What Our Anxiety Is Telling Us: The Gut Brain Connection & Other Functional Medicine Approaches to Healing Anxiety with Holistic Psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora

If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety or have supported a loved one who struggles, then you know how difficult (understatement), lonely, scary, and even debilitating anxiety can be.  I know it can also often feel as though anxiety is our fate and destiny and is wrapped up in our identity.  Today’s guest, however, is here to encourage just the opposite; that anxiety does not define who we are and that there are holistic yet powerful tools that can ease our anxiety. Dr. Ellen Vora, is a holistic psychiatrist who received her B.A. from Yale University and attended Columbia University medical school. She’s a board-certified psychiatrist, medical acupuncturist, and yoga teacher!  Ellen takes a functional medicine approach to mental health–considering the whole person and addressing imbalance at the root, and that’s exactly what we’re diving into on this episode of the Whimsy + Wellness podcast. Whether you struggle with chronic anxiety, situational anxiety, or anywhere in-between, this interview with Dr. Ellen Vora is full of hope, encouragement, and even tools for healing. In this episode we discuss: • 00:00 Intro • 07:35 How our mental health is impacted by so much more than genetics • 08:56 Stress and anxiety: the difference and overlaps • 15:14 What is true and false anxiety?  • 18:15 Is anxiety something we’re stuck with? Is it part of our identity? • 28:44 Asking “why” instead of applying bandages • 31:38 Listening to our bodies and getting to the root cause of our anxiety • 40:00 Which came first? Are our physical health problems always causing mental health problems or are mental health problems also leading to psychological health problems? • 44:00 Conquering the “How do I eat nutrient dense foods?” overwhelm • 49:05 How saying goodnight to our phones each night can help ease our anxiety • 50:18 Two anxiety triggers that we don’t want to talk about but should • 53:42 Changing our path from defensiveness to empowerment Connect with Dr. Ellen Vora: Follow @ellenvoramd on Instagram Follow @ellenvoramd on TikTok Pre-order Ellen’s book! Episode resources: The Mood Cure by Julia RossFuel your body with delicious Daily Harvest Smoothies! Get up to $40 off your box of Daily Harvest when you use our code WHIMSY at checkout!Head to www.athleticgreens.com/whimsy for a 1-year free supply of Vitamin D + 5 travel packs with your first purchase of our one-stop-shop vitamin adn superfood blend, Athletic Greens! Want to bring along some whimsy on your path to healing and empowerment? Here’s what we recommend… Crystals for Stress & Anxiety SetCrystal Roller for Stress & AnxietyMy Beautiful Life 10ml Roller Bottle SetBamboo Rainbow Dropper Bottle Oh and pssst!! Get 10% off at Whimsy + Wellness by using the code: PODCAST on your next order! Let’s stay in touch! Make sure you’re subscribed to our show and follow Whimsy + Wellness and Whimsy + Wellness Podcast over on Instagram! Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the Whimsy & Wellness Podcast brought to you by Whimsy & Wellness and hosted by Meg Ryan. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review - even just a short sentence is so helpful & greatly appreciated!! Music & Editing by Taylor Ryan.