How bad is caffeine for anxiety?

[JCJC777]

so easy to take caffeine to get some small immediate respite - but does it cause much more anxiety a few hours and days later?

[Hidden]

Hi, I was told by the doctor to stop drinking coffee and cola due to caffeine increasing my anxiety and causing heart palpations, so I avoid it now and just drink tea, don't know why it causes anxiety to get worse x

[Beevee]

Did you avoid caffeine before you had anxiety? I don't think it matters one bit because anxiety is caused by sensitisation of the nerves through worry and stress, not by having an espresso. My guess is that you are worrying about it which creates more anxiety than actually drinking it! Sure, I read about avoiding all manner of things to get rid of my anxiety when all along, it was the trying to do stuff to get rid of anxiety which kept it going. Not caffeine or anything else. To rid yourself of anxiety you need to change your attitude towards it. Stop doing stuff to try and get rid of it. Treat it as a friend and welcome in it instead of avoiding, running away from it. When you make friends with it, you stop beating yourself up and your nerves start to de-sensitise so that your emotions go back to normal levels and inkeeping with The situation. My advice is to carry on the way you did before anxiety came along and accept every symptom your anxiety can conjure up. I say "conjure" because anxiety tricks you into thinking and believing all sorts of things, like giving up caffeine. I probably drink more caffeine than ever but it doesn't even register on the anxiety scale. To recover, practising acceptance ( masterly inactivity) of all the symptoms and not putting up any resistance towards them. Doing things in the hope that it will get rid of anxiety just makes it stick around. As I've said in previous posts, sufferers won't get better until they stop trying to get better. Fear is the root cause, not caffeine. Lose the fear and you will recover. Takes a bit of practice to shift your attitude to one of acceptance but anyone can do it when shown the right way through understanding of the condition. Time then becomes the healer.