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Thread: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

  1. #11
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    Quote Originally Posted by DustingMyselfOff View Post
    Everything in moderation. I don't ever want to give anything up completely because then your body reacts strongly when the item is re-introduced (either intentionally or accidentally). If I could stay at 2-3 cups a day I think that's a good number.
    Sue
    I don't agree with that. If you're struggling to recover, then quit. Let go of past vices. My body didn't react strongly when I reintroduced it, although it would have done if I had a triple espresso.

  2. #12
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    If you are happy with and enjoy your 2-3 cups of coffee a day I'd say stick with that, Sue. I'd disagree that caffeine is a vice provided it's not drunk later on in the day. We all need to have things in life we enjoy in moderation?

  3. #13
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    That's fine, but my point is about people struggling to recover. My observation is that DMO is struggling to recover. Caffeine is a significant stimulant, and known to aggravate anxiety. Just because you're used to it, doesn't mean it's not having a negative effect.

  4. #14
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    Thanks for the thoughts and replies. I actually agree with both of you: if I were still struggling with anxiety that I couldn't seem to get under control, then it would definitely be time to try cutting caffeine completely. But, for the past week or so I have been feeling pretty darn good mentally and mostly anxiety free. Not sure what or why, just grateful, and also know that it's apt to sneak back up on me when I least expect it.

    I really think my anxiety ebbs and flows when things change physiologically, mostly my fluctuating TSH levels. I also notice more anxiety if I indulge in sweets too much, probably set off by blood sugar issues?

    I still remember my doctor, who I adored, not even batting an eyelash 30 years ago when I told him I drank about 10 cups of coffee a day and asked him if I should try to cut back. He said that of course I should try to bring that number down but that that intake wasn't the reason for my "all of a sudden" drastic increase in anxiety and panic attacks. He said that we should be able to get it under control without me making any drastic dietary changes because if I were getting away with that much coffee before, to all of a sudden have it be the main cause of my increased anxiety was not likely and he didn't want me to put any additional stress on my body by trying to go through caffeine withdrawal.

    Thanks again - appreciate all opinions and comments.
    Sue

  5. #15
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    Quote Originally Posted by DustingMyselfOff View Post

    I still remember my doctor, who I adored, not even batting an eyelash 30 years ago when I told him I drank about 10 cups of coffee a day and asked him if I should try to cut back. He said that of course I should try to bring that number down but that that intake wasn't the reason for my "all of a sudden" drastic increase in anxiety and panic attacks. He said that we should be able to get it under control without me making any drastic dietary changes because if I were getting away with that much coffee before, to all of a sudden have it be the main cause of my increased anxiety was not likely and he didn't want me to put any additional stress on my body by trying to go through caffeine withdrawal.
    This is bunkum I'm afraid. The stress of withdrawal is minimal and short term.

    Your Doctor was isolating a potential cause of anxiety at one cause, which is almost never the case. Stress is almost always a compound trigger, and doesn't always have to be perceived as stress. People who love to succeed at work (for example) and spend 65 hours a week at the office drinking gallons of coffee.....100% stress. We're simply not designed to live that way, and our minds and bodies suffer over time because of it. Not to mention all the other little side project stresses that life has a habit of throwing our way on top of the pile.

    Once anxiety hits, it's not a linear slope down that you can simply turn around and walk back out of. It's like falling off a cliff, and in most respects means that something you could handle yesterday, can't be handled any more. You have to come back to absolute basics to truly let your system recover.

    I'm glad you're feeling better now though. It sounds like you're finding the post corporate balance that you need right now

  6. #16
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    Hi Joe.
    I agree with your explanation of stress and anxiety, and I, too, was always looking for that ONE thing that caused it so I could eliminate that and be anxiety free. Now that we are anxiety experts, we know that's not possible nor the case. And looking back, yes, I think he probably should have told me to slowly work my way out of caffeine, but with all that was going on in my life at that point, it was probably the one thing that was keeping me upright and functional (albeit filled with anxiety).

    Actually, now that I'm not working and living that 65 hours a week stress of a global job, I do understand that there is not ONE magic bullet (or pill) that will make it all go away. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if anyone who is required to continue that stressful lifestyle would be able to get a handle on their anxiety very well because that job stress is a necessary evil.

    I'm just grateful that I am on my way out of it, and wish I had the answer for those who are 20 or 30 years behind me and struggling with this.
    Sue

  7. #17
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    Quote Originally Posted by DustingMyselfOff View Post
    Hi Joe.
    I agree with your explanation of stress and anxiety, and I, too, was always looking for that ONE thing that caused it so I could eliminate that and be anxiety free. Now that we are anxiety experts, we know that's not possible nor the case. And looking back, yes, I think he probably should have told me to slowly work my way out of caffeine, but with all that was going on in my life at that point, it was probably the one thing that was keeping me upright and functional (albeit filled with anxiety).

