You’re Not Bad at Listening to Your Body… You’ve Been Pulled Away From It

Your Anxiety Compass isn’t broken.

But it might be being influenced more than you realise.

In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat unpack how our modern environment, from ultra-processed foods to constant stimulation and marketing, can quietly hijack the signals your body is trying to send you.

Because anxiety isn’t always random.

Sometimes it’s your body responding exactly as it’s designed to… in an environment that’s constantly pulling it off track.

We explore:

✨ How the “anxiety compass” can be influenced by your environment
 ✨ The link between blood sugar, stress hormones, and anxious feelings
 ✨ Why cravings, crashes, and overwhelm aren’t just about willpower
 ✨ How marketing and modern food environments shape your habits
 ✨ The impact this has on kids (and why it’s not just “behaviour”)
 ✨ Simple ways to bring awareness back to your body without restriction

This episode isn’t about cutting everything out or doing it perfectly.

It’s about understanding what’s influencing you… so you can respond differently.

Because your body isn’t working against you.

It’s responding to what it’s surrounded by.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

It's Emmy and Natalie here, and welcome to the anxiety commentary. Where anxiety isn't the enemy, it's our tool guide. We'll swap stories, share tools, and have a laugh while we find our way back to true north. Come along. Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode. Uh uh Nat, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:35

I'm really good, Sammy. How are you, my love?

SPEAKER_02 0:38

I'm fantastic. Um, it is we're recording this just before the Easter long weekend, so we are very excited to have a bit of a break and uh just chill. Hopefully the weather's nice.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

And you're having a really lovely break. Yeah, what are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 0:53

What are you doing? To go on a cruise soon with my family and uh head up to the Wit Sundays and soak up all the rays and uh it's just beautiful. We live in such a beautiful country in Australia here, and uh for all our overseas listeners, it's definitely worth a visit to come down and check everything out. Uh I'm turning it.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

We are very lucky.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Turning it into a travel podcast. Anyway, now if you're one of our newer listeners and you haven't gone back to the start, I encourage you to go back and listen to the different um points of the compass that we talked about and uh what the anxiety compass actually is. It is such a challenging world to live in and navigate with our compass, the constant cravings that we get, the constant tiredness that we have, and the constant feelings of on edge and those things out there that tamper with our compass that are that are causing these feelings. Do you find there's a lot of people out there that are telling you how tired they are or that they've got constantly cravings and yeah, it's and they all come together.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

The more, you know, they got the cravings, they've got the tiredness, they crave the sugar to try and overcome the tiredness and this, you know, the 3 p.m. slump, they've got the brain fog, they're overwhelmed, they don't know what to do.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Yeah, I find a lot of them they they kind of know what to do. Um, it's the feeling of why do I do what I do when I know what I know? And quite often they know it's the chocolate and the the sugar and the concept.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Yeah, but they don't know what to do about it. Yeah, yeah, I need I know I need to cut out sugar, but how?

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Yeah, and and it's the feeling of why is it so hard? And there's a reason that these hidden forces that are messing with us, and uh they're the billion-dollar companies that that know how to mess with your compass. And unfortunately they're winning in a lot of the cases. A lot of people will just go and get a meal plan and and try and stick to it, and it is hard.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Or use or these days use AI and go and ask, you know, one of the platforms to go and write them uh a diet plan or something, or yeah, yeah. It's but you don't know how to implement it or stick with it.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

I find um I like to use the word hijacking, it's the anxiety compass is is a guide for you and to listen to your body and follow that. But what happens when your environment keeps pulling you off track? And it does, the world is created to distract you, it is created to give you cravings and to feel tired. And I'm calling I'm calling them out. I'm calling them all out.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Yep, yep. So let's have a look at some of the things that are hijacking that wonderful anxiety compass that we have inside us. The biggest one is the ultra-processed foods. Now, don't get me wrong, I've experienced orthorexia in my life. I have a great relationship with food, and I've actually spoken to a lot of people who they're very big on intuitive eating, but I also find it is extremely hard to do intuitive eating when food I've got my inverted comma the food is engineered by scientists to get you to crave and the way that they are 100%.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Like they're not just so then you've got that noise, that food noise.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

You can't it is engineered for you to crave, and we've created such a lifestyle that we eat fast, convenient food. Yeah, but food is not actually food, is it?

