I'm struggling.
I feel so very, very low. I just want to cry. I'm doubting everything. I feel as though i'm being suffocated by these native thoughts. I decided to reach out. I know it's not usual for me to get the occasional depressed mood, but this feels different.
'I’m cutting out caffeine in the hopes that it’ll help calm my anxiety, which has been rampant most of my adult life. Lately however, it's gotten a lot worse, almost intolerable and i'm desperate to try and get it under control. It’s been a tough process so far because much like you all here, I adore coffee –the ritual of making it, the smell, researching which grounds to buy next ah man, I really miss it. But i'm staying strong!
I’m surprised to say I’m already noticing benefits; I sweat less (sorry if that’s TMI,) my skin seems less greasy, I wake up feeling less groggy (well, after the initial 5 days where all I felt was groggy!) I also haven’t had a headache which I used to suffer from regularly. All great stuff.
However, it feels like my emotions are a lot closer to the surface? I’ve been feeling really very low indeed. I’m increasingly aware of certain emotions creeping into the frame which I didn't notably experience prior to cutting out caffeine; paranoia, insecurity, negativity, just constantly feeling as though something bad is going to happen. Nothing has drastically changed in my life in the past couple of weeks that would provoke these things, it just feels as though I’ve suddenly got a grey cloud over my head.
I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this, and if so, did you power through it? Did it change and get better?
I mean, it might just be that I’m in a depressive slump and I just need to work through it. But I couldn’t help but wonder if all of this is related to coming off caffeine.
Would love to hear your thoughts!'
Here were my responses;
I went through the same process, your brain lost a significant source of dopamine and it is just going through a depressive slump, as you said, while it reconfigures itself.
It will pass eventually, take time to supplement the lack of chemical feel good with things that inspire or energize you, whatever they are.
I would recommend checking out yoga with adrienne on youtube, a nice easy yoga session feels really good on the body and mind. I’ve personally started a daily practice for the last 3 weeks and it has been a noticeably huge boon for me.
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What you're feeling is part of withdrawing. Totally normal. It just takes time for it to go away. Timing is different for everyone. I bet a lot that quitting will take a lot of your anxiety away. While we are withdrawing and while are brain is rebalancing, often we will feel spurts of anxiety for a few days or few weeks. Or definitely depression. It's part of the process. Time is what heals it. And of course eat healthy, lite exercise at first, water, get as much sleep as you can. You're doing great. Keep going! People who have quit for a length of time all say it's completely worth it!
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I also have less anxiety since quitting. I noticed less anxiety within about 3 days, but it is getting better every day.
Last year I quit caffeine for 6 or so months. The reason wasn't anxiety, but because I literally couldn't experience emotions at all. I was in a place where I was feeling like I should be feeling sadness but instead of I felt numb. When you said "it feels like my emotions are a lot closer to the surface?" that stood out to me.
My theory is that caffeine releases things like adrenaline in our body which stops us from being able to express emotions properly, and when we stop abusing our body with caffeine we can finally release everything.
Overall it took 3 months to get back to "normal" after quitting caffeine back then. How I powered through it was the almost immediate reduction in anxiety, and the ability to feel emotions better. My energy levels and everything else normalized after about 3 months.
In the mean time try to eat healthy, drink plenty of water, good rest and get moderate exercise 3-5 times a week.
Caffeine is a hell of a drug, one that people underestimate.
I quit again this year as a new years resolution.
I too love the taste and ritual of coffee, but some burned bean broth isn't worth my suffering XD.
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I also have less anxiety since quitting. I noticed less anxiety within about 3 days, but it is getting better every day.
Last year I quit caffeine for 6 or so months. The reason wasn't anxiety, but because I literally couldn't experience emotions at all. I was in a place where I was feeling like I should be feeling sadness but instead of I felt numb. When you said "it feels like my emotions are a lot closer to the surface?" that stood out to me.
My theory is that caffeine releases things like adrenaline in our body which stops us from being able to express emotions properly, and when we stop abusing our body with caffeine we can finally release everything.
Overall it took 3 months to get back to "normal" after quitting caffeine back then. How I powered through it was the almost immediate reduction in anxiety, and the ability to feel emotions better. My energy levels and everything else normalized after about 3 months.
In the mean time try to eat healthy, drink plenty of water, good rest and get moderate exercise 3-5 times a week.
Caffeine is a hell of a drug, one that people underestimate.
I quit again this year as a new years resolution.
I too love the taste and ritual of coffee, but some burned bean broth isn't worth my suffering XD.
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It’s definitely normal to feel lethargic, down and anxious when coming off caffeine. It seems like typically at about a month people start to feel really good, but symptoms continue to get fewer and farther between til 3-4 months. Exercise, water, clean eating, and allowing myself a 15 minute mid-day nap got me through it! Actually since then then I’ve done a lot of research and I think diet plays a major role. I read the book “the anti-anxiety diet”. The premise is that 90% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine is produced in the gut and sugar, gluten, dairy, soy and corn inflame the gut and cause negative changes in mood. Keep it up, the greatest gains come at 2-4 weeks so you are right on the cusp! It’s no easy task... you’re amazing for coming this far.. you got this!
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God bless internet strangers. I do feel reassured, but it's tough knowing how to ