Free Yourself from Anxiety by Emma Fletcher Read Free Book Online Page A

than this, or less if you are very sedentary. This is just an example to show you how you can eat little and often through the day. You can eat the kind of food you like.
Your eating pattern
    How does your eating pattern compare with the model? If it is very different, don’t despair, a series of small changes will gradually help you – you can use your goal setting skills to break the changes up so that they are manageable.
Breakfast is important
    One very common problem for many Anxiety sufferers is the feeling that they can’t face breakfast. They may wait several hours before eating anything and in extreme cases will only eat once a day, in the evening when they feel up to it. This creates a vicious circle, because someone whose system is very empty is bound to feel lethargic and even slightly unwell, which makes them less likely to eat, and by not eating they feel even worse, and so on.
    In the example above, there is a 10½ hour gap between the last snack of the day and the first one of the next day. After such a long wait your body needs fuel to get it going. If you skip breakfast you’re denying it that fuel and yet you need energy to start your day. What is your body todo? One answer is to pump adrenalin into your system – not a good idea for someone with Anxiety.
    Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day it is worth trying to manage it. Try some lateral thinking – breakfast doesn’t have to be cereal, toast or eggs and bacon. How about a banana or some yoghurt? If the only thing you can face is a sweet biscuit, then break the sugary snacks rule and have biscuits. When you’ve got used to eating breakfast you can switch to something healthier.
    Also, no one likes to waste food, and yet for someone who is struggling a whole banana or a whole slice of toast can seem just too much. The answer is that while you are working on your recovery you can let go of feelings of guilt about food wastage. The most important thing is for you to recover, so if you only want a piece of banana or a spoonful of yoghurt tell yourself it’s okay.
    This applies to other meals. Eat what you can, in the quantities you can manage. Try to eat a little something at each mealtime and snack time. The way you eat is also important. Allow time to eat your meals calmly and without rushing.
    Your body will gradually adjust to the new regime, your energy levels will rise and the vicious circle will be broken.
    GROUP MEMBERS TALK ABOUT FOOD AND DRINK
    ‘I do occasionally skip breakfast but I can’t remember if I did on the day of the panic attack.’
B RIDGET
    ‘When my anxiety was bad I used to skip meals and eat when I could face it, so of course I often had low blood sugar and that made me feel worse. Also I had a very restricted diet as I bought all my food from the milkman.’
J ULIE
    ‘In later years I wondered if the fact that I was so anaemic had had a bearing on the beginnings of my anxiety problems.’
M ARGARET
    ‘I’ve always eaten sensibly but I do become hypoglycaemic when I’m nervous. I need to keep my blood sugar steady.’
P EN
    ‘I have had binges on sugary foods, sometimes gets out of control even to the point were I make myself sick. I am now trying to find healthier, more positive outlets.’ S ARAH
    ‘I’ve always eaten well, when I was on Valium I didn’t put on any weight at all, I was constantly hungry but I was underweight.’
W ENDY

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More about Diet
Understanding the effects of caffeine
    Caffeine is a mild stimulant that raises your heart rate and creates a short-lived burst of energy. That is why so many people avoid coffee in the evenings – it keeps them awake. Anxiety uses up a lot of a person’s energy and so caffeine can seem like an absolute boon, but for some people it is a false friend, because they are already over-stimulated. Too much caffeine can also trigger panic attacks or make you more susceptible to them. Also people vary in their sensitivity to caffeine, so that