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What does zinc have to do with anxiety? Turns out… quite a lot.

Most of us think of zinc as the thing you reach for when you feel a cold coming on, but this little mineral has its hands in a surprising number of jobs throughout the body.

In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat head East to the Chemical/Nutritional point of the Compass to unpack zinc and its role in brain and nervous-system function, taste and smell, appetite, growth and repair, immune health and digestion.

We also explore something particularly relevant for anxious humans: what happens to our nutrition when anxiety changes the way we eat? If nausea, butterflies, food aversions or a disappearing appetite leave you eating less or relying on the same handful of “safe” foods are you still getting what your body needs?

We chat about signs that may warrant looking at zinc status, why fussy eaters and restricted diets deserve a little more nutritional curiosity, zinc-rich foods, absorption, blood testing, and why simply taking a supplement isn't always the answer.

Plus: which forms of zinc are commonly used, what “elemental zinc” actually means, why men need more zinc than women, and what copper has to do with all of this.

And because this is The Anxiety Compass, the message isn't:

“You're anxious. Go take zinc.”

It's about asking better questions, looking at the whole picture and remembering that symptoms are clues, not diagnoses.

Because anxiety affects appetite, appetite affects nutrition, digestion affects absorption and your body doesn't operate in separate little boxes.

You are what you absorb.

Support the show

👉 Grab your free Anxiety Compass download here

👉 Grab a copy of Sammy's Book, Anxiety, The Best Teacher You Never Asked For here

Follow us @theanxietycompass

Connect with Sammy @nutritionwithsammy or website

Connect with Natalie @nataliemarieinbalance or book discovery call here

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What if anxiety isn’t “just anxiety”?

One year ago, we launched The Anxiety Compass with one big idea: anxiety isn’t always the enemy, sometimes it’s a messenger pointing us towards something that needs our attention.

So, one year (and a LOT of conversations and laughs 😂) later, we’re going back around the Compass.

In this anniversary episode, Sammy and Nat revisit the different areas that can contribute to how we experience anxiety, from nutrition and body chemistry to emotions, hormones, our environment, physical health, the nervous system and even our sense of connection and purpose.

We look back at some of the biggest lessons from the past year, the connections that surprised us, and why two people can experience the same word anxiety for completely different reasons.

Because the goal was never to give you another list of things to fear or “fix.” It was to help you become curious about your own body and ask:

“What direction is anxiety pointing me?”

Plus, we reflect on a year of The Anxiety Compass, what started as two friends having conversations about anxiety and mental wellbeing, and the incredible community that has come along for the ride. 🩵

Here’s to another lap around the Compass, learning, laughing and finding our way back to true north. 🧭

Support the show

👉 Grab your free Anxiety Compass download here

👉 Grab a copy of Sammy's Book, Anxiety, The Best Teacher You Never Asked For here

Follow us @theanxietycompass

Connect with Sammy @nutritionwithsammy or website

Connect with Natalie @nataliemarieinbalance or book discovery call here

Send us Fan Mail

What if the fear of dying is actually stopping you from living?

In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat tackle one of anxiety’s biggest, and often least talked about, fears: death.

Sammy shares the story of the late Emmilia O’Sullivan, author of I Should Be F’N Dead!, whose extraordinary approach to life left a lasting impression on her. After brain surgeries, organ transplants, cancer diagnoses and treatment after treatment, Emmilia reminded Sammy something of something she has never forgotten:

“You cannot live if you are too afraid to die.”

Because you don’t need to be facing a life-threatening illness for fear to make your world smaller. Health anxiety, panic attacks, avoiding travel, constantly checking your body, staying close to home, Googling symptoms—the fear of something happening can quietly start dictating how you live.

So where is the line between looking after yourself and becoming afraid of life itself?

This is an honest conversation about death anxiety, health anxiety, control, uncertainty and learning to live alongside the fact that none of us gets a guarantee.

Expect some deeper moments, plenty of Sammy and Nat tangents, and one big question: Are you protecting your life… or are you actually living it?

🎧 Listen now to The Anxiety Compass.

Support the show

👉 Grab your free Anxiety Compass download here

👉 Grab a copy of Sammy's Book, Anxiety, The Best Teacher You Never Asked For here

Follow us @theanxietycompass

Connect with Sammy @nutritionwithsammy or website

Connect with Natalie @nataliemarieinbalance or book discovery call here