This weekend I drove out to Portage la Prairie, where my family lives, for my cousin’s wedding social. It was a good time, they had a solid turn out and I got to catch up with some family.
It’s about an hour long drive, so on my way out I was listening to podcast. I don’t think I’ve listened to the actual radio in my vehicle for at least a couple years now. I drive a lot so I use that time to learn by listening to fitness, nutrition and business podcasts.
On this episode in particular the hosts were interviewing another person, mostly on marketing in the fitness industry but then the interview took a turn. The interviewee talked briefly about how he had recently had a massive anxiety attack and how he was seeing a therapist to unpack some of the reasons this might have happened.
His therapist told him that the root of most anxiety and depression comes from H.A.L.T.
H.A.L.T. stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired. He said that minimizing those four areas can help to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression in most people. I’d probably add an “F” for “Finances” in there too, as that can be a significant source of stress and anxiety for a lot of people.
When you think about it, this does make sense. If I think back on some of my own days of anxiety, going deep enough will usually end up at one of those four areas. Once I get past the surface issues that I *thought* was causing my anxiety, I can typically take it all the way back to being either hungry, angry, lonely or tired.
Take a minute and think back on some of the most recent times you’ve felt symptoms of anxiety or depression in your life. Can you trace it back to H.A.L.T.? Go deep. Get past the surface issues and really dig deep into the root cause. I’m guessing 9 times out of 10 you’ll end up at hungry, angry, lonely or tired.
The good news about all of this is that now that we have our anxiety and depression pinned down to 4 root causes, we can take steps to minimizing those 4 things from happening.
1. HUNGRY
Clean up your diet. Eat mostly whole, unprocessed food, lots of vegetables, a little fruit, some lean high quality meat/fish/eggs, some healthy fats from nuts/seeds/avocado/wild caught fish/coconut oil/olive oil and plant based starches like potatoes/sweet potatoes/squash/white rice. Drink plenty of water and keep caffeine in check.
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2. ANGRY
Meditate and practice gratitude. Take at least 10 minutes each day to be mindful and grateful for what you have in this life.I highly recommend the app “Headspace” for meditation and “5 Minute Journal” for gratitude.
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3. LONELY
Spend time with friends and family that make you feel good. When you’re with them, really be present in that moment. Get off your phone and really *be* there with them, in the present. Take time to reconnect with past friends, shoot a Facebook message to someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Text a friend something nice about how you appreciate them.
4. TIRED
Sleep, obviously! Sleep might be the most important aspect of all of our lives in order to be healthy. Sleep affects, literally, everything that goes on in our bodies. Most, if not all, of our hormonal functions, how we think, how our brain functions, our cravings for food, how we react to situations. Everything is improved when we take care of our sleep. Get 7-9 hours of QUALITY sleep each night. Sleep in a blacked out room and if you have your phone beside you, put it on “Airplaine” mode.
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Doing these things might not eliminate anxiety and depression completely from our lives, but at least we can minimize the instances and severity of it with some simple lifestyle changes.