety (including genes, health, psychology, history, and environment).
Anxiety disorders affect between 13-18% of the general population, but the truth is we all experience different forms of anxiety throughout our lives. An anxious mental state is often defined by feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness, or dread. It is often future-oriented, meaning that our anxieties are directed toward possible threats or negative experiences that haven’t yet happened.
In the real world, most of us experience anxiety in varying degrees depending on the situation. It isn’t always a bad thing, as some anxiety can motivate us to re-plan or re-think a situation before acting. However, excessive anxiety can be crippling to a point where we can’t decide, we don’t take action, or we mess up when the event finally comes.
Different Forms of Anxiety.
Anxiety can come in many different forms depending on what it is that triggers our feelings of fear, worry, or dread. These three types of anxiety are often the most common types discussed in modern psychology research, but there are probably other types of anxiety that don’t fit so neatly in these categories (specific phobias, existential anxiety, death anxiety, etc.) Nevertheless, these are the types of anxiety I will be referring to in this post:
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Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is a fear or worry about social situations. We may feel uncomfortable or avoid environments that involve large groups of people (like school, work, public speeches, high school reunions, etc.) or we may even feel uncomfortable or avoid certain kinds of 1-to-1 interactions (like job interviews, dating, interacting with a stranger for the first time, or meeting a celebrity).
Most people feel some kind of anxiety in these situations but it varies greatly from person to person. Some people may feel more comfortable in groups, while others feel more comfortable during 1-to-1 interactions. Some people may feel more comfortable talking to familiar faces, while others feel more comfortable meeting someone for the first time. It really depends on the environment and the person.
For more on social anxiety, and how to overcome it, check out Sean Cooper’s The Shyness and Social Anxiety System.
Performance Anxiety
Unlike social anxiety, performance anxiety is a fear or worry about performances, such as a student taking a final exam at school, or a musician performing on stage, or an athlete playing at a big sports game. We worry that we won’t do our best, or that we will mess up or lose, and that anxiety can actually inhibit us from performing to our maximum capacity (or even performing at all, for example due to too much “stage fright”).
Instead of focusing on what we need to get done to succeed, we become more focused on all the ways things that may go wrong. This can sometimes become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our thoughts make us more uncomfortable and ill prepared, and then those thoughts lead to actions that reinforce our previous conceptions.
Choice Anxiety
Choice anxiety is an anxiety rooted in uncertainty when making decisions. The truth is that none of us can act or make a decision with full knowledge of what the consequences will be; the universe is just too complex, and our minds aren’t capable of completely understanding it. Due to this, we often feel anxiety when making a big decision in our life, because we don’t know if we will make the best possible choice.
Some common big decisions we need to make throughout our lives include: what college to go to, what career to pursue, who to date/marry, where to live, what kind of car to drive, etc.
We make decisions everyday and we have to face the “opportunity costs” from choosing one option over another. Some research suggests that the more options we have to choose from, the more difficult it is to make a decision. They claim that having more options leads to a higher “opportunity cost” (theoretically: the more we have to choose from, the more we miss out on), and when this opportunity cost becomes too big we can often suffer from paralysis by analysis. Paralysis by analysis inhibits us from making ANY decision because we are so lost on what the right course of action is.
I’m sure that you’ve experienced these kinds of anxieties through your life to varying degrees. That’s good. A lot of our anxiety can be healthy and natural. However, when it starts interfering with how we want to live our lives, then it can become a problem that we need to deal with. The first step toward dealing with this problem is identifying some of the potential causes of our anxiety, then we can determine what are the best ways to treat it.
The Most Common Causes of Anxiety
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to our anxiety (and our mental health more generally). In this section, I am going to discuss some of the most common causes of anxiety, and also some potential treatment options for each one. However, it’s important to remember that because our anxiety can be due to such a wide array of different variables, it is often better to integrate several treatment options simultaneously.
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Genes
Certain gene variants may be associated with greater levels of anxiety. We all have a different biological make-up, and sometimes individuals may experience increased levels of anxiety for no other reason but that it is embedded in their genetic code. These genes essentially cause chemical imbalances in the brain that leader to your anxiety.
Treatment options: If your anxiety is driven by your biology it may be possible to get prescribed medication from a professional psychiatrist. Beware, however, that many of these medications can have negative side effects (you may go through several different medications before finding one that works best – a good psychiatrist will help you through this process). Also beware that if your anxiety is caused by other factors than medication will only serve as a quick fix, but it won’t solve the deeper issues in your life. You may need to supplement your medication with other treatments.
Health
Anxiety can also be caused due to physical inactivity and poor diet. When we don’t treat our bodies right then that can often have an effect on our mental states.
If we don’t eat balanced meals and get all the nutrition we need, that often means our brains aren’t getting enough nutrition either. This inhibits our brains from functionally as efficiently as they could be, which could very well become a contributor to higher levels of anxiety.
Physical activity is also crucial to both our physical and mental health. Running, playing sports, going to the gym, dancing, and anything that provides exercise is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety that may build up throughout the days or weeks. It’s important that we have a way to channel hormones (like adrenaline and cortisol) in positive and healthy ways, otherwise they manifest themselves as stress and anxiety.
