Coffee Challenge - How to Deal with Caffeine and OCPD

When I  first told my doctor about feeling anxious, he asked a ton of questions. But one of the first was – Do you drink coffee?

Well yes, of course I do! Doesn’t everyone? He asked me how much. Then proceeded to tell me that even with mild anxiety I should lay off the caffeine. For a long time I thought the coffee jitters were just physical, keeping me wired. Turns out the effects of caffeine are a bit deeper than that.  He said to avoid coffee if possible – but I live in the real world. I couldn’t just give it up! So I turned to the internet, where lots of scientific studies are made public. Here is one quote:

Dr James Lee, a psychiatrist at Duke University, North Carolina in the USA, said of caffeine and anxiety, "Moderate caffeine consumption makes a person react like he/she is having a very stressful day. If you combine the effects of real stress with the artificial boost in stress hormones that comes from caffeine then you have compounded the effects considerably." During his study the volunteers produced 32% more adrenaline, their blood pressure was raised and their heart rates were faster. 

Well ok, so no double espresso. But what if I want to try to have my coffee, and just use moderation? I found some great tips – and through my own personal experience – here are some things to keep in mind:

Don’t drink coffee without eating any protein. The caffeine goes straight into your bloodstream, and spikes quickly. Combined with low blood sugar, this can really affect your mood.

Dilute it if you can. I started drinking ice coffee with lots of ice rather than a double espresso. It took some getting used to the less sharp flavor, but I’m consuming my caffeine a lot more slowly.

Think about timing. I never drink coffee or tea after 5:30 pm – because I know I won’t sleep! Find you own cut off.

Monitor the stress. Finally, if you know you are going into a stressful situation, take it easy on the coffee. You big meeting is not the time to down 2 cups of joe!

As always, be mindful and find the moderate balance that works for you! 

Challege the Habits - Rituals and OCPD

I love coffee. (See this post) To get through a day, I need at least one cup, often too. But I know drinking two cups isn't great for my body, or my anxious state of mind. Plus, its cost money and time out of my work day to run for that 4 pm cup of joe. In the past, I have moved mountains to get that coffee- often making me tardy to distracted by my "need".

It was a ritual. And it was time to challenge it.

Challenging habits is tough. My mind goes though all kind of worst case scenarios. With the coffee, they mostly end with my passed out on my keyboard. But the victory comes when you change the behavior, and then see that nothing that bad happens.

I switched to a power of B12 vitamins (no caffeine) to add to my water if I need a boost in the afternoon. And guess what? I wasn't sleepy. I actually felt less jittery. But I had to change it up, take that leap, to prove to myself I wasn't a slave to my rituals and my worst case scenarios.

Also- the B12 packets are 35 cents each- beat that Starbucks!

So what rituals do you want to change? Can you challenge your "need"? Do I "need" to check the mirror, to spay my hair, to pick up that dust bunny right now?

Or do I need to be happy?

The choice is a challenge, and confidence in a change is worth it.

My Own Coffee

I know caffeine and anxiety disorders aren't supposed to mix. But I mix them twice daily at my local deli, and I don't plan to stop. I live in a city, and coffee is on every street corner, all the time. But not all all coffee providers are equal, and my obsession with perfection leads me to make some odd choices.
First, I always try to make my own. Deli's around me often have a vat of coffee or iced coffee sitting in wait for customers to pour and add their own milk. This is amazing for a control freak. I will walk a extra block and drink watery coffee just so I can add exact amounts of milk and sugar.
I don't really like Starbucks or other "high end" chains. Maybe other coffee obsessives have their own ritual. (feel free to add comments) but it never ceases to astound me that when I look at little patterns I set up in my life, I see how perfectionism and control affect my behavior.

And yes, I have thrown out imperfect coffee. The $2.50 wasn't worth the anxiety.