Eliminate Stimulants

Here, would you like another cup of anxiety?

It’s amazing how most people unknowingly drink themselves to high states of anxiety.

More astounding even, the majority of people don’t even realize they’re doing so. Hopefully, this article will help you see things in a whole new light: there are several drinks that you’re having much too casually, which directly add to your inner tension.

Those are substances that millions of people use and abuse of, much to their harm. We’re not proposing that you must absolutely not drink alcohol or coffee. That’s entirely up.

However, next time you casually reach for another cup or another mug, consider this… Will the instant pleasure you get from that beverage be worth the increased anxiety you’ll experience when your body absorbs the stimulates in it?

Maybe you’re thinking you couldn’t possibly live without your daily caffeine fix or your weekly going out for drinks, but would that really be worse than living in a constant state of anxiety? You should at least try avoiding these substances for a while, and see whether that helps you keep your inner tension under control.

You will be very positively surprised with how big a difference it can make. And that might just help you realize how in part you’ve been sourcing your anxiety by gulping down too many stimulants for your own good.

How stimulants really work… and why you should avoid them.

Do you know what happens to everything that goes up? Invariably, it must come down. Do you know when the fall is harder? Just after the rise had been higher. In simple terms, stimulants such as coffee, alcohol or sugar only give you the illusion of being energized.  But when the buzz is off, you’ll feel worse than before.

This effect of stimulants lasts for a few minutes to an hour following your body’s immediate reaction to those substances. But just as soon as you actually metabolize these substances, the adverse reaction quickly ensues… a mood drop. That’s when you will start experiencing stress and discomfort, and then you have two choices:

1. Take more stimulants to artificially energize your body and mind
2. Just handle the “hangover”, which will make you feel worse than you originally did.

Sure enough, you may think we’re exaggerating when you point out that using stimulants interferes with your mood and causes “hangovers”. It doesn’t mean that stimulants such as alcohol and substance should be banned for the sake of preserving widespread well-being. What it does mean is that people suffering from anxiety issues should be very attentive to their consumption of stimulants of any kind.

“Thinking about cutting back on stimulants makes me feel anxious”

Even though cutting back on stimulants is all around good advice for anyone who is having trouble coping with anxiety disorder, most people who suffer from anxiety have real difficulties following this advice or even seeing its validity. Many people like you have grown addicted accustomed to their fix of morning coffee, for example.

In that case, you may feel as though having your caffeine fix actually helps with your anxiety. You may think you really *need* that morning cup to be able to think straight and work properly. Well… truth of the matter, that’s just an illusion. There is no “fix” for your anxiety. If you’re serious about overcoming this problem efficiently and permanently, you need to compromise to positive lifestyle changes.

At the moment, chances are that you’re actually using caffeine as a substitute for proper rest, whereas you should focus on regulating your sleep patterns while struggling against anxiety.

You must realize that caffeine is a cheap wake-up thrill that you can replace with much better alternatives, such as exercising in the morning. If you get into the habit of doing a bit of jogging before breakfast, or just doing any exercise that gets your blood pumping in the morning, then you will be able to get by just fine without coffee.

You’ll feel just as energized and focused without the need for that morning cup. Sure, at first it will feel uncomfortable changing your previous habits. But you must remember the big picture – anxiety management calls for lifestyle changes. And as soon as the caffeine withdrawal symptoms subside, your mood will be much more stable through the day.

Also, keep in mind that getting regular physical exercise is an important aspect of a good anxiety management program. So changing your morning coffee habit with a morning exercise habit (for example) will benefit you in various ways.