To start, I am by no means a doctor and I have no training in the medical field. I am simply writing this post from personal experience and insights I learned from others. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, in this post, I am going to discuss how I got over anxiety and depression that I was experiencing for hours nearly every morning.
I used to wake up and feel anxious for the first 4 to 6 hours of my day. Often times, the anxiety would lead me to feel down and depressed for no reason. For years, I thought that this was normal.
I tried a variety of activities for years to try to lower my anxiety, including regular exercise, breathing techniques, meditation, reading my bible, intermittent fasting, among other things. Some of these things certainly did help but I still felt off – until I ate lunch.
Research I Discovered
After randomly performing a few Google Searches, I stumbled across a few different articles on low blood sugar and feelings of anxiety and depression in the morning. One such article on Psychology Today mentioned this:
“I worry that today’s near-obsessive emphasis on “time-restricted eating” and fasting (which can have profound benefits in some, to be sure), may cause significant neuropsychiatric mood problems in people vulnerable to anxiety and depression.”
Dr. Susan Biali Haas
Overcoming Anxiety
Based on the different articles I read, I became aware that I was not eating breakfast regularly, and I was drinking only coffee. While this is popular in intermittent fasting (to not eat breakfast), it simply was wreaking havoc for me. I discovered that my blood sugar may not be normal in the mornings, and not eating properly in the mornings was causing problems for me.
Working in the field of marketing, I often run A/B tests to see what works best for a specific campaign. For years (10+) I did not eat breakfast, so I decided that I would try eating a small breakfast and see how I felt after a few weeks. While I love breakfast foods, I don’t have a lot of time in the mornings and I don’t have a large appetite before 10 am. I decided to try eating a few handfuls of peanuts in an attempt to stabilize my blood sugar.
The Results
After trying my new peanut breakfast out for a few weeks, I was shocked at the results. I went from feeling about a “4” to a “7 or 8” each morning, and it lasted throughout the day.
Not only did I feel better, but my productivity went up and my general daily outlook improved. For a busy business owner like myself, I constantly am looking for ways to be my “best self.” I still do morning walks/runs, go to the gym, read my bible, and practice breathing techniques.
If you aren’t feeling your best in the mornings, I encourage you to try out different things. I have no medical background, so please speak with a medical professional and do your own research to decide what’s best for you. But the important thing is to find ways for you to be your best self!
My name is Anthony Bart, I’m the owner of BartX Digital. We help medical professionals grow their practices. Here are our best marketing strategies for therapists and our best dental marketing strategies you can use to grow your practice. If you or your practice need any guidance, I’d be more than happy to connect with you!