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10 Things You Can Do Right Now To Ease Anxiety

If you feel anxious all the time, know that you’re not alone. It’s estimated that anxiety disorder is affecting 40 million adults in America.

Talking to a therapist or taking medication has been proven to help reduce anxiety. But there are also other underutilized methods that ease anxiety. In fact, some of these methods will instantly improve your mood.

Use these tricks to calm yourself when feeling anxious.

1. PRACTICE DEEP BREATHING

Did you know that poor breathing habits can make you anxious? When we are anxious we breathe fast, and as a result, our anxiety worsens.

When feeling anxious, remember to breathe deeply and slowly. Here’s how to do it:

• Breathe in slowly through the nose for 4 to 7 seconds
• Pause and hold your breath for 3 seconds
• Press your lips together then slowly exhale through the mouth for 9 seconds

Doing this for 3 to 5 minutes will make you feel better.

2. SNIFF CALMING OILS

Some essential oils have been proven to increase calmness and ease anxiety. This studyfound that essential oils alter brain chemical production, therefore affecting mood. 

One study found that inhaling rose oil for 10 minutes reduced anxiety in women. Lavender and chamomile oil have also been proven to ease anxiety.

3. LISTEN TO SOOTHING MUSIC

Music calms nerves and can even reduce anxiety in patients about to undergo surgery, research shows.

In one study, researchers found that the song “Weightless” reduced anxiety by 65 percent in the participants.

4. AVOID INFLAMMATORY FOODS

Some people eat when they’re anxious. Unfortunately, in most cases, the foods they eat worsen their anxiety.

Avoid eating these foods regularly if you struggle with anxiety: sugar, tran fats, gluten, caffeine, fast food, salt and alcohol. Instead, eat foods that ease anxiety.

5. EXERCISE

When you exercise, your body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins boost your mood naturally and reduce anxiety.

Luckily, you don’t need to exercise for hours to ease anxiety. Exercising for 15-30 minutes can improve your mood. Either cardio or strength training works.

6. LAUGH IT OFF

Research shows that laughter can ease depression and anxiety. So find something to make you laugh when feeling anxious.

You may want to check out the laugh factory channel for short comedy clips.

7. TALK TO A FRIEND

Talking to a friend is a great way to distract yourself and forget about whatever is making you anxious. You don’t even have to talk to them one-on-one, talking over the phone can also be helpful.

Talking about how you feel has been shown to be beneficial. So don’t be shy to talk about your anxiety.

8. GET TO BED

Having sex can change your mood and make you feel better. Research shows that pleasurable behaviors reduce stress signals in the brain.

One study found that having sex daily for two weeks increased cell growth in the hippocampus. This part of the brain helps manage stress.

9. MEDITATE

Most folks know that meditation is very relaxing, but did you know that meditation boosts growth of grey matter in the brain and consequently reduces stress?

Start with 5-minute meditation sessions and then increase duration as your technique improves.

10. GET ADEQUATE SLEEP

Lack of sleep can increase your anxiety. So make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

This Bee Product is a Powerful Natural Immune Booster

Cold and flu season is in full swing, which means it’s time to start bringing on immune boosters again. Some of us will chug freshly squeezed orange juice. Others will slam shots of elderberry kombucha. A few will start force-feeding themselves and their family pungent raw garlic, all in a martyrish effort to avoid getting sick. But there is probably something even more powerful missing from your natural immune defense arsenal…propolis.

Propolis is one of the most undervalued natural immune boosters out there. Personally, I use my propolis spray daily. After years of getting sick every cold/flu season, a friend sent me some propolis to try. Ever since then, even the most inevitable colds seem to repel off of me. It’s pretty amazing.

If you are unfamiliar with propolis, it is a bee product, much like honey is—but that’s where the similarities end. Bees use propolis to keep their hives free of invaders and disease. It lines the hive walls and acts essentially as the immune system of the hive. And guess what—it can do the same for your body. 

Propolis is naturally jam-packed with quality vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It also acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory force. But when it comes to beating a cold, propolis even has science on its side. Naturally antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, one studyshowed that propolis reduces the severity of upper respiratory tract infections in children and may even act preventatively to help them avoid getting sick in the first place. In another study, the common cold was treated with either propolis or a placebo. Those given propolis experienced a cold duration that was 2.5 times shorter than the group taking the placebo.