SPEAKER_00 4:32

Like, I don't think it's it's not food, no, yeah, it's Franken food.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Franken food, and I've seen a few intuitive influences and that with food, and they're big on just you know, the body will know, just let them the kids have this, let them do whatever. And why I agree with that to some degree, a lot of the foods that we're putting on the flat the flate, the flate, the plate aren't food. So, how can you eat intuitively and listen to what your body needs and what your body wants when you're putting um a man-made engineered product in your child or in your body to lock all of that details sensitivity?

SPEAKER_00 5:14

You've got to retrain, and this is how I work retrain the taste buds to start with. So it's got to be really intentional and specific. Then once you've done that, then you can move more into intuitive um eating, listening to your body, but you've got to quieten that noise and shut off those cravings.

SPEAKER_02 5:36

You start first of all by eliminating the ultra ultra-processed Frankenfoods, yeah, gosh, and they market them really well. Like, even I bought out sometimes, I'm like, Absolutely, it's kind of pretty. Oh, and it's half priced, let's try it. And then you look at the colour.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

I mean, that's why they spend millions a year on their marketing on you know, these big companies.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

Yeah, absolutely. Uh, and then there's the sugar spikes that come with it. So, quite often they are laden with uh glucose syrup, um, and and syrupy sugars that aren't natural to the human body. So you're gonna get those massive crashes and you're gonna get stuck in this system that's created. All of a sudden, you're gonna want more, and it just goes around in circles. And the the end of the when you think about it, the end of the like result that they want is for you to keep buying their product because it's a money-made machine. Absolutely. And if you're paying exactly, if you're paying top scientists, you're gone and and marketing gurus and psychologists, let's be honest, they tap into the uh definitely create something that you're gonna want over and over again. I find a lot of people get addicted to um, you know, the corn chips that have the cheese sauce, cheese flavor. It's the cheese flavoring with the yeast extract and MSG. Yeah, they are definitely big ones to to draw you in.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

And the and the breakfast cereals are another one for both kids and adults.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

It makes it really hard to stop eating.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Well, especially when they say it's fortified with folate or calcium or protein. Protein's the you know, the buzzword at the moment. Everything's got protein in it.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

But then, you know, you don't want to go too far down the other end where you're obsessed with clean eating. Like it that's a fine line between you know removing ultra-processed food and being afraid to go in anything processed.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Oh, absolutely. But I mean, a simple swap out there is because it's in the same aisle, is instead of getting, you know, your ultra, I'm not gonna mention actual names or brands, but you know, your ultra-processed cereal, look on the bottom shelf where the rolled oats are. Yeah, yeah. And then you can add things in, you know, if you're if especially especially if you're still craving that sugar, having a little drizzle of local organic honey, adding in all your berries and stuff, so then you're getting a good, healthy breakfast. You're setting yourself up for a better morning and a better day.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

So, you know, it's not about yeah, and you're not avoiding the sugar, like you could add just sugar on top. Remember when you were younger and you used to get your porridge and you'd sprinkle sugar on top? Like, oh god, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Um me with wheat bicks, I used to have like a thick layer of white sugar on top of it. Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

But this is the thing though, when you when you use those real sort of foods, like I can make chocolate brownies and all sorts, you're actually not overriding your natural I'm full, I'm done signal that comes out. So you're not gonna overeat. Whereas I don't know what these other things are, they're designed for you to be chemical and eating. The more you eat, the more you're gonna have to buy, right? It's um perfect bliss point that they've created with these things. Um yeah, and and being the anxiety compass, these things actually trigger that point on the compass that whatever it is, I'm gonna say chemical, to to give you the low blood sugar and all of a sudden increased anxiety, and and you're not getting the nutrients in as well. So exactly, yeah. I just I never thought I would do an episode on this, but I really feel like it's just overtaking the world at the moment. There's the caffeine culture, um, like everyone's marketed to drink caffeine, drink coffee. Like my hubby goes to Zarafas a lot, and he loves his little thing, it's his little reward. Is it very European thing? Coffees, I don't know. I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

I think I think originally, yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Yeah, so there's nothing wrong with having a coffee and catching up. No, like people are having 10 to 20 a day because of the stuff they put in these.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

And they're starting their out, like they're going out for their morning walk, so you haven't eaten yet. And then the tr the the trendy thing to do, and because I see it here, I saw it a lot when I lived down on the Gold Coast as well, is you'd meet up with your girlfriends after you walk or after you'd been to the gym and sit there and have, you know, your coffee. Hadn't had breakfast yet.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

