It’s quite common: pregnancy anxiety. And why not! There’s a lot going on inside your body that feels completely new. As your belly grows, not only is your body changing shape, but you are also going through heaps of other physical (and mental) stress. It’s no wonder you are feeling a little bit anxious.
Calm your fears and feel free again. There’s no need to sit through nine months of “what ifs” and unanswered questions.
Side note: Have an important question you want answered now? Just ask. No twitter account? We still welcome your questions!
What you are putting into your body (in more ways than one) are the key to curing your anxiety: diet and acupuncture.
Red Tent’s in-house nutrition expert Anna-Maria Boleskov suggests including magnesium in your daily food regiment. Why? Magnesium plays an important role in keeping healthy blood glucose levels which helps to not only alleviate anxiety during pregnancy, but is also important for your energy and your mood. Magnesium also helps to reduce blood pressure, prevent preeclampsia, and can even help improve your sleep.
There are heaps of easy and delicious ways to get your daily dose of magnesium. Tofu and legumes are both rich in magnesium and work well together over a salad (choose green leafy veges and some spinach for your salad and you’ll add even more magnesium!) or in your soup. Just as easy: snack on Brazil nuts, almonds, and cashews for a filling and nutritious treat. Also on the list: whole grains, wheat bran, pumpkin and squash seeds and oatmeal. Some more menu ideas: oatmeal with fresh fruit for breakfast, a salad sprinkled with pumpkin and squash seeds for lunch, and a tofu and rice dish for dinner.
Next on the list: Schedule yourself in for an acupuncture treatment. How, you may wonder, does having someone stick needles in you alleviate anxiety?
Acupuncturist Natalie Simon can think of five solid reasons how a treatment can help alleviate your worries. Firstly, acupuncture calms the mind/shen, via the heart and pericardium channels. It can help calm your emotions, via the liver meridian. Furthermore, a treatment can help you sleep: a big contributor to anxiety. Acupuncture also has the ability to calm and relax, moving blood, moving Qi (we’ll cover that another time!), quieting down the heart rate, and lowering blood pressure. And keep in mind: Acupuncture is a form of therapy. Simply allowing yourself to lie back and be listened to welcomes a sense of relaxation.
The reasons you are suffering from anxiety may seem endless, but putting a stop to the stress and giving yourself a chance to embrace this gorgeous experience (you’re having a baby!) is only a few short steps away.
Give these suggestions a go and let us know how you feel! We welcome your feedback.