Believe it or not, propolis has been used by humans for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. My favorite source for quality propolis is Beekeepers Naturals, whom we recently highlighted as one of our Brands for Good. BKN recommends 3-5 sprays on the back of the throat every day to keep you immune system strong and thwart foreign invaders. Simple enough routine if you’re trying to stay healthy, right? And guess what, it’s affordable and actually tastes good! Mary Poppins must have been in cahoots with Big Sugar, because medicine doesn’t always have to taste bad.

Looking for some other underrated immune boosters to go with your propolis? Check out these other naturally medicinal concoctions:

CHAGA

A powerful source of vitamins D, K, Bs, iron, calcium and more, the medicinal value of this mushroom should not be sneered at. This mushroom boasts antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties and actually promotes the growth of certain essential immune cells. Chaga also supports a balanced mind and increased natural energy levels. To benefit, steep the crushed, dried mushrooms as long as you desire to make a nourishing, health-promoting tea.

LEMON AND RAW HONEY

Okay, maybe this one isn’t much of a surprise, but people should take the old ‘lemon+honey’ remedy more seriously. Raw honey has those incredible antibacterial and antiviral properties that make it medicinally precious. Bees really know how to make their products. Lemon helps to detoxify and balance the pH of the body, plus offers a killer does of vitamin C. Together, they make an unstoppable cold-busting duo.

GOLDEN MILK

Seriously, now is the time to try golden milk if you haven’t already. A nourishing blend of turmeric, black pepper, coconut oil and spices in warm non-dairy milk, golden milk is as delicious as it is healthful. And boy, is it healthful. Turmeric is an incredibly powerful anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antibacterial agent, due to the presence of the compound curcumin. Curcumin has even been shown to improve brain function. By combining turmeric with black pepper, you are able to reap it in its most bioavailable state.

It’s never too early to start preparing your body. Don’t wait until you have the cold or flu to start treating yourself. By taking natural immune boosters like propolis throughout the season and beyond, you’ll drastically reduce the number of miserably sick days you have to endure. And that is a wonderful thing—thanks again, bees!

Health Benefits of Pumpkins

There is one food that takes center stage during autumn – the pumpkin!

Many people use this orange gourd as a decoration at Halloween. 

But we also use it in many foods that are popular during the fall season – foods like pumpkin bread, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin cookies, pasta made with pumpkin and pumpkin pie. In fact, pumpkin pie is one of THE most common desserts at an American Thanksgiving table.

But perhaps we should try to eat pumpkin all year long, and not just in the fall.

Pumpkins are packed with important nutrients and vitamins. If cooked in a healthy way, meaning without much butter or sugar, pumpkin is a powerhouse of health benefits.

Pumpkin is good for your eyesight

The nutrient beta-carotene and Vitamin A are necessary for maintaining good eyesight. Pumpkins are a great source of both. In fact, one nutrition website says that one cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin can give you more than 200 percent of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin A.

Pumpkin may help reduce your risk of getting cancer

The National Cancer Institute in the United States says on its website that antioxidants may help reduce a person’s risk of getting cancer. That is because antioxidants neutralize something called free radicals in the body. The Institute defines free radicals as “highly reactive chemicals that have the potential to harm cells.”

Antioxidants help to get rid of these free radicals. Examples of antioxidants found in food include beta-carotene, lycopene, and vitamins A, C, and E. And as we said earlier, pumpkin is full of beta-carotene as well as vitamin A.

Pumpkin helps your skin

Beta-carotene also helps to keep your skin healthy and young-looking. Yet another good reason to eat pumpkin!

Pumpkin may help your heart

Pumpkin is also loaded with potassium. Health experts say that consuming potassium may help treat hypertension or high blood pressure, just as decreasing your intake of sodium does.

Pumpkin may be good for weight loss

Pumpkin also has a lot of fiber. Fiber slows down digestion of food. So, when you eat pumpkin you feel full and eat less.

