odd question but does caffeine seem to HELP anyone’s anxiety and intrusive thoughts? I cut coffee out about a month ago and developed panic attacks and I just drank it again for the first time and I feel a lot better

It's Because Your Body Is Now Dependant On Caffeine, It's A Psychoactive Drug, You Should Be Leaving It... But, Just Like Anyother Drug, You Must Ween Off, By Small Amounts

that’s what i figured. thank you!

This depends. Caffeine is a stimulant, so for most people, it can make anxiety a lot worse. However, there is ample research that people with ADHD and sometimes other neurodivergencies have the opposite reaction to stimulants (caffeine included). This is why Adderall and Ritalin (for example) are prescribed for ADHD. A lot of people with ADHD will also self-medicate with caffeine. This does not mean using caffeine is good, and it does not mean it is bad, either. Like all drugs, it in itself is neutral, and depending on the specific chemistry of your brain and body, it can either help or hurt you to take it (up to a certain dose, at which point it would hurt anyone—the dose makes the poison, as they say). You’ve been off caffeine long enough that feeling a benefit from a single cup of coffee would very likely not be due to withdrawal (which tends to last between 2-9 days, according to Cleveland Clinic), so it is unlikely that your body itself is dependent on it at this point. That does not rule out a psychological dependency, nor am I saying I know 100% that you don’t still have a physical dependency on caffeine, because I am not your doctor. What I am saying is that there is a possibility (not a certainty, because again, I am not your doctor, but a possibility) that you are one of the people for whom caffeine is a legitimately helpful drug, and I would talk to a doctor you trust about whether or not they recommend cutting out or using caffeine (in safe doses, like a cup of coffee or tea or something like that) in your specific situation. A psychiatrist would be best for that, but a PCP who is knowledgeable about psychotropic medications would also be a good resource.