Sometimes, anxiety isn’t “all in your head.”
If you’ve ever been told to simply “stress less,” “practice self-care,” or “just breathe” while your heart races, your mind won’t quiet down, and your body feels like it’s stuck in overdrive…we want you to know something:
Your anxiety deserves curiosity, not dismissal.
We’re huge believers that mental health is real, complex, and deeply personal. Counseling, therapy, medication, mindfulness, and lifestyle changes all have important roles depending on the individual.
But we also believe something else. Sometimes, what feels like anxiety may be amplified, or even triggered, by something happening elsewhere in the body.
The brain doesn’t function separately from the rest of you. It’s constantly responding to hormones, nutrients, blood sugar, inflammation, your gut microbiome, thyroid hormones, sleep quality, and countless other signals.
Looking for those root causes doesn’t invalidate your experience. It honors it.
The Mind-Body Connection Is Real
Every thought, emotion, and stress response relies on your body having the nutrients, hormones, and energy it needs to function well. When one system struggles, another often follows.
That doesn’t mean there’s always one simple explanation. But it does mean it’s worth asking whether your body is trying to tell you something. Here are several areas we often encourage women to explore with a qualified healthcare provider.
1. Your Thyroid
The thyroid is often called the body’s thermostat, but its influence extends far beyond metabolism. Thyroid hormones affect energy production, brain function, mood regulation, heart rate, digestion, menstrual cycles, and much more.
When thyroid function isn’t optimal, women can experience:
- anxiety
- panic attacks
- irritability
- insomnia
- racing heart
- brain fog
- fatigue
- hair loss
- constipation
- cold intolerance
Ironically, both an overactive and an underactive thyroid can contribute to anxiety-like symptoms.
Many conventional screenings measure only TSH – this isn’t enough! A full thyroid panel should look at, at minimum, TSH, Free T4, Free T3, thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies, and thyroglobulin antibodies to gain a more complete picture.
2. Iron Deficiency (Even Without Anemia)
One of the most overlooked contributors to anxiety is low iron stores. Iron helps transport oxygen throughout the body. When stores become depleted, your brain and muscles may not receive oxygen as efficiently.
Many women with low ferritin describe:
- feeling constantly on edge
- heart palpitations
- shortness of breath
- dizziness
- fatigue
- poor exercise tolerance
- restless legs
- brain fog
- hair loss
You can have low ferritin long before your hemoglobin becomes abnormal. Heavy menstrual periods, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, vegetarian diets, digestive conditions, and frequent blood donation can all contribute.
Many providers never measure ferritin – please make sure yours does.
3. Blood Sugar Swings
Have you ever become shaky, sweaty, irritable, or anxious when you haven’t eaten? That’s not your imagination. Rapid rises and falls in blood sugar trigger the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to help restore glucose levels.
The result? It can feel remarkably similar to anxiety.
Some women notice symptoms improve dramatically by prioritizing:
- protein at breakfast
- balanced meals
- healthy fats
- fiber
- avoiding long periods without eating
Sometimes supporting blood sugar is one of the simplest places to begin.
4. Magnesium
Magnesium participates in more than 300 enzymatic reactions throughout the body, including many involved in nervous system regulation.
Unfortunately, many people don’t consume enough magnesium-rich foods, while chronic stress may increase magnesium needs.
Low magnesium has been associated with symptoms such as:
- muscle tension
- headaches
- difficulty relaxing
- poor sleep
- irritability
Foods like pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, beans, nuts, and dark chocolate can help increase intake, while supplementation may be appropriate for some individuals.
5. Your Gut
Have you ever heard that much of your immune system resides in your gut? Your gut also communicates constantly with your brain through what’s known as the gut-brain axis.
An imbalanced microbiome may influence inflammation, neurotransmitter production, and stress signaling. Digestive symptoms aren’t always present.
Some women struggling with anxiety also experience:
- bloating
- constipation
- loose stools
- food sensitivities
- frequent antibiotic use
- chronic digestive discomfort
Supporting gut health with a fiber-rich diet, fermented foods when tolerated, adequate hydration, and a healthy lifestyle can benefit overall wellness -including brain health!
6. Vitamin B12 (and Other B-Vitamins)
B vitamins help convert food into energy and support healthy nerve function.
Low vitamin B12 may contribute to:
- fatigue
- numbness or tingling
- brain fog
- poor concentration
- mood changes
Those following vegetarian or vegan diets, individuals with digestive disorders, or people taking certain medications may be at greater risk of deficiency. B12 can be ordered by your provider to assess level.
7. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is best known for supporting bone health, but it also plays important roles in immune function and brain health.
Many adults (and kids!) have low vitamin D levels – particularly during the winter months when less time is spent outdoors, as a result of regular sunscreen use, and low dietary intake.
At minimum, vitamin D levels should be assessed annually, or more frequently if low levels are being monitored.
8. Chronic Stress That Never Turns Off
Sometimes anxiety isn’t caused by one nutrient deficiency or one hormone. Sometimes it’s the result of living in survival mode with compounding stress for months, or even years.
Poor sleep. Constant multitasking. Financial stress. Parenting. Caregiving. Work.
The nervous system can become so accustomed to being “on” that calm begins to feel unfamiliar. This is where lifestyle becomes medicine.
Regular movement.
Morning sunlight.
Protein-rich meals.
Healthy relationships.
Prayer or meditation.
Time outside.
Saying “no.”
None of these eliminate anxiety overnight, but together they help create a healthier environment for the nervous system.
9. Postpartum: A Time of Tremendous Change
Bringing a baby into the world is not only one of the most beautiful things, but also one of the most nutritionally and hormonally demanding events a woman’s body will ever experience.
Pregnancy requires tremendous amounts of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and energy. At the same time, your thyroid works harder to support both you and your growing baby, while hormones that steadily increased over nine months change dramatically within days after delivery. Add in sleep deprivation, physical recovery, breastfeeding, and the emotional adjustment of caring for a newborn, and it’s no surprise that many women feel unlike themselves.
Postpartum anxiety is common – but it should simply be accepted as “normal.”
While counseling, social support, and, when appropriate, medication are incredibly important, we also believe it’s worth asking whether your body could benefit from additional support during this season.
We often encourage women experiencing postpartum anxiety to have thoughtful conversations with their healthcare provider about many of the above factors such as:
- a comprehensive thyroid evaluation (including screening for postpartum thyroiditis when appropriate)
- iron status and ferritin
- vitamin D
- vitamin B12
- overall nutrient replenishment following pregnancy and breastfeeding
- hormone health
Sometimes addressing nutritional needs, restoring depleted stores, or identifying an underlying thyroid issue can become a significantly important piece of a much larger healing plan. And rarely are these factors discussed at postpartum visits (a topic for another day…).
Most importantly, if you’re experiencing persistent anxiety, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, or feeling overwhelmed after having a baby, please don’t dismiss your symptoms or try to push through them alone. You deserve compassionate care that looks at the whole picture – both your emotional well-being and your physical health.
When Should You Seek Medical Care?
While anxiety can sometimes have physical contributors, it’s important not to self-diagnose.
Persistent anxiety, panic attacks, significant changes in mood, or symptoms that interfere with daily life deserve evaluation by a qualified healthcare professional. If your provider believes there’s an underlying medical contributor, appropriate testing can help guide treatment.
One of the things we love most about integrative or holistic health is that it asks a simple but powerful question: Why?
Instead of assuming anxiety exists in isolation, we believe it’s worth asking whether your body might be asking for support somewhere else.
Sometimes the answer is therapy.
Sometimes it’s better sleep.
Sometimes it’s a thyroid issue.
Sometimes it’s low iron.
Sometimes it’s several small things happening all at once.
You deserve a healthcare team that’s willing to explore the whole picture – not because anxiety isn’t real, but because you are more than a diagnosis.
Sources
- Bandelow B, Michaelis S. Epidemiology of Anxiety Disorders in the 21st Century. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 2015;17(3):327-335.
- American Thyroid Association. Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid) and Hyperthyroidism. Available at: https://www.thyroid.org
- Beard JL, Connor JR. Iron Status and Neural Functioning. Annual Review of Nutrition. 2003;23:41-58.
- Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017;9(5):429.
- Carabotti M, Scirocco A, Maselli MA, Severi C. The Gut-Brain Axis: Interactions Between Enteric Microbiota, Central and Enteric Nervous Systems. Annals of Gastroenterology. 2015;28(2):203-209.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B12 Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Screening and Diagnosis of Mental Health Conditions During Pregnancy and Postpartum. Clinical Practice Guideline No. 4. 2023.
- American Thyroid Association. Postpartum Thyroiditis. Available at: https://www.thyroid.org/postpartum-thyroiditis/
- Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). Educational resources on thyroid health, gut health, nutrient insufficiencies, blood sugar regulation, stress physiology, and women’s health. Available at: https://www.ifm.org
