- Estela von Wedel
- Mar 22, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: May 13, 2024
Are you experiencing any symptoms of anxiety regularly? If so, it may be worth considering cutting back on your coffee and other caffeine intake. It is normal for us all to experience some anxiety at times in our life, perhaps before an exam, test, interview or when confronted by danger, real or perceived. But ideally we don’t want to be experiencing prolonged states of anxiousness or stress, as this can have a detrimental impact on our health and quality of life.
Caffeine is a psychoactive substance that stimulates and acts on our central nervous system, causing increased heart and breath rate, similar to when our fight or flight response is triggered when we are confronted with danger or perceive danger.
For the last year, I have been experiencing prolonged states of anxiety, in particular shortness of breath, and increase in heart rate and occasionally heart palpitations, leaving me feeling unsettled, restless and struggling to stay focused. There have been some stressful personal life circumstances that have contributed to this, but mostly these states have come about without any obvious triggers.
For the better part of 20 years I have totally loved my coffee, and the whole ritual that goes with it. I have taken pride in making really good coffee, and love sharing coffee with friends and family. I love everything about coffee, the smell as its brewing, the taste, the warmth of the cup in my hands. I thought that it was something that I would never readily give up. But recently, feeling desperate to feel better, I decided to see if having a break from coffee would make a difference.
I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been easy, for the better part of the first week I was having headaches, feeling dysfunctional, struggling to get things done and my mind was all over the place. But gradually over the last few weeks I have started to notice my heart rate and breath are much more consistently steady, I am sleeping much more deeply and beginning to feel well rested in the mornings, my concentration and focus are also slowly coming back. Initially I thought I would just give up for a short time, but for now I am quite happy without my Coffee. The benefits massively out way the pleasures. As the ritual element of drinking coffee was so important for me, I have replaced it with making a turmeric and ginger latte each morning, which I now love, and is incredibly healthy, so its a Win Win!!
My Turmeric and Ginger Latte recipe:
(I prefer the taste of fresh ginger and turmeric, but you can also use powder).
Fresh Ginger: finely grate the ginger, as much as you like to your taste. (Ginger is a natural stimulant and is great for the circulation and warming the body).
Turmeric: finely grate some turmeric, as much as you like to taste, or add a teaspoon of turmeric powder if you don’t have fresh. (Turmeric is an excellent anti inflammatory and antioxidant)
Black pepper: add to taste (black pepper helps the body absorb the Curcumin in the turmeric, increasing its bioavailability).
Cinnamon: 1/2 a teaspoon (Cinnamon is know to have many health benifits, including antinflamitory properties and is loaded with antioxidants, (Ceylon is the best variety of cinnamon for health benifits, Cassia is the more common variety).
Coconut oil: one teaspoon (Curcumin is fat soluble, which means that if dissolved in fat it can then be absorbed directly into the blood steam, increasing its bioavailability).
Honey: one teaspoon, preferably raw and local.
Milk: I usually use, a dairy free nut milk, but dairy milk will also work well.
Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and gently heat. I quite like the ginger and tumeric bits, but most likely you will want to strain with a tea strainer before serving. Enjoy!
Some other good natural ways to manage stress and anxiety are:
* Yoga and regular exercise to release your bodies own endorphines and help relax your nervous system.
* Eating a healthy balanced diet. (Avoiding too much Caffiene and Alcohol)
* Getting enough good sleep.
* Relaxation, meditaion and mindfulness techniques.
* some simple breathing exercises like the seven eleven breath technique.
* Talking to someone you trust can also be helpful.
If you are experiencing severe or prolonged anxiety, always seak medical or proffesional advise.
