Aug 9, 2022
Mental Health + Anxiety and Your Gut {Episode 46 with Kerri Axelrod}
Your best self comes with peace throughout your entire body so I brought a guest on the podcast today for more on anxiety and am also giving you an anxiety self care checklist as a bonus!
You are no stranger to this conversation around stress, anxiety, depression and all things mood-related as they relate to the gut.
We are _constantly_ talking about them in the _A Gutsy Girl_ community because they are 100% part of you healing your gut; or vice-versa.
The good news is that I have so many awesome experts to help address both to continue providing information for you to utilize in the best way possible.Anxiety Self Care Checklist {Episode 46 with Kerri Axelrod}
Click HERE to save this episode for later.
Resources
* Vagus Nerve Home Remedy {11 Ways for Stimulation}
* Anxiety and Your Gut (Episode 36 with Alison Seponara)
* Why Stress May be Your Worst Enemy {Episode 39, Short #1}
* Best Teas for Stress and Depression {11 Teas to Boost Mood}
* Enteric Nervous System information HERE
* Butyrate Foods
* Self-Care During Massive Grief
* Self-Love Guided Journal {21-days of prompts for your healing journey}
* Types of Magnesium
* Kerri recommends a beef liver capsule. THESE are the ones I love. (When you use this link you’ll automatically save 15%. PLUS, when you order 3 bottles or more you’ll receive FREE shipping and handling.)
* Kerri’s Instagram HERE
* Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle for Mental Health (Kerri’s website) HERE
* Work with Kerri HERE
_Digestive system are overlapping with emotional symptoms. – Kerri_
Don’t Miss These Thoughts
* Who is Kerri Axelrod?
* After becoming a Functional Medicine Nutritionist, what made Kerri want to help women focus on anxiety in their daily life + gut issues?
* What are some signs and symptoms, both with physical health and emotional health, that there might be an anxiety and gut problem overlap?
* Besides poor gut health, what are other root causes of anxiety?
* What is the correlation between food, a balanced diet, and gut + anxiety problems? And how does gut health affect mental health?
* When someone comes to you with gut and anxiety concerns, where do Kerri start? What testing do you find to be most valuable?
* Why does Kerri think there are so many gut and anxiety problems?
* What are three mistakes making anxiety worse and what to do instead?
* Do you find there are certain supplements that can help address the gut-brain axis?
* When it comes to anxiety and the gut, what is something Kerri thinks most people get wrong?
* Does Kerri have tips for a daily self-care checklist or a self-care routine that people might find helpful? (This one is also expanded upon below.)
* All about Kerri’s course, “The Anxiety Blueprint.” What is it? Who is it helpful for?
* Kerri’s 3 convictions around gut health and gut healing.
_The gut and the brain are physically, chemically, and emotionally connected. – Kerri Axelrod_
Anxiety Self-Care Practices
Click HERE to save this checklist of the things described below.
As promised, I wanted to put together a checklist of sorts so you can utilize it for your personal needs.
Here is a routine checklist for many different aspects of your life to consider:
* Get adequate sleep. Yes, this all starts with getting enough sleep at the end of the day, and taking small steps towards getting more. If you are highly anxious, sad, depressed, stressed, etc. ask yourself, “When was the last time I got a _sound_ 8+ hours of sleep?”
* Develop a morning routine. Get fresh air, journal, sit in silence, meditate, whatever. The point is to devote enough time for setting your day’s intentions on the right track. And, in fact, did you know that this is _also_ one of my constipation hacks? Watch it HERE for exactly how I do it.
* Adequate mineral support. This one Kerrie provided in detail during our conversation. Minerals: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, sulfur, cobalt, copper, fluoride, manganese, and selenium.
* Circadian rhythm support. Kerrie also provided this one, which goes along with other simple acts on this list, but she says” 20-30 grams of protein in the morning, natural, bright morning light, and proper sleep hygiene.”
* Get regular exercise. This is, in my opinion, one of the very best stress relief activities out there. But do remember that if you are also desperate for healing your gut, you need to make it _easy_ exercise vs. strenuous. You don’t need intense workouts in order to reap the benefits of exercise for overall health.
* Tap into emotional needs. Kerrie mentions that one root cause of anxiety is unprocessed emotional needs and neglecting these basic needs.
* Deep breaths. Breathing is a basic human need. And yet, how often do you find yourself _not_ breathing? HERE is a very simple breathing exercise that you can implement today.
* Learn a new skill. Find something new to enjoy for overall better health. There are a million things to choose from in our leisure time; you just have to find something for _you_. HERE are 21 ideas.
* Self care journal. I _swear_ by journaling for every last thing we can do to increase our health and happiness. More on this below.
* Create personal goals. There is nothing quite like believing in _yourself_. YOU are your own best friend and there is no one in the world who can take better care of you than _you_. So create some personal goals for yourself based on any specific needs. These can include different things like: a) Read three personal development books in the next 6 months. b) Walk 1 mile, 3 days per week. c) Write 100 words in a journal every single day for 30 days.
* Get off of social media. Seriously. Get. off. of. social media. If you can’t live without it, then at least create some guidelines for yourself around your online habits. i.e. read a blog post that will provide me value, “scroll” for 20 minutes or less each day, connect with awesome online community groups who provide productive ways for healing my gut or healthy habits for overall mental health care.
* Therapy sessions. Whenever possible, I highly recommend regular visits with a therapist. They can truly change your life and address anything and everything for your own needs in all areas of your life.Self-Care Planner Meets Gut Healing Journal
In case you’ve never had _Healing Bloom from Within_, the 90-day gut healing journal, let me share with you why it’s called that to begin with because it will give you context for why it’s also a self-care planner meets gut healing journal:
HEALING REALLY DOES BLOOM FROM WITHIN.
WITHOUT PROPERLY PLANTING, WATERING, AND NURTURING THE INSIDE, IT’S HARD TO FLOWER ON THE OUTSIDE. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU DON’T TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING GOING ON INSIDE (PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND EMOTIONAL), THE OUTSIDE STRUGGLES.
This journal is not just for teaching you how to record food for healing, but it also includes:
* Space for writing a short gratitude line on a daily basis.
* Inspirational quotes for further inspiration and motivation.
* Mini vision board. A page for you to create a mini vision board that you can constantly have with you. I believe the vision board is one way to see our self-care goals come to fruition.
* Customizable. This journal is a bullet meets healing meets regular journal. In other words, everyone has different needs but I know the pieces that make for a _successful_ gut healing + life journal. My method allows for it no matter what your daily routine is.
Take a closer look at this journal, _Healing Blooms from Within_ HERE.
p.s. my book, _A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut_ is also a journal of sorts for personal growth. There are 21-days of prompts for your healing journey. Read more about it HERE.
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