J,

Until you start taking steps to deal with your anxiety and improve your diet, the acid reflux will probably continue to be an issue. Anita has some great suggestions for how to tackle the anxiety issue. I challenge you to try something off her list tomorrow. If it doesn’t work, try another one. Keep going until something sticks.

As for the diet, it sounds like you use food (to some small degree at least) as a self medication for your anxiousness. This is not uncommon, and I’ve done it myself. If you’re not in a place to give up all the junk in your diet, can you at least part with the worst trigger food? For me it was soda. I made a deal with myself that I could eat all the other crap, but no more Coca-Cola for awhile. I then started drinking a ton of water and decaf tea – which is important, because when you give something up your body/mind will search for something to fill the void. Try it. Even if it’s for one day – or one meal. Work with a nutritionist to see if there’s healthier versions of your favorite dishes. I got turned on to fruit infused water which tricked my brain I was still having a sweet, sugary drink.

I’m sure what Anita and I are saying is probably causing you to be anxious. That’s OK. Don’t aim for perfection – aim for progress! Your body will reward your efforts, even the small ones.

Good luck. Hope you had a safe trip to Vegas.