Treatment options: If you don’t already take good care of your body, you’d probably be surprised of just how much less stressed and anxious you’d be if you started taking better care of your health. Try doing little things like replacing soda with water, eating less cake, going for a jog several times a week, or being more mindful of what you eat, and you’ll begin to feel better both physically and mentally.
Psychology (our thoughts and beliefs)
Many psychologists believe that our thoughts and beliefs are some of the biggest contributors to our mood and anxiety. When we look at our lives from a certain perspective or worldview, we may become more anxious than if we reframed our perspective to something different and more productive. One simple example: If you go into a date or a job interview believing that “I’m not good enough,” then you set yourself up to have an anxiety-driven experience. However, if you reframed your perspective, and instead you saw yourself coming from a place of strength or value, then you would probably be less likely to be as anxious.
Treatment options: It’s important to be mindful of the thoughts and beliefs that drive our mood and behavior. If we discover that our thoughts inhibit us from acting appropriately, then it may be appropriate to adjust those beliefs or replace them with something new. For more on this approach you can check out “Social Anxiety and CBT.”
For more on how to use psychology and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to overcome anxiety, check out Sean Cooper’s The Shyness and Social Anxiety System.
History
Our personal history and past experiences can also lead to more anxiety in the future. If we have a poor track record of job interviews or dates, then we may think we are inherently incapable of succeeding in these domains of life.
Early psychologists theorized that our self-esteem could be calculated by taking our successes and subtracting them with our failures. The more we succeed, the greater our self-esteem. While this theory definitely doesn’t depict the full picture of self-esteem, it does provide insight into one factor that can influence our self-perception.
Treatment options: It’s important to not let past failures dictate our self-esteem or anxiety about a situation, but when we start accumulating successes it can often become easier to keep ourselves motivated to overcome obstacles in the future. Keep this in mind, reflect on success for inspiration, and you can begin to turn your history around.
Environment
It is also likely that our anxiety is caused by a novel or unfamiliar environment. Anxiety can often be a rational response to an unknown environment because we never quite know what will happen or what risks or at stake. Our anxiety therefore signals to us that we are in danger, and often times this can rightfully inhibit us from taking part in behavior that we may sense as too risky.
Of course, there are also some environments that we may fear irrationally. We may understand that it is a lot safer to take a plane than drive a car, but our anxiety remains persistent despite understanding the risks at stake.
Treatment options: One way to treat these irrational anxieties is through something known as exposure therapy. Basically, we gradually expose ourselves to these environments until we become more and more comfortable with them. This kind of therapy largely makes up the “behavioral” component in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I also elaborate on this more in “Social Anxiety and CBT.”
These are some of the most common causes of anxiety that I know of, although I’m sure there may be other causes that don’t necessarily fit in any of these categories. As you can also probably tell by now, there is a good chance that your anxiety is a combination of one or more of these factors. What makes you “you” – and what determines your thoughts and mood – is a very complex and interconnected process. But hopefully by reading through some of these causes you now have a greater understanding of what may be the driving forces behind your anxiety.
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Check out this online course by Sean Cooper to learn more about how to face your social anxiety and shyness.
I’ve been doing some personal research lately because I’ve been exercising more and I want to start building muscle. Here are some high protein food ideas I’ve found. Perfect for athletes, body builders, vegetarians, or nutrition nuts.
Quarter Cup of Quinoa
160 CALORIES
6 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
Quinoa can be served as a great high-protein breakfast food. Try mixing it with honey, almonds, or berries.
Check out other quinoa recipes here.
One Cup of 1% Lowfat Milk
110 CALORIES
8 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
Want a quick source of protein? Pour yourself a glass of milk and chug it like a baby.
Half Cup of Kidney Beans
120 CALORIES
8 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart… and they help you grow up big and strong.
Check out other kidney bean products at Amazon.
Two Servings of Cashews, Almonds & Pecans
340 CALORIES
10 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
You’d be nuts not to include nuts in your diet. Yeah that was a cheesy thing to say, but not as cheesy as some other items on this list. Okay, I should really stop now.
Check out other mixed nuts products at Amazon.
Quarter Cup of Hemp Seed
160 CALORIES
11 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
Grab a handful or add some to your salad. Very protein to calorie efficient.
Check out other hemp seed products at Amazon.
Also, a nice collection of hemp-seed based recipes.
Quarter Cup of Lentils
160 CALORIES
12 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
Both lentil and couscous are great sources of protein for vegetarians and vegans. Try incorporating more of them in your diet if you don’t already.
Check out other lentil products at Amazon.
Also, a nice collection of lentil recipes.
Two Eggs
160 CALORIES
12 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
Fry ‘em. Scramble ‘em. Or you could hard boil a bunch and save them for a post-workout snack?
Can of Tuna
120 CALORIES
15 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
Jessica Simpson’s favorite kind of chicken, what more needs to be said.
Check out other tuna products at Amazon.
Half Cup of Cottage Cheese
102 CALORIES
16 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
All cheeses are rich sources of protein, but cottage cheese seems to outshine the others. It only has two grams of fat and it goes good with many different types of fruits and vegetables.
