Pro tip: give up caffeine

I recently learned that caffeine doesn't give us "energy". It works by activating the flight or fight response releasing adrenaline and cortisol into the system that makes us more alert as if there is danger (anxiety) and by blocking the tiredness chemical adenosine receptors so we feel less sleepy than we naturally would. I am over 6 weeks caffeine free now and find that when I do get wound up I can come back to base line easier. Also I find that things don't annoy me so much as they used to. I just had a bad 2 days with OCD so of course it's not perfect for me but a lot of people say that they get huge improvement in anxiety when they gave up caffeine.. Just an idea for you!

Username: 777Q777Q

Date posted: 1y ago

Personally I find one to two cups of coffee a day for me has positive effects.

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

This is good info 😊 I gave up caffeine too because I knew it affected me differently compared to others. I just didn't know the science behind it. Thank you

Username: EstridEstrid

Date posted: 1y ago

Herecis a good post about this: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz9bI7kMjg4/?igshid=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ==

Username: jenthatsmejenthatsme

Date posted: 1y ago

Yes caffeine can certainly make anxiety symptoms worse! I have found I am sensitive to the caffeine in coffee but not tea, and as it turns out there are different phytochemicals that make up the caffeine in coffee versus tea. A cup of regular coffee could send me into a panic attack later in the day, but a cup of tea seemed to have no noticeable effect. I went no coffee for a long time but last year started drinking mushroom coffee (which has coffee extract and 1/3 the caffeine) and have been able to tolerate that ok. As long as I don’t have too many ch caffeine over all and steer clear of reg coffee I seem to be ok

Username: tinyspeckstinyspecks

Date posted: 1y ago

@jenthatsme Tea contains L-theanine, which is calming and helps balance out the caffeine!

Username: jenthatsmejenthatsme

Date posted: 1y ago

@tinyspecks Thanks for sharing that! My mushroom coffee actually has L-theanine added to it so that makes sense as they market it as a coffee that won’t give you the jitters like reg coffee

Username: JenniesOCDBrainJenniesOCDBrain

Date posted: 1y ago

hey there! first off, big props to you for going over 6 weeks without caffeine – that's not an easy feat, especially considering how it's everywhere. it's awesome that you're noticing some improvements in how you handle being 'wound up' and that things aren't bugging you as much. sorry to hear about the rough couple of days with your OCD, though. i totally get how those days can feel, even if my own obsessions are more on the pure o side. remember, i'm here to listen and totally get the struggle. 🙌 speaking of which, i stumbled upon this free AI OCD therapy tool called "unstuck" (http://www.aiocdtool.com/), and it's been a game-changer for me. given how you're working on managing your reactions and stressors, it could be a solid fit for your situation. it's like having a mini-therapist in your pocket. when you're feeling overwhelmed by OCD, you just type in what's bugging you, and the AI guides you through, just like an actual therapist trained in ERP would. no pressure, but if you're curious, i'm here to chat about it. hope the next few days are smoother for you! ✨

Username: bluebell

Date posted: 3y ago

I usually drink coffee every day, but always a cappuccino. Today I had straight granulated coffee, and I was shaking so bad and felt EXTREMELY anxious. I told my mum, and she looked at me like, ‘c’mon’ and I felt so embarrassed because I could feel my heart beating through my chest and I felt like I was going to die. On top of this, I was going with my friend to a job interview, and I had to pick up some contact lenses before. I had my glasses on, and they were crooked so I sat on a bench with my friend to put my contact lenses in, and I couldn’t get them in because my hand was shaking so violently! Eventually I did, but it was so annoying. Like I had no emotional anxiety, but I was shaking like a leaf. And then we got into the place, and it was a room full of people. I wasn’t emotionally nervous but I was so self-conscious of how physically anxious my body was, and how shaky I was that I started to panic. For some reason, my vision went SO weird, like I can’t describe it. It just felt like something shifted and, as someone with intense health anxiety, this really freaked me out and I was struggling to concentrate. It eventually died down, but it was so stressful and embarrassing like my actual face was shaking!! Like my cheek!! Like WHAT! Just thought I’d write it here to see if anyone’s had a similar experience!

Username: mattyp

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y ago

Avoidance. Or healthy?

So if my ocd is attached to certain objects. My ocd relates certain intrusive thoughts with things like say coffee. It’s easier for me to avoid coffee so I don’t get bad spikes while trying to drink coffee. But my question is. Is that avoidance? and is it making ocd stronger ? If I want coffee should I drink it anyway? I’m afraid I’ll get stuck and have to drink coffee over and over until I am able to finish the cup on a clean thought? I know it’s freaking crazy. I’m freaking nuts I guess 😐

Username: peskybee

Date posted: 1y ago

So drained

I haven’t been able to sleep properly for 2 weeks bc of intrusive thoughts they always seem to get worse as soon as I’m getting ready for bed. Any tips on how to manage this? I drink a lot of caffeine but that’s never influenced getting to sleep before

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Pro tip: give up caffeine

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