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Heart pounding. Breathless. Dizzy. Exhausted. Brain foggy. Overwhelmed.

Sounds a lot like anxiety, right?

But what if some of those sensations are actually coming from something happening inside your body?

In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat share their own experiences with iron deficiency and anaemia and explore why low iron, along with B12 and folate deficiencies, can create physical symptoms that feel remarkably similar to anxiety and panic.

And don't worry... we're not sending you back to biology class. 😂

Instead, we're turning your bloodstream into a public transport system.

Exploring many queries we received in clinic but most importantly, we ask a question that goes far beyond simply taking another supplement:

WHY are you deficient in the first place?

This episode isn't suggesting that anxiety is “just low iron,” and it's definitely not telling everyone to rush out and start taking iron.

It's about getting curious.

Something physiological may be placing extra stress on the body first, and the racing heart, breathlessness, exhaustion and strange sensations that follow can give an already anxious brain plenty to worry about.

Maybe instead of immediately asking: “Why am I so anxious?”

we can also ask: “What is making it harder for my body to cope right now?”

As always, your body may not be working against you.

It might just be pointing the compass towards something worth paying attention to.

Please note: This episode is for education only and isn't intended to diagnose or treat iron, B12 or folate deficiency. Iron supplementation isn't appropriate for everyone, so speak with your doctor or healthcare professional about testing and treatment that's appropriate for you.

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

🎉 It's our 50th episode!

And for this one, we wanted to look at anxiety a little differently.

We spend so much time talking about everything anxiety takes from us, the overthinking, racing heart, sleepless nights, fear, overwhelm and those spectacular worst-case scenarios our brains can create.

But what if anxiety has also helped shape some of your greatest strengths?

In this special 50th episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore 10 surprising anxiety superpowers, qualities that can sometimes grow alongside an anxious, highly alert and deeply feeling brain.

We talk about things like Empathy and Compassion, Intuition, Humour Resilience, Creativity and more...

This isn't about pretending anxiety is wonderful or ignoring how debilitating it can be. It's about recognising that you are more than the difficult parts of anxiety.

Maybe that brain you've spent years wishing would just calm down has also helped make you observant, prepared, compassionate, creative and incredibly resilient.

And perhaps instead of only asking: “What has anxiety taken from me?”

We can occasionally ask: “What has it taught me?”

Thank you for listening, laughing, learning and navigating alongside us for 50 episodes of The Anxiety Compass. 🧭❤️

Here's to finding our True North...one wonderfully anxious step at a time.

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

Can the bacteria living in your gut influence how anxious you feel?

Most of us think of probiotics as something to take after a course of antibiotics or when our digestion is out of balance. But emerging research is revealing something far more fascinating... the microbes living inside your gut may be communicating with your brain every single day.

In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, we are joined by Rebecca Edwards, Director of Education at Biome Australia, a naturopath and one of Australia's leading voices in microbiome research, to explore the exciting world of the gut microbiome and 'psychobiotics', specific probiotic strains being researched for their role in supporting mental wellbeing.

Together, we unpack what the microbiome actually is, how the gut and brain communicate through the gut-brain axis, and why looking after your gut could be another important piece of the anxiety puzzle.

Along the way, we also tackle some of the biggest myths and most common questions about probiotics, including how to choose one, whether they really need refrigeration, and if fermented foods are enough.

In this episode, we discuss:

What the gut microbiome actually is (and why Sammy calls them our "microbial overlords")
The fascinating connection between the gut and the brain
What 'psychobiotics' are and why researchers are so excited about them
The emerging evidence around probiotics, anxiety, stress, mood and sleep
How modern life (including stress, antibiotics, processed foods and poor sleep) can impact our gut bacteria
How to choose a probiotic and why strain specificity matters
Fermented foods vs probiotic supplements
and more...

As always, this episode is about curiosity, not quick fixes. Anxiety is rarely from one thing, and probiotics aren't a magic pill, but understanding how our gut microbes communicates with our brain may help us better understand ourselves.

If you've ever wondered whether your gut could be influencing your mental wellbeing (and cravings!), this episode is for you.

Follow Rebecca at https://www.instagram.com/activatedprobiotics/

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