A lot of people know that caffeine is a sort of stimulant which accelerates you heart-rate and generates small short-lived surges of energy. That is why so many people steer clear of coffee in the evenings - it keeps them awake.
Men and women who suffer from anxiety know how much energy the anxiety can consume. It may appear to be a good idea at the time to replenish the energy levels with caffeine, but it is not in most cases a wonderful idea, because they are often already over-stimulated. A lot of caffeine can also induce panic attacks or make you more at risk to them. Some individuals are more sensitive than others when it comes to the effects of caffeine. Those with a sensitivity to the drug may feel a immense change when they give it up; however those with no sensitivity may feel no difference.
To find out if you have a high sensitivity to caffeine, you could start off a food and drink journal to define precisely how much caffeine you are having on a day-today basis.
Tea, coffee, most carbonated drinks and the majority of energy drinks contain an amount of caffeine. If you find that you are having more than two or tree caffeinated drinks on a frequent basis, you should probably consider cutting down to just one, or maybe even think of giving up out right.
It is important when you are trying to cut back to do it slowly, like with any addictive substance you may find that you get withdrawals. Withdrawal symptoms from caffeine include: headaches, irritability, and a general sluggish feeling. If you do get withdrawal symptoms while decreasing your amount of caffeine, it is a sure sign that you have a sensitivity to caffeine, and should be laying off anyway. Try eliminating every other drink, or make your drinks smaller. Make certain you keep your liquid levels up by substituting water, milk or fruit juice.
Give yourself a minimum of two weeks to quit caffeine, making small modifications on a daily basis. quit taking caffeine, make certain you keep from consuming it while you are undergoing you Anxiety Recovery Program.} You may feel some instant benefit, but the best improvements happen pretty gradually. If you do have a sensitivity to caffeine, you are much better off without it. Learning the secrets of overcoming anxiety will take time. Build your confidence. Grow your self esteem. Take your time. Being in a hurry only adds stress, and ultimately could lead to exacerbating the problem. Consuming a little less caffeine each day is relatively easy. Don't go for broke (cold turkey), but gradually reduce. Accomplishing smaller goals is excellent practice for taking on the bigger ones later. Learn to walk, then run.
Many individuals who suffer with anxiety attacks turn to alcohol in the opinion that it helps them deal with stressful conditions. Alcohol is in not in any way helpful to anxiety suffers, because it is a depressant. Evaluate your records from your food and drink journal and be honest with yourself about the amount of alcoholic beverages you consume - could you, for instance, go a whole week without an alcoholic drink? If the answer is yes, then take alcohol out of your diet for one week just to demonstrate that you can. When you've done that, you can allow yourself an occasional social drink during your recovery.
If you answered no to the question, you may have an addiction to alcohol that needs dealing with. This needs to be done before looking at overcoming anxiety on a permanent basis, because, unfortunately alcohol used like this covers up the anxious feelings, and you need to be able to experience them, in a controlled way, in order to deal with them.
Filed under Mental health by on Jul 7th, 2010.