    Actually, now that I'm not working and living that 65 hours a week stress of a global job, I do understand that there is not ONE magic bullet (or pill) that will make it all go away. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if anyone who is required to continue that stressful lifestyle would be able to get a handle on their anxiety very well because that job stress is a necessary evil.

    I'm just grateful that I am on my way out of it, and wish I had the answer for those who are 20 or 30 years behind me and struggling with this.
    Sue
    I have a couple of takes on this, from the perspective of also working in a stressful job when I lived in London. I don't think it is a necessary evil. I think it's a subconscious choice for a lot of people to believe that it's what they MUST do. A lot of people work 50-70 hours a week to pay for the things they don't need. I know it's a tired old cliche to say so, but when I left that job in London and moved down the the South coast in the UK, my eyes were opened. I think it's common in the USA to measure success only in terms of financial gain or box ticking achievements. Now I have kids, I realise that success is pretty much just not being an a55hole and raising happy, confident children. Everything else is just BS.

    For example. Paying $1000 for a new phone, but really paying $1500 over three years because you're effectively leasing it....and then staring at it for 5 hours a day while your life slips by has got to be a mental health problem, right? But you go to a coffee shop (topical) and witness almost everybody doing it. Madness, madness.

    And in terms of magic bullets, meditation IS the magic bullet. It deals directly with the part of the brain that creates the anxiety in the first place. It's not possible for meditation not to work. If it's not working for you, then you're not doing it right, period. I know it sounds stupid and maybe even arrogant to say, but I genuinely believe it's true. The only exception to this is trauma based anxiety (real trauma) because that works in a very different way.

  8. #18
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    I agree with the madness of spending more money than we need to. The first thing I did when I stopped working was get rid of my $60,000 vehicle and instead am driving a $26,000 vehicle. That was my first of many more cutbacks and I hope to make "being frugal" one of my new hobbies and challenges.

    Regarding meditation, I do believe you when you say it's the magic bullet, and I've heard and read that SO many times that it must be true, but I just can't seem to find a practice that works for me that isn't a guided meditation. Those are great when you can have access to the audio assistance, but there are times throughout the day and night that I want to meditate, even for 5 minutes, but have no idea how to do it. I put myself in a quiet place with no distractions but then have no idea what to do with my brain. I try chanting a mantra, I try counting backwards from a very high number, I try picturing peaceful scenes, etc. Any suggestions on how to meditate without guided assistance?
    Sue

  9. #19
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    Meditation is like juggling. No....hear me out.

    If you explain juggling to somebody you'll tell them to throw a few things in the air and then catch them alternately with each hand....right? It's gonna be easy isn't it?

    But no. Practice. If you (or anybody) applied the same logic to juggling as most people do with meditation they would proclaim after a few days or even a few weeks that TRUE juggling is impossible. But it's not, it's just practice.

    First thing to do is set yourself a schedule. 5 minutes in the morning, and 5 minutes in the evening. 5 minutes is more than enough to begin with. Do it at the same time every day.

    Secondly, all you do with your brain is slowly re-focus your attention when it wanders. And it will wander. Repeatedly. If you focus on your breathing (which I still recommend) then choose exactly what about your breathing you want to focus on. It could be the movement, the sound, the sensation of the air in your nose etc. Anything. Then just focus on that. And when your mind goes elsewhere every 5 seconds just re-focus on the breathing. There is no way you'll stop the random thoughts/wandering, but that doesn't matter at all. The point here is the gentle re-focusing. You keep doing that for weeks/months and it works. One day you might find a great sense of relief out of it, the next day it might be frustration, but it's that practice of not judging your thoughts, emotions and even bodily sensations that creates the long term effects of meditation.

    When you say you haven't found the practice that works for you, it's possible that your expectations are out of sync with what meditation does. A guided meditation can be more of a relaxation tool, and there's nothing wrong with that. It can help take you to a place that you can't get to yourself yet. Perhaps you're expecting the same results from 'real' meditation which will never be realised.

    The expectation should not be calm or enlightenment with meditation. All meditation is is re-focusing practice. I would start with that.

  10. #20
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    Re: Caffeine, anxiety's no.1 evil potion.

    Ugh, give me a suggestion for anything other than "focus on your breathing". I hate that statement and it's so over-used in so many aspects of life. I get very irritated when I try to focus on my breathing - I don't hear myself breathing, I don't "feel" the air moving through my nose, there is nothing about breathing that I can focus on. What if I tap my fingers or something? Can I focus on something more tangible?
    Sue

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