So, if it is available where you live, try to find ways to include pumpkin in your next meal.

Thanksgiving tradition of gratitude is good for your health, research says

Gathering around the table to give thanks this Thanksgiving is something that can add years to your life, research shows.

“The grateful mind reaps massive advantages in life,” Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis and the founder a research lab that studies the effects of grateful living. “Health and wholeness, wellness and fullness result from the systematic practice of a grateful living.” 

He said grateful living can have many positive effects on health and well-being.

“It literally breathes new life into us. It recharges and it rejuvenates,” Emmons said about gratitude, which he defines as “an affirmation of the goodness in one’s life and the recognition that the sources of this goodness lie at least partially outside the self.”  

One research study that Emmons lead in 2003 also found that participants who took time weekly to reflect on things for which they were grateful reported fewer symptoms of physical illness and spent more time exercising.

A study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 2015 found that people who took part in a diary exercise twice a week asking them to document people and things that helped them at work "reduced their stress and depressive symptoms significantly."

Sara Algoe, an associate professor of social psychology at the University of North Carolina, studies the role gratitude plays in interpersonal relationships.

Her research has found that gratitude is good for relationships and has "follow-on effects" for physical health.

"Taking the moment to acknowledge the things that people do for us that we really value actually has downstream consequences for both people," she said. "When couples express gratitude more frequently and descriptively to each other, they are happier in their relationship."

Another study study published last year that followed people with Stage B asymptomatic heart failure found patients who did gratitude journaling showed "improved biomarkers related to heart failure morbidity."

Thanksgiving and gratitude

Thanksgiving is a perfect opportunity to show gratitude, according to both Emmons and Algoe, because the two go hand-in-hand.

“The word ‘thanksgiving’ literally means, giving of thanks. Thanksgiving is an action word,” Emmons said. “Gratitude requires action.”  

To receive the health benefits of gratitude this holiday season, Emmons recommends moving beyond the tradition of naming your blessings at the Thanksgiving table.

“I think that a reflection of how our lives have been made so much more comfortable by the sacrifices of those who have come before us down through the generations should be the focus of how Thanksgiving should be observed,” he said.

Emmons explained thanking those who paved the way for you is more “satisfying and sustaining.”

“This sort of transformational thinking can be revolutionary,” he said. “And this way of thinking can draw us out of our self-involved and self-contained worlds to a deeper awareness of those forces which make that very world possible in the first place.”

Thanksgiving is also an opportunity to "shore up the ties" of family and remind people what you love about them, according to Algoe.

"When you feel grateful, don’t forget to say it to people," she said. "Expressions of gratitude are like candy and they keep people coming back for more. The data really shows that."

Emmons cited celebrities like Goldie Hawn, Russell Wilson and Matthew McConaughey as people who have mastered one of the keys of gratitude: Making it about others, not about ourselves.

"This is the single most important thing that I've learned about gratitude. It's not about us," Emmons said. "We turn gratitude into a self-focused personal project. The focus becomes how I am doing, instead of what others are doing for me." 

Algoe's research has also found the "authenticity and sincerity of the gratitude expression" is of key importance.

"It’s putting the 'you' in thank you that really matters," Algoe said. "It's the little part where you’re really calling out the person for the thing they did."

How to keep gratitude going

When Thanksgiving Day is over, gratitude is often left "on the Thanksgiving table," according to Emmons.  

In order to avoid this "wasted opportunity" and reap the health benefits of gratitude, Emmons shared these tips for making gratitude part of your every day life.

1. Make a list of what you typically take for granted. Then think about these “as granted” rather than “for granted.”

2. Consider what your life would be like without this person/event/circumstance. In other words, if this had never happened or came along. Subtract something good from your life. This is known as addition via subtraction.

3. Give something away. When we are givers, we reflect more clearly on what it is like to be a receiver. Also, we are grateful for the opportunity to give, knowing that giving brings happiness to self and others.

4. Identify non-grateful thoughts: For example, thinking you deserve better circumstances, that other people are better off; that life is boring, that I am entitled to this, that, or the other; That life is monotonous, tedious; That things have not turned out the way you wanted. Practice using the language of thankfulness: Gifts, givers, receivers, favor, fortune, fortunate, blessed, lucky.

