The FastDay Forum

Hi Everyone!
I'm new to fasting but have had anxiety for about 5 - 8 years now. Mostly these days my concern (before I started fasting) was that I would have such a severe anxiety attack that I would make myself pass out. Of course this isn't life threatening unless I'm driving so, in the car is where I get most of my anxiety. But once I have it, it tends to spill out in other areas of my life as well.

I've noticed so far (unfortunately) that fasting has made it worse. Because of course, limiting food intake by such a degree increases the possibility of passing out from not fueling your body. Well at least that happened to a friend of mine (she was not fasting but just had not eaten in 5 hours). So it's hard for me to overcome the thought that I might pass out during one of my fast days.

As a result, I'm nervous to continue, as I was doing well with my anxiety before I started this. Anyone else have this problem and/or have some insight about anxiety and fasting?

Hi @Carrie19 Welcome to the Forum.

I don't have anxiety, but it does occur to me that it might be a good idea to consult with your doctor and/or therapist before embarking/continuing on a program that exacerbates your condition. You probably could use a little more support from them during this adjustment phase.

Best of luck Let us know what's happening with you.

[Tracieknits]

I do have anxiety, and I haven't noticed fasting made it worse.

I can tell you that a normal, healthy person should NOT pass out after 5 hours without food. I hope your friend visits a doctor and has a full physical. That's not normal or healthy.

I would absolutely agree with MaryAnn. If your anxiety is causing this much distress and interfering with your life this significantly, it's time to get help for it. Don't exacerbate your condition with fasting until you are able to get this more under control.

We can show you studies and medical facts about fasting, or tell you how millions of people fast for ramadan every day for a month without problems. But knowing something doesn't necessarily help with anxiety.

I hope you can work through this!

Although I do not have a "diagnosable" anxiety disorder, my son does (considered disabled by OCD), and we used to say my mom could hire herself out to worry about things. I come from a long line of (major) worrywarts...

At age 59, I've learned over the years that I can't allow my mind (ego, whatever you want to call it!) to trick me into overreacting to things. Mindfulness practice is helpful--check it out, many places have actual classes--teaches you how to be in charge of your own mind. Panic attacks are no fun and it's much easier to say "just don't do that" than to put it into practice. There are also a lot of herbal things that can help, for one ashwagandha. I take rhodiola rosea daily, which can help with stress; if you are interested, see the book "The Rhodiola Revolution." Take care!

Thank you. I will consider it. I'm concerned my doctor will just tell me to stop fasting lol. As that would be the simplest solution in most people's opinion.
Thanks!

Carrie i can only endorse all thats already been said xx
i hope yr doctor can be understanding..from what youve said,it sounds like he/ she hasnt beenhelpful in the past? ( in which case,try to find a better one!)
It must be very distressing having this condition and like @ferretgal mentioned,sometimes a herbal remedy helps..i know saint johns wort is another one that can alleviate anxiety..or perhaps the doctor could refer you to a counsellor to talk things thru and look at what thoughts might lead you to become anxious.sometimes changing a thought can change a behaviour. Sending hugs xx pls keep in touch and let us know how you get on.
On another note and sorry for hijacking yr post Carrie...@ferretgal ive been thinking of trying rhodiola as ive heard it can be good for ME..i' ll look up that book - thanks for the tip
Ive been trying a medicine gor ten months now that hasnt helped at all..v disappointing..so it wd be good if rhodiola helped ! X
Ps @carrie19 before i began fasting,i too was very afraid i might faint! But its never happened,even after 16 hours or so of no food. In fact i think my blood sugar is better for fasting,coz pre fasting days, i used to always get an awful four o clock dip,where i felt,grumpy,empty and faint..but i never get that now.

Hi Carrie19. I also have some anxiety related to things in my life that I'm afraid to start doing because I fear not doing them well. The longer this goes on, the worse I feel. (There's a long story about how that came to be, but it's beside the point because life is life.) My daughter also gets panic attacks and deals with depression issues. She has been seeing a therapist on an on-going and as-needed basis. She's in her last year of law school, and stress comes with the territory. Her therapist helped her see that the anxiousness she was feeling was shading into panic, which in turn led her to stop breathing normally and, therefore, to feel she was going to pass out. I suspect that this is what happens with you. It probably has little to do with your food intake/fasting. I have been fainting or about to faint since I was in about 4th grade. It scared a lot of people around me through the years. After lots of tests over a long time, I was finally diagnosed with vasovagal syncope. Basically it's a nerve thing that, when triggered (upset stomach, trauma, stress) causes the blood vessels in the legs to dilate, reducing blood flow to the brain. I've learned to see it coming and sit or lie down until my blood pressure gets higher. It's really no big deal-- IF I don't try to tough it out and pretend it's not happening! If I do that, I pass out. (Once you pass out, your breathing and blood pressure returns to normal. Also, contracting the butt and leg muscles helps. )
So, I'm with the person who suggested you might consider finding a doctor who can help you figure out what's happening and how best to deal with it. Best of luck and keep coming her and sharing.

Carrie19 there may be a underlying cause. I am doing the 5:2 with the initial support of my nurse who said 'yes but you will need to have regular food'. I learned that I was likely to pass out if I didn't have something to eat between 12 and 1.30 and have caused an upset on several occasions. But I can manage with 10gm oats for a very small porridge at breakfast (c40 calories) then a lunc,h frequently miso with 4-5 croutons (c60-70 calories), which leaves plenty calories for the evening meal. Nurse was very pleased with the results at my check-up this morning. It may take a little longer to lose that weight but it is going and I feel well and better for it and my general mood has improved enormously.
So relax, and go with it.

Great point! We have to work with our bodies. I CAN go until late afternoon or early evening to eat. I have done it occasionally, but not by choice! At least some nuts in the morning, with a couple berries and some cheese or yogurt are all I need, but I do need it! A little salad or soup for lunch and a light supper--a completely doable and feel-good fast day for me. Find what works for you.

One of the most popular health benefits of lavender is to help you get rid of anxiety and depression quickly. In the past, the effectiveness of lavender in the treatment for neurological issues was widely known. And this benefit has received support from many scientific studies lately. According to the International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 80 mg of lavender oil might provide a quick relief for depression and anxiety. The study also claimed that patients would experience no unwanted effects. This makes lavender outweigh pharmaceutical drugs which have the same impacts but often result in some problems later. An experiment included 140 women who were experiencing the postpartum period. The result showed that the inhalation of lavender in a month was effective enough for the prevention against anxiety.