We're talking about regulating in our environment, but the environment is is designed to dysregulate you, if you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Yeah, and it is. Yeah, and there's all everything is gra is crying out for your attention, everything. Yeah, you know, yeah every every in every aspect of lies, especially now because we're online all the time. Yes, yeah, so everything is trying to Yeah, absolutely. You've got to break away.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Yeah, but it's not like it's even the parties and the celebrations, like you think about like we just had Easter for those that are listening, and it's all designed around chocolate and lollies and all sorts. Although I do have some friends, they don't do Easter eggs anymore, they do Easter baskets with you know pajamas in them and colouring in books and art and craft. Um, but like not even just Easter, like birthday parties, it's all around this, these foods, anything that celebrates, even Valentine's Day, like it's all around the chocolates, it's it's very um fed into the system. Focused. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

I mean, talking about Easter eggs, um obviously I work in a crystal shop a couple of days a week, been there for a very long time, and we have egg-shaped Easter eggs um uh crystals. And so, you know, last week I did up my display of my Easter eggs, and I it I'd almost forgotten that Easter was so close. And I had a mum came in come in last beginning of last week and she said, Do you have any um Easter or egg-shaped crystals? And I was like, Yes, because she was buying her children a whole bunch of crystal eggs. Oh, she wasn't giving them chocolate, and so yeah, now that we've got the display on, yeah, we sell a lot of them every year. So it's just like yay, buy crystals. So then you've got the beautiful energy of the crystals as well.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

Oh, I love that. That's a great thing to do. It's lovely. Um, I mean, I w years ago when I was a a a new mom and I was in the thick of orthorexia, I would definitely not do any of the I would stay away from Halloween, I would stay away from all those things because I was afraid, fearful of those foods. But it's not so much to run away from it, like you know, choosing the better option where you can and and trying to choose your horse blinders when it comes to marketing to get away from all the pretty patterns and the labels that are on things because quite often it yeah, the the closer to nature, the better it is for uh good over.

SPEAKER_00 13:09

And you know, yeah, if if you do want to have a bit of chocolate, especially at Easter or Christmas or you know, yeah, choose a good quality. One that you can quality over quantity. So instead of you know gorging on a whole bunch of cheap, nasty chocolates with horrible vegetable oils and and you know, um gut disruptors in it and with gums and all those sorts of things, choosing a better quality and having a a small piece and being really mindful and intentional in eating that smaller piece.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Yes, exactly. Yeah. I um I think that for me it's not about I can't eat that because it's bad for me. For me, when I make options now, it I know I'm picking things that are real and that my body will, you know, know and understand what's going in there. And I'm not saying I avoid sugar, um, it's just that if I have real foods going in that have a lot of sugar, my body will tell me this is too much, slow down. Um, you'll get you'll get the feelings and effects rather than just keep eating it and keep eating it and then feeling like years later, years later, um, hours later. Um it could be years later for some people, who knows? Everybody's different. Um, yeah, I just I think it's important. Like I think everybody is aware of these billion-dollar companies and what they're doing. Uh, but I think that uh there's so many of us that are allowing them to win because we don't the allure is very strong. Yeah, and so many people don't put that value up high enough to give that time.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Um they're tired, they're overwhelmed, they're busy. It's easier to just rush into the supermarket and well, sometimes sometimes, yeah, yeah. I mean, you look at again, going back to cereals, you look how much I don't know, I I haven't bought cereal for decades, but go and compare how much it costs for a box of cereal today, and then go and check how much it costs for a one kilo bag or even a 500 gram bag of unstabilized rolled oats. They're about three dollars something.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Yeah, make a big bowl of creamy pasta or of pasta, porridge. Porridge, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

So sometimes it's cheaper, but sometimes it's it's not, and of course, it's false economy as well. Yeah, because yeah, I think because then you're eating more of it, even if it's cheaper, you're eating more of it. It's empty calories.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

Yeah, I'd love to. I think we're gonna get an intuitive eater specialist on soon because I I've often challenged people on that because like some intuitive eaters are like, just let them have anything and they've got to learn. And it's like, mmm, but they're like it. I know I keep coming back to that because there's some people probably listening going, but I you know, I thought you were like, just you know, be relaxed with food and and but I just don't I don't believe the body can be intuitive enough with things that aren't real. Like I just it just blows my mind.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Absolutely. I mean, if you put, for example, if you put because our those receptors for sugar are so powerful, right? And if you put, you know, some chocolate or something, even like some melted chocolate or something in front of a a sm a toddler and a bowl of broccoli or something, and then you say, Let them intuitively eat. They're gonna go for the sugar. They might eat both, but as soon as they start eating those really powerful sugar, those sugar, those receptors are firing off, and instantly you're already setting them up for having those addictions.

