Coffee and Anxiety....Up In A Tree...

After identifying coffee as one of my triggers responsible for my heightened anxiety a few years back, I’ve curbed its consumption.

Recently; however, I’ve started drinking coffee more regularly, whether it be store bought at a local cafe or prepared at work in my office’s employee kitchen. I probably need addiction help from coffee. I’m reminded of the powerful physical symptoms associated with this caffeine-induced buzz. The faster pulse, sweaty palms, pounding heart are all physical symptoms of caffeine induced anxiety.

Caffeine is the most widely used mood-altering drug in the world. You can find caffeine in your coffee, teas, sodas, and those “natural health supplement” energy drink. For most people when they consume coffee (caffeine) it produces a sense of alertness, concentration, and memory. This works because caffeine blocks the depressant function of a a chemical called adenosine. Drink more coffee than you are use to however and that same chemical reaction produces the jitters.

Why is it that one person can consume coffee and feel alert, a greater sense of memory and well-being while others do not? The answer is simple, those who are more susceptible to anxiety tend to think that the physical symptoms associated with the intake of caffeine is the signs of some impending doom. While some people may identify coffee as the trigger and give it up completely, many others tend to give up the activities they were engaged in when the symptoms showed up.

For example, you drink a large coffee in the morning prior to going to work, jump on the subway and while on the subway you begin to experience the symptoms mentioned above: racing heart, sweaty palms, faster pulse — instead of identifying the coffee (caffeine) as the trigger you think you have a fear of the subway, or crowed places, or people — and if you continue to believe that to be true, you may end up fearing that which you falsely believe to be at the root of your problem.

So how do you eventually deal with it all? Some psychologist would recommend you limit your caffeine intake until you are better able to identify the physical symptoms associated with a caffeine-induced buzz. Other psychologist would prescribe you a large cup of java in order for you to self induce yourself — to face the fear head on.

I think ordering a tall cup of java and inducing your own caffeine-anxiety-buzz is the best way to do it. The reason I say that is because it give you the opportunity to interpret the symptoms. A fast beating heart is no longer the signs of upcoming heart attack, but rather the normal reaction to a stimulant like caffeine. By exposing yourself to the fear head on you can begin to distinguish unfounded panic from real threats. Although you won’t feel great, you will learn that you can experience the symptoms and nothing terrible will happen.

The idea here isn’t to eliminate coffee (caffeine) from your diet. It’s about being moderate and realizing that the physical symptoms you are feeling are those caused by the anxiety and not something impeding doom.

Jason Herrington
Enjoying Every Last Drop

I’m a Canadian, and if you know anything about us Canadians we love drinking coffee.  Nothing beats a nice hot medium double-double early in the morning from Tim Horton’s. But for someone suffering with anxiety, is it a good idea to be consuming coffee?

COFFEE AND ANXIETY?

If you are suffering from anxiety and you haven’t yet gone through the process of becoming aware of your anxiety symptoms and identifying what triggers them, I would suggest you limit or stop drinking coffee or any other beverage ( teas, colas, energy drinks…) that have moderate to high levels of caffeine until you are fully able to understand how it will make you feel and the physiological symptoms it will create. Otherwise your mind will jump to conclusions and think the worst, thus propelling you into an anxiety/panic attack.

MORNING COFFEE BEFORE SCHOOL

I remember this happening to me a few times when I was in high school.  I use to grab myself a large cup of coffee from the local convenience store prior to heading off to school.  I typically would be half done by the time I reached school and fully down prior to my first class starting.

While in my first class I would begin to experience the physiological effects the caffeine in the coffee was producing in my body.  I’d feel flush, get the shakes, dizziness ( out-of-it) feeling, trouble breathing.

You have to remember that at this time in my life, I had no idea I was suffering from mismanaged anxiety, so for me to experience these symptoms was very scary and felt very real.

My mind immediately assumed the worst.  I began to worry and think I was losing control, the sensation of not being able to breath only got worst with my negative thoughts and enhancing the feeling of being flush.  I felt uneasy and would wiggle around in my chair, trying not to be too noticeable.  I often would grab my pencil, tune my teacher out and just draw in my notebook trying to forget what it was I was feeling. But nothing really helped and the reason was simple….

….I wasn’t aware I had anxiety and I wasn’t aware that coffee was a trigger.  When I experienced the symptoms, I thought I was going crazy, having a heart attack or losing control.  I would ask myself, why am I feeling warm all of a sudden, why is my heart racing, and why am I shaking?

These were all unknowns to me. I thought the worst, and by thinking the worst I validated my symptoms and made them stronger to the point where they became unbearable and I had to make up an excuse to leave the classroom before I had a full blown panic attack and embarrassed myself.

LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT COFFEE

Coffee  in and of itself  is not bad, it is what is found inside coffee that can create a challenge for someone who is living with heightened anxiety.  Coffee contains caffeeine which is a chemical compound that acts like a psychoactive stimulant that affects the central nervous system in humans.

Caffeine Side Effects

Here are a variety of side effects that caffeine can cause. You will notice that these side effects are similar to the symptoms you would experience when suffering from heightened anxiety.  The side effects are listed in the image to the right.

The idea is to become aware of the side effects so that when you experience them you can know why and how they are caused, rather than jumping to any negative conclusions which only helps to fuel your anxiety and trigger panic.

So next time you drink any sort of beverage that has caffeine, know that you may experience one of the many side effects listed above and be prepared to control your thoughts and remember that you aren’t about to lose control or go crazy, it is simply the effects of the caffeine you just consumed.