In the fast pace world we live in today, is it possible to live without anxiety?

Anxiety is becoming more and more common, affecting over 40 million adults within the U.S. and I believe that number is growing exponentially. With sleep becoming less of a priority and work becoming an around the clock endeavor, is it possible to live without anxiety? Where is the line between a healthy amount of stress and stress that deteriorates our health?

What used to take days or weeks now takes minutes or even seconds. We are bombarded with information at all hours of the day and have less time to assimilate it.  Our bodies are stuck in overdrive and our nervous system doesn't get time to slow down.

Everyday in my practice I see people with anything from sleep disorders to broken bones, and when I ask the infamous questions "what is your stress level like?" or "do you ever feel anxious?" 99% of the time they will tell me that their stress level is high and they frequently feel anxious.  It is becoming more apparent to me that a major inhibitor to health is anxiety.

So the question isn't can we live a life without anxiety, but how do we manage it and keep ourselves healthy?

The most important thing... SLEEP! If you are not getting enough uninterrupted sleep (6-8 hours where you are waking up for no longer than 20min at a time, and are able to go right back to sleep), your body will never be able to regenerate itself for the next day and your daily stressors will begin to build up, resulting in anxiety. I cannot emphasize enough, the importance of sleep.

The next most important thing, which goes hand in hand with sleep, is good nutrition.  Cutting out sugar, caffeine, and processed grains is key.  Stimulants increase stress on your body and keep it in a fight or flight state.  When your body is in this state you will not be able to sleep, process any foods you eat (weight gain is a common symptom of anxiety), and it makes accomplishing daily tasks challenging.

We will always have the stress of a job, family, finances, health, etc, but the healthier our lifestyle, the more prepared we are to cope with all that life has to throw at us.  When living a balanced life (eating correctly, getting enough sleep, physical activity, and laughter) it is possible to keep anxiety under control.


The world we live in today is fast paced and crazy, that is why it is more important now than ever to make health a priority.  What you put into your health is what you are going to get out of it.