Greek Yogurt
130 CALORIES
23 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
This single container of greek yogurt remarkably contains 23g of yogurt and only 130 calories. I think the numbers speak for themselves. My friends tell me it is very tasty too.
The following information is based on a lecture at Binghamton University on September 17th, 2009 by physician and nutrition expert Dr. Michael Greger. He has been published in several academic journals and is the author of two books titled, “Bird Flu: A Virus Of Our Own Hatching,” and, “Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America’s Low-carb Craze.”
Over the past year Dr. Greger has paid close attention to recent findings in diet and nutrition and was kind enough to share some of these important findings and insights with Binghamton students and faculty members. The theme of his talk was “Optimum Nutrition 2009,” and focuses on a switch towards a more plant-based diet for Americans.
You can read more about Dr. Greger at his official website. (Also, be sure to attend one of his events if he comes to a place near you, as he is an internationally recognized public speaker and an incredibly fun guy to be around).
1. AMERICANS CONSUME TOO MUCH ANIMAL PROTEIN
One of Greger’s biggest critiques on the current eating habits of Americans is that we eat too much animal protein. Why is this a bad thing? Because an increase in animal protein intake correlates with higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and a greater risk of heart disease – one of the top killers in America next to cancer.
Over consumption of red meats like beef can have an especially detrimental effect on our cholesterol levels and overall health. One recent study showed that when pregnant women consumed more beef that it negatively affected the sexual development of males in the womb.
Solution: According to Dr. Greger, scientific evidence suggests that the healthiest way to eat is a vitamin-rich diet of whole plant foods. For optimum nutrition, Greger suggests that we include an array of whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit, and as many vegetables as you can eat, but also specifically dark greeny leafy vegetables, berries, and green (or white) tea.
One of the best reasons to switch to a plant foods diet is that most meals will be low in calories (especially when compared to meals with animal meat), but at the same time more nutritious in vitamins and minerals. We eat less, but still replenish our bodily functions and energize our bodies.
On a side note, many may worry that a switch to a more plant-based diet may result in a lack of protein, but many nuts and vegetables provide plenty so that a dieter should not have to resort to protein supplements.
2. AMERICANS DON’T EAT THE RIGHT VEGETABLES (IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER)
Even when Americans do eat their veggies they still aren’t making the best choices. Among the most popular plants consumed in the west – tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, and spinach – none of these are particularly good at fighting cancer as other alternatives in eastern countries. Again, perhaps these eating habits shed some light on why cancer (and other medical illnesses) is growing so prevalent in the United States.
Solution: Vegetables that have shown to be better cancer fighters are cabbage, soy, ginger, and umbelliferous vegetables such as carrots, celery, cilantro, parsley and parsnip. The number one rated fighter against cancer was garlic.
3. AMERICANS TOO OFTEN CHOOSE CONVENIENCE OVER CONSCIOUS-EATING
It is far easier for a busy mother or college student to go to a fast food restaurant – or resort to some other convenient fatty food – than to prepare a healthy meal. This is part of a growing problem. It isn’t that Americans don’t understand what constitutes good eating, only that we have become complacent in continuing our bad habits.
Solution: If we want to change our diet then we need to become more aware of how we choose our meals when we choose them. It requires our conscious effort. Our diets already fluctuate subtly from week-to-week, but by shedding a greater awareness on what we eat as we eat it we can begin to take greater control over our diet, and hopefully move it in a more positive direction.
What I call “conscious eating” includes looking into the nutritional facts of what we are consuming on a day-to-day basis, making incremental changes over time, and maintaining the will to eat and live healthier.
4. IMPORTANT MICRONUTRIENTS TO PAY ATTENTION TO
Dr. Greger also recommends these important micronutrients (some of whose needs can be fulfilled in our food and others which may require supplements).
A. Vitamin B12 (at least 2000μg each week – ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement).
B. Omega-3 Fatty Acids (250mg daily of algae-derived DHA).
C. Vitamin D (most of which can be absorbed by the sun during summer months, but may require a 4,000 IU supplement during the winter).
D. Calcium (most greens are rich in calcium except spinach, chard, and beet greens, recommended 600mg daily).
E. Iodine (for those who don’t eat seaweed or iodized salt, a 150μg daily supplement should be sufficient).
F. Iron (especially for menstruating women but men should check for an iron overload disease before any attempt to increase intake).
G. Selenium (Northern Europeans may need to take a supplement or eat about 20 Brazil nuts a month).
FINAL WORDS ON HEALTHY EATING
Diets do not change overnight; they take time and sustained effort. This does not mean that changing one’s eating habits is an exhausting process, but that it is something that needs to be on your mind whenever you are planning to eat.
The core lesson of Dr. Greger’s lecture is that by switching from a dependency on animal protein to a more plant-based diet we can simultaneously tackle a wide variety of health issues that are linked to poor eating habits. Optimally, Greger recommends we rid our diets of animal protein completely; but realistically, any change from less animal meat to more plant foods will probably have a positive affect on our health.
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