Anxiety and depression are two of the most common stressors in modern life.
Practically everyone has experienced them at one point or another, but almost no one is openly talking about it.
They are often swept under a rug, and for the sufferer it can sometimes feel difficult to make consistent progress.
Different sources of anxiety
Anxiety has a variety of sources and manifestations. They have been studied in isolation, but often share a common basis.
- End of life anxiety.
- General uncertainties (being late, forgetting something, getting lost)
- Self-doubt.
- Insecurity (disappointments with dating, schoolwork or career)
- Past mistakes, inadequacies.
- Social situations (e.g. lack of finesse & fear of being gauche).
- Lack of fulfillment or enjoyable hobbies / outlets.
- Meta-anxiety (anxious about feeling anxious)
Exposure
Exposure therapy will make your fears gradually melt away as you realize how silly you once were.
Unfortunately if you get into the wrong situation or stressful ones, it can also make things worse and have the opposite effect (negatively reinforcing experiences). That's where medications can provide a boost, by making positive experiences more likely.
You will be able to flow freely in the moment and abide by the words.
Sometimes your biology will get ahead of you. You may feel anxious even when everything else is under control. Sometimes supplementation can restore homeostasis in extenuating circumstances, (sometimes it can dramatically disrupt things too, be careful).
Exposure has been very important to me. One might even say this blog is an expression of it, helping me overcome more and more.
Whatever your frightful situation, it's important to get out there and face up. To see where you stand and sometimes be truly humbled, but to be thankful you tried.
Exercise
If you're physically able to exercise, it can provide another modest boost in mood and focus.
Exercise boost endorphins and other feel-good and relaxing hormones. It improves dopamine function related to reward processing and confidence. It may also up-regulate serotonin systems, helping to promote a relaxed, happy mood.
Improving yourself may carry a psychological benefit of its own, however temporary. Whether it's improving the way you look, or mentally exercising by reading a book or taking another college course... you will feel better than if you had done nothing instead.
Massages
Massages, hot baths, and saunas may all contribute to relaxation as well.
Supplements
Note
A note about the placebo effect before delving into supplements.
One might argue the placebo effect is strong, so the benefits are shaped mostly by your expectations rather than a real effect.
But what is a "real" effect? If 30% of the benefits are "real" but the other 70% are imagined, isn't 30% a significant benefit over 0%? And doesn't the 70% still apply (at least under ideal or naive conditions)?
The mind subconsciously slants its subjective experience toward the expected state, and it might not be so important if the effect was embellished and felt more strongly on a subjective basis.
Double-blind studies even reveal massive fluctuations in individuals. One person in the non-placebo group may experience a much milder response than others, but the effect averages out with a large sample size.
The double-blind response is generally milder than the unmitigated placebo, but it is not known if this reflects only the true effect (as there is no better standard to compare it against).
Magnesium
First on our list. Probably the safest and most well-tolerated. Surprisingly effective and my personal battle-tested favorite.
Magnesium is an essential nutrient in our diet; we obtain it in large amounts from foods. It is a relatively common nutrient for people to be deficient in. Certain disorders and diuretics (caffeine) may make a deficiency worse.
Most people know it also functions as a muscle relaxant & anti-migraine agent.
It works in a variety of ways (GABA receptor modulation, mitochondrial support) but the mild action at the GABA receptor is thought to be the most significant.
It is sold in powder form in multiple ways (threonate, glycinate, malate, citrate, and others). But my recommendation is for magnesium glycinate. It is well-studied, quickly dissolves, and reaches the brain in significant amounts.
Note
Magnesium glycinate does not taste the greatest! I have heard it variously described as "powered drywall" or "pickled, dead fish".
If you're willing to spend more, magnesium threonate tastes milder and has similar effects.
Magnesium oxide is among the worst choices in terms of bio-availability (the amount which reaches the bloodstream & brain).
Lion's Mane (mushroom)
Another relatively safe choice, with such mild effects they are often imperceptible.
Lion's mane is commonly known to boost NGF (nerve growth factor).
The reported benefits on depression and anxiety are mild (but consistent) across the literature, and are what earns it the spot here.
It should ideally be taken on an ongoing basis, at least 3-4 days a week, but benefits do not fade as quickly as some of the other items on this list. It may take up to 6 weeks for the initial benefits to become noticeable.
There are two parts to the mushroom: the mycelium and the fruiting bodies. They contain different compounds, but it is not known which are more potent or to what extent they act together. The fruiting body contains hericenones, while the mycelium contains erinacines. From a cost perspective, the fruiting body may be the more practical choice.
Kava
Kava is another interesting plant compound with a high safety profile.
You can read about it here. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4917254/
Note
Consult with your doctor if you have any liver problems before taking Kava.
It is thought to work by either modulating the GABA-A receptor site or by up-regulating the production of mRNA for GABA-A receptors.
Because it interacts directly with the GABA receptor, it has potential (however slim) to result in rebound anxiety (or making things worse) by down-regulating GABA receptor levels. Since GABA has an overall calming effect, reducing it is not called for.
Overall kava is a fairly effective supplement. Though it can be taken as seldomly as a few times a month, its effects quickly diminish if use trails off completely, and some sort of consistency is ideal.
Honorable Mentions
- Magnolia officinalis
- Melissa officinalis
- CBD
- NAC
Certain compounds, which though promising on paper, may not be the most effective in practice. Even if they have interesting or desirable ways of operating in the body, they may fizzle out under actual use, or have mild sedating effects.
CBD
In the case of CBD, it can be too calming and disrupt methylation status (epigenetic age).
NAC
N-acetyl-cysteine has anti-glutamate (calming) & pro-glutathione (antioxidant) effects. It is frequently studied in the context of mental stress and disorder (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, OCD, and more).
The negatives to NAC include heartburn and its fully synthetic status (not produced in the body or by plants). As a compound, it is also not the most well-studied or compelling (in terms of its effects and experience reports).
Social activities & Affiliation
Hanging out with friends, starting a club, or just getting out of the house can have huge benefits on mental well-being.