Anxiety Easing Tips for Fall: Nutrition, Lifestyle, & Mindset!

When you think about the fall season – what comes to mind?

For some perhaps it brings about a sense of joy and peace – thinking about all things pumpkin spice, wooly sweaters, warm cups of tea, and cozy evenings by the fire.

However, for others fall can be a time of increased anxiety, pressure to ‘get back into a routine’, ‘the need to do more’, the doom of coming winter, and mourning of summertime fun.

Wherever you fall on that spectrum I hope these anxiety easing tips can help you welcome fall with an increased sense of peace, groundedness, and even some excitement!

Anxiety Easing Tips for Fall:

Focus on Eating Lots of Seasonal Root/ Starchy Vegetables:

Starchy veggies such as carrots, beets, squash, yams, potatoes, and parsnips are in season during this time of year, and are great to include more of in your diet to help keep anxiety levels at bay.

Not only are these veggies chalked full of micronutrients your brain needs to thrive, their starchy composition helps to keep blood sugars balanced and you feeling more satiated.

Furthermore, root veggies (beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, yams) are known to have an energetically extra grounding effect on the psyche/ body – just think – they grow in the ground and therefore can help you feel more grounded! Don’t believe it? Eat some and see how you feel!

Add More Warming Spices/ Herbs to your Diet:

Spices/ herbs such as; turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and curry powder, are amazing to add into soups, smoothies, or warm drinks.

Cooking spices/ herbs like the ones listed above are known to be incredibly anti-inflammatory (1) which can help to reduce neuro-inflammation. They also contain tons of antioxidants which can provide protection against neuronal damage within the brain. (2)

If you’re looking for where to start in adding more spices to your diet – you’ve got to try my ‘Calming Cardamom Mylk Latte’ or this ‘Hearty Lentil Mash’.

Focus on Consuming More Cooked & Warming Meals:

With summer coming to a close, you want to prep your body and mind for the transition to cooler weather by eating more cooked and warming meals – they really are good for the soul and can provide a deeper sense of grounding than water-y raw meals (such as salads)!

Think about including more meals like soups, stews, curries, or nourish bowls with baked veg and a creamy dressing. Another way to include more cooked foods is by lightly sautéing your leafy greens as opposed to eating them raw.

Do Your Best to Meal Plan & Prep Each Week:

By planning your meals each week, and prepping key ingredients (ex. a pot of quinoa, a tray of roasted veggies, or a dressing), you can ensure your body & mind are getting the nutrients they need to thrive!

Also – meal planning & prepping can take away some of the stress surrounding meal times -as you’ll be more prepared & confident about what to make!

When working with my one on one clients, we often spend a whole session going over how to meal plan and prep. I also provide templates so people can do it with ease each week. It really is amazing what this simple daily step can do!

Try Doing More of the Things you Love (or try a new activity):

Okay so this one might be obvious – but sometimes fall feels as though it’s only about getting back into a routine/ work/ school/ etc. – and therefore we forget to prioritize things that really make us happy and calm! Whether it be cooking/ baking, pottery, music, reading, or hiking – finding time to fit in things you love each and every day can be such a great boost for your mental health!

Doing so not only can naturally increase serotonin and dopamine levels, it can help keep you mindful & grounded in the present moment – a very important aspect of anxiety management.

If you are yet to find activities you truly love – don’t be afraid to continue to try new ones! In trying new activities, we create new neural pathways in our brain, helping to override some of the repetitive anxious ones we’ve previously created.

As a nutritionist, I might be bias, but I truly think one of the best activities is cooking or baking. Not only is it such a fun creative thing to do that grounds you into the present moment – if you’re using whole food based recipes (like the ones on this website) it also results in the most amazing foods, that can further help to keep anxiety levels at bay – it really is a 2 for 1 deal!

Make Daily Intentions About How You Want to Feel:

This is one of my favourite things to do when I get up! Every day think about your intentions for HOW you want to focus on feeling. Maybe you want to focus on feeling more calm? Self loving? Happy? Peaceful?

Writing out these intentions and going back to them throughout the day when you notice opposing/ challenging feelings coming in can be very helpful in easing anxiety levels. Of course, writing out intentions doesn’t make them magically happen – but it is however, a wonderful start – and acts as a reminder about what you want to embody in the moments that make up your day!

Best of All: Focus on Your Nutrition for Anxiety by Working with a Nutritionist (like myself)!

As a nutritionist who specializes in nutrition for anxiety, I teach my clients how they can eat in a way that truly helps to ease their anxiety – for the longterm! During out time we will uncover the 4 pillars of a diet to ease anxiety, what your ‘anxiety triggering foods’ are, focus foods for reducing anxiety, supplement & lifestyle recommendations, self love & mindset support – along with SO much else!

Did you know issues like imbalanced hormones, poor gut health, vitamin & mineral deficiencies, and imbalanced blood sugars can all hugely impact anxiety levels? That’s why when working together we dive deep into addressing these topics – along with so much more!

Want to know more? Be sure to check out the details of my ‘One on One Anxiety Reduction Protocolhere or send me a message at: megdejongnutrition@gmail.com

Fall really is the perfect time to make your health and well being a priority – and there is no better way to do it than with the support of a nutrition coach (such as myself) to educate you, encourage you, and be there with you every step of the way!

‘Hearty Lentil Mash’ loaded with anti-inflammatory spices

Conclusion

Alright – there we have it – 7 Anxiety Easing Tips for Fall to help you feeling more calm, grounded, and at ease in this change of season!

Wishing you all the best as the seasons shift! Don’t forget to witness all the beauty this season has to offer! Always here if you want to reach out with any questions 🙂

Sources

  1. https://www.naturalstacks.com/blogs/news/anti-inflammatory-herbs
  2. https://themindsjournal.com/role-of-antioxidants-in-overcoming-depression-and-anxiety/
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