5. Find someone behind the scenes at your workplace or neighborhood and thank them. Speak words of gratitude to them. Takes two minutes. You will both benefit.

Thanksgiving 'pre-tox': How to eat healthy this week and Thanksgiving Day

Stuffing, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie, oh my!

On Thanksgiving, the average American consumes 4,500 calories, according to the Calorie Control Council.

That's why "Good Morning America" tapped nutritionist Maya Feller for her tips on how to do a Thanksgiving "pre-tox," a healthy eating "detox" leading up to the traditional Thanksgiving meal, so you don't feel badly enjoying your family's favorite side dish and dessert.

Making healthy eating choices all week long, getting in some extra exercise and eating mindfully at the big meal itself are some of the ways that you can help offset weight gain, according to Feller. Read on for the tips she often gives to clients as Thanksgiving approaches. 

How to eat the week before Thanksgiving

Don't skip meals. Be sure to have a balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When you skip a meal you are more likely to overeat at your next meal, simply because you are hungry. Having regular meals also minimizes blood sugar highs and lows and the cravings that comes with them.
- Be mindful of portion size.
- Increase the non-starchy vegetables (leafy greens).
- Decrease the refined grains and swap for a limited portion of starchy vegetables or whole grains.

Stay well hydrated. We all need water, it helps our bodies function optimally. Sometimes when we are dehydrated we think we are hungry, when in fact we are thirsty, so don't forget especially going into the holidays to give your body the water that it wants and needs. For most, that’s at least 1 liter of water per day.

Try my favorite hydrating homemade tea of hot water with lemon juice or lime juice and cayenne pepper.

Pro tip: Try going easy on the alcohol in the days before Thanksgiving as well.

Reduce or remove added sugars, fats, salts, preservatives. These can wreak havoc on some peoples' systems, causing gas, bloating, GI distress as well as cravings for more.

Skip the packaged goods. Ready-made meals tend to be higher in sodium, saturated fats, added sugars and other preservatives.

Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of intentional physical activity on each day.

How to eat well on Thanksgiving Day

Many people want to save up for the big meal, but it's important to remember that holiday meals are one meal of many. It's a time to enjoy good food and great company on a special occasion. Being mindful and making intentional choices helps to make the food experience all the more enjoyable. I recommend starting the day off with a balanced breakfast and even having a mid-morning snack or lunch depending on when the main meal happens.

Start the day with a protein-rich breakfast. Egg cups are an easy and healthy breakfast idea.
You'll need a six-cup muffin tin. Place one of each of the following ingredients in each muffin opening and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until firm. Serving size per person is two egg cups.
- The contents of 1 egg
- 3 tbsp hearty leafy green of your choice
- 1 tsp chopped chives
- Black pepper and/or red pepper flakes to taste

Light lunch ideas for T-Day. Make a protein-packed salad with non-starchy veggies. (Green salad with chickpeas, avocado, seeds, and colorful veggies of your choice like tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, etc.) 

Or try Salmon salad roll-ups. Combine salmon with stone ground mustard, red bell peppers with dill and scallion. Place into the center of a leaf of Bibb lettuce and roll up and enjoy!

Exercise. If you don't exercise, take a walk for 30 minutes. If you do, aim for 45 to 60 minutes of moderate to high intensity intentional physical activity. Resistance training builds muscle, which is more metabolically active than fat. 

How to enjoy the meal itself

Go in with a plan.
- Make a realistic choice about what you will and will not have.
- If your goal is to maintain your current body weight, have one plate with the majority of the plate as non-starchy vegetables.
- If your goal is to lose weight you will need to adhere to your current diet plan and be very mindful of limiting your intake outside of your nutrition prescription.
- Focus on the fun (if you can). The gathering is about the company, not just the food. 

Use a small salad plate for hors-d'oeuvres. Limit yourself to one salad plate of hors-d'oeuvres.

Go easy on the alcohol. Treat yourself to a drink, but it's important to be mindful that what you're drinking has calories too.

For dessert, return to the salad-size plate. Limit yourself to one serving. If you are trying to lose weight have half or less of the dessert