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Long story short, I've always had pretty severe anxiety and bouts of depression. It is what it is, and exercise always helps. The first couple days I felt fine and pretty optimistic. As of yesterday and today all that has changed. Yesterday I had two major panic attacks (which I haven't had in years) and without sounding dramatic I fell asleep crying and woke up crying. I haven't felt this miserable in a very very long time. I mean my outlook on life has done a 180 just since starting this, which makes no sense since I know it's only 30 days, and I know so many people have benefitted from it. 

And the idea of food (of any kind, even non-compliant) makes me sick; I'm nauseous all day long. I don't want to eat a single bite of anything (which I also know isn't good). I know the timeline says it's normal to feel agitated and short-tempered and everything, but my question to you is how do I know if that line is being crossed? I reached out to fellow whole30-er yesterday and she had a good point about hormones being reset and whatnot, encouraging me not to quit and I certainly don't want to quit and I know it could get better if I continue, but is this normal? And worth pushing through? I can honestly say I haven't felt this miserable since I was on medication for severe depression. 
 
(Side note: I fell off the workout train last summer and just started consistently running again in conjunction with this whole30, so if anything, I would think the return to exercise would help with my mood?)
 
I am on day 7, I have been forcing myself to get enough starches- at least one sweet potato a day- believe me I have researched this topic endlessly and know the first thing advised is to up your starches. I have done what I can with what I can stomach given the problem. I also am aware of the whole "everything isn't caused by whole30" but to me this is just not a coincidence. It is rooted by whatever is going on in my body because of this diet change, undoubtedly. 
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I'm sorry you are feeling this way. You may find this article helpful, if you haven't found it already: https://whole30.com/2016/06/is-this-normal/

Since you've dealt with anxiety and depression in the past, I would definitely recommend checking in with your health care provider about what you are experiencing. Your Whole30 friend is correct that changes in diet can also mean changes in hormonal balance, but every person is different, so it's important to get medical advice when it's needed. I would also encourage you to keep going and see how things balance out, but your mental health is important, so please check in with your doctor. 

Exercise is wonderful, so keep that up! Have you tried something more like yoga or mediation? Over the last year, I have found that even 10-15 minutes of yoga has been really helpful with my mood. Search Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube, she has amazing, short videos.

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I'm so sorry you are experiencing this. 

Elizabeth G had some good advice on checking in with your doctor.

Running can be difficult as your body switches from sugar to fat for its fuel. If you're not feeling it during your runs, switch to some walking. And please be gentle with yourself. This too shall pass.

If you haven't tried meditation, now is a great time to give it a go. Even 10 minutes a day can help.

Think of the reasons you began this journey. If this way of eating can help with your anxiety going forward, it's worth hanging in there.

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