SPEAKER_02 17:02

Yes, the fluctuations as well, which impact the mood, attention, impulsivity, like yes, these I would love to get, and I I wonder how we would go about this, but get a psychologist who actually works in with some of these companies or has worked in with some of these to see what goes behind the scenes to really get us to get addicted to these foods because they would be doing so much research into how the human body works and and what chemicals trigger those senses in your brain, like the dopamine receptors and yeah and all those things. Uh, it's just such a fascinating subject. I think they did something on that a while ago. That'd be interesting. Um yeah, we should. We should look at into that. Into into getting that. Oh, yeah. I don't I don't think we should be blaming anyone. Like, I'm big on believing that um we should only blame ourselves for our choices. We can blame society so much, but we're very aware of what's going on in the world. Well, us with our eyes wide open, who are slowing down and taking a mindful breath. It's not about doing things perfectly, it's it's not about cutting everything out, it's about seeing the game because it's become a game, let's be honest. It's a money-making billion-dollar industry and playing it differently. Yeah, playing it differently. Yeah, and if that means um rearranging and restructuring your time a little bit to to make some more home-cooked stuff for them for you, so that you can get back on that intuitive path where your body actually knows what's going inside it. Absolutely. Yeah, because so many people say to me all the time, I don't know what you mean by listen to your body. It's like this is because you can't listen to it, it's all over the place because you're doing putting all this weird stuff in, and your compass is being hijacked and you are going all over the place. Like that's it's essentially what's happening.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Yeah, literally the dial is just spinning out of control.

SPEAKER_02 18:59

Yes, and then once you remove those ultra-process things, which is going to be hard, I'll admit it. They are they are your brain needs to restructure and re-retrain with all the chemicals, bringing those small awareness shifts back in, not being on autopilot. So many of us are on autopilot, we just come home and we go straight for the food that brings us comfort, right? Yep. Um, all the drinks, all the drinks as well. Yeah, what do you do with like do you do you do anything to support them coming off these foods? Because if the covenant is that strong, have you got anything up your sleeve that you give people who have serious cravings, or do you like I'm assuming it's a gut health issue as well?

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Yeah, so I'm addressing the gut. There are certain supplements that I can um give that helps with those actual cravings as well while we're working on it. And of course, it's very, very small incremental steps. So I don't go and try and overhaul. So if someone comes into me and this is not uncommon, they'll be drinking eight to ten cans of Coke a day, plus their diet is. So I will ask them to can you just reduce your consumption to like take out one can a day. So sometimes I I go that slowly. I had one beautiful patient years ago, and she was obviously ready for change, and she actually was on drinking eight or nine cans of Coke a day. And I asked her, Okay, can you cut out one can a week? And I saw her every second week. And when I when I saw her the first time, uh two weeks later, she I said, How did you go with cutting out that can? And she went, Oh, I cut them all out. And I went, What? And she said, Well, I figured if I'm gonna cut out one, she said, I did it for a day or two, and then I was like, Why am I doing this? So it was just again bringing that awareness. So, I mean, her she was extremely and she that was nearly four years ago. She has she doesn't drink any soft drinks at all. Wow, like she cut it out, and she has found slowly changing her um her her diet, changing her taste buds. So if she goes now to eat something that she used to eat all the time, she's like, Oh, that's disgusting. That is so sweet, or you know, or the oily, you can feel the film of oil in your mouth, like eating chips or something. Yeah, so but yeah, I I do take it very slowly and teaching them all the other tools, the mindfulness, taking that breath before you eat, slowing down the eating, you know, yeah, it all comes into play.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

It definitely does. I I had severe sugar cravings, like I was that bad that if I was baking a cake, I'd have to quickly wash the bowl out or I'd lick the everything off the bat. And then by the time the cake was made, I feel so sick. So I quickly detergent everything. And I'm I mean, I'm not like that now, but it was to the point where I would just keep going until I fame myself. Myself sick, like I would even go through the bin looking for stuff that I had thrown in the bin. Like, that is not normal. That is an addiction, right? That's that's cocaine. Like, this is bad.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Yeah, yeah, that's that's crack.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

Yeah, and like I had a lot of processed foods at one point when I was, you know, at the other end of orthorexia, I went the neck the other opposite way where I was just letting everything back into the home, which is fine. But then I realized I was getting addicted to certain things, um, like certain chips and things like that with the seasonings on top, and they were uh filled with chemicals that were actually making um anxious feelings worse. So I had to um be aware, but you're not you don't need to escape your environment, you just need to understand how it's influencing you and and be very mindful of the big billion dollar companies. Uh, and I'm gonna throw a reflective question out there. Where might your environment be influencing how you feel more than you've been giving it credit for? And it might not be food, like we've only just touched on food. No, there's so many things out there that are designed to influence you and make money out of you. Like, I'm gonna be completely honest, everybody's selling to you. What are you selling to you that you don't even know? Like, you don't even know it. Um, and and coming back to your anxiety compass and and realigning to your true north. Um, we've got to un hijack that. The anxiety compass isn't broken, it's being influence. You're trying to regulate in an environment designed to dysregulate you. It's not just willpower. Some people have more willpower than others. I I I think it's exposure and it's a psychological thing too. Um absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

And and just remembering that you're on a journey, it's not, you know, and and as you said, everyone is different. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else.

SPEAKER_02 23:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Around them, around you.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

I find a lot of people use the word discipline. I don't like that word very much. No, I no. I don't think we need more discipline. I think we just need more awareness of what's going on and and to make those choices because the system is built for profit, not to regulate not for your health.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

They don't they they're not looking out, they're not looking after your health. They're just wanting to deplete your your pockets.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

Yes, we are not what we eat, we are what we absorb, and we need to slow down. And we we absorb a lot of things at the moment, not just food-wise.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

Let's I'm just about to say that. Yeah, absolutely. There's a lot going on.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

Yes, so yeah, reinforcing that that this is not a discipline talk, this is a this is a be aware. Be mindful, be aware.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

Be mindful, and and as we always say, just be kind to yourself. You know, I I think I've said this before, when you know, being mindful is and being aware aware is the key to it all. And one of my favourite quotes by the Vietnamese monk Tik Nathan were about mindfulness was the moment you realise you're not being mindful, you're being mindful.

SPEAKER_02 25:04

So, you know, you can say being mindless, but then it makes you being mindful because you're being aware.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

I have to So as soon as you're being aware, as you're going on this journey and slowly, you know, addressing and changing habits, is the moment that you realise that, oh, I'm eating chips or chocolate again, or you know, it's not about recrimination and go, oh god, it's like, oh, and thank yourself, thank your body, thank your mind for going for bringing that awareness. Because the more you do that, the the the easier it will become because you're becoming more and more aware. So to the point where you don't just automatically grab it off the shelf when you're shopping, or even if it is in the cupboard, you will then slowly start to oh hang on, do I really need that? Yeah. But you don't start there. You don't, it's sometimes that's too hard.

SPEAKER_02 25:55

Yeah. I love that. I love that. That's a great saying. Well, did you want to throw anything else in here before we wrap it up?

SPEAKER_00 26:02

No, I think we've said we've said it all. I just, as I said, just be kind to yourself.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

Yay.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Show yourself compassion as you as you make changes in your life.

SPEAKER_02 26:12

Yes, your body.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

When I get cranky, you think about living if you are a parent and you know, watching your child learn how to walk. You didn't get cranky with your child every time it fell over when it was trying to walk. You would encourage it and go do that with yourself. Yeah, parent yourself. Love yourself through the changes.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

All right, we'll love ya, leave ya, and uh the next episode. Thanks for joining us on the anxiety compass. If you love this episode, share it with a friend who needs a little laugh and a low calm.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

We'll see you in the next one. Keep following your true norm.

SPEAKER_02 26:56

Disclaimer time. Sammy and Natalie may be clinical nutritionists, but we're not your personal doctors. What you hear is for learning and laughing. Not diagnosing or prescribing. If you feel bigger than you, call your doctor or