232: Sarah Wilson – Normalizing Anxiety • The Impact Of Gratitude On Your Brain • Just Walk

Sarah Wilson (@_sarahwilson_) is a New York Times bestselling author, former journalist and founder of IQuitSugar.com, Australia’s largest digital wellness site. Most recently she published First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, A New Story of Anxiety, which has been a bestseller in Australia and will be published in the US and Canada today and in the UK two days later.

Sarah campaigns against consumerist waste. On the side, she enjoys eating, hiking, ocean swimming, bike riding, not owning very much, and living life light. Sarah has lived out of two suitcases for almost 8 years.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Taking 3 years to buy her first couch
• It’s difficult to make decisions when you have anxiety
• Minimizing decision making with routines
• The first time Sarah remembers experiencing anxiety
• A lot of people with anxiety have heightened sensitivity to noise, touch, or smell
• Breaking the anxiety cycle
• What is anxiety?
• Maybe there’s some beauty to anxiety
• Normalizing anxiety
• Extreme anxiety: acute physical (panic attack) vs. chronic (anxiety spiral)
• Living in the city recreates the anxious experience
• Anxious symptoms in children
• Reaching outwards when we are anxious is one of the worst things we can do
• Sitting in your shit
• When it’s appropriate to not “aim too high”
• The impact of gratitude on your brain
• Dealing with uncertainty
• The difference between anxiety and depression
• The impact of our food choices on anxiety
• Inflammation in your gut = inflammation in your brain
• When anxiety is running high… meditation can actually make some people more anxious
• Just walk
• Meditation will work even if you’re crap at it
• Has anxiety played a role in Sarah’s success?
• What’s it been like releasing the new book and sharing her vulnerable anxiety story
• How to support loved ones with anxiety
• Where Sarah is currently at on her anxiety journey
• You can be anxious and have a good life

Show sponsors:

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Related links:

Sarah Wilson – First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety (book)
Sarah Wilson – The Anti-Anxiety Diet: A Two-Week Sugar Detox That Tackles Anxiety (For Good) (book)
Sarah Wilson – I Quit Sugar (book)
Sarah Wilson – The I Quit Sugar Cookbook
Sarah Wilson – I Quit Sugar for Life (book)
Sarah Wilson – I Quit Sugar Slow Cooker Cookbook
Sarah Wilson’s website
Follow Sarah Wilson on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Listen to Sarah Wilson previously on TUHP (episode #196)
Dalai Lama (books)
Martha Beck (books)
Brené Brown (books)
Listen to Dr. John Demartini previously on TUHP (episode #221)
Listen to Gretchen Rubin previously on TUHP (episode #207 & #37)
Gretchen Rubin (books)
Eckhart Tolle (books)

Related episodes:

317: Dr. Will Cole – The Inflammation Spectrum, Managing Anxiety, Homeschooling
268: Sarah Wilson – Zero Waste Cooking • Minimal Consumption • Start Thinking Differently
242: Sarah Knight – You Do You • Happiness In Imperfection • Managing Anxiety
238: Tara Mackey – WILD Habits • Natural Ways To Calm Your Anxiety • Approaching Gratitude Differently
235: Lori Harder – A Tribe Called Bliss • No Boundaries = Anxiety & Resentment • Stop Gossiping

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