Stress, worry and anxiety are our individual alarm systems. The stress, worry or anxiety alerts us to get activated since there is some sort of danger. Even our immune system gets activated.
Recently, I spoke with a colleague about whether or not she was going to be in her office seeing clients during this time with all the closings and efforts to keep us at social distances. I could hear the worry in her voice as she repeated her concerns. This actually turned into a several day discussion. It began on Sunday, continued when we were in our offices on Monday and when we were at home on Tuesday.
My colleague is in her 70’s and has several underlying chronic medical illnesses. I recommended to her to stay home but I am not her physician. She reported she was going to get in contact with her physician Monday morning. She did not reach out until Monday afternoon and his words were “Be very careful” but no direct recommendation.
I know she was feeling stressed. I could see, hear and feel her worrying all the way until Tuesday afternoon. Now she is a smart, educated woman. She understood all the information in the media. And I, her friend and a physician, reiterated what the logical thing to do was. Her body and thoughts would not let her relax until she took some sort of action.
When she finally decided to stay at home her stress and worry dissipated. Our conversation no longer focused on whether or not to be in the office and how vulnerable we all are.
As much as I wanted I could not calm her worry and stress. Her body and mind were not calmed until she was able to take action that addressed the unspoken fear in her mind. She knew she is more vulnerable to the virus due to her age and chronic medical conditions.
But not until she could ‘listen’ to her unspoken fear of her increased vulnerability and take action by staying home her stress and worry continued. Then, when she chose to stay home, her stress and worry dissipated.
Supplement Tip For Anxiety
My favorite supplement with Magnesium Threonate is OptiMag Neuro from WholeScripts. It comes in a berry powder form. It is actually quite good. I mix 1 scoop into 16 oz of water and drink it either at once or over 2-3 hours. It helps me fall asleep and helps me to calm down at other times during the day too.
Need to order supplements? Fullscript | Wholescripts
Need to order a test? Please visit my laboratory testing page to learn more.
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Dr. Laurie Goldman is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, and functional medicine practitioner who’s been in private practice since 1999. She founded Clear Path Wellness to help her patients reach their maximum state of mental and physical health using a personalized, comprehensive approach powered by the principles of functional medicine, which treats the whole person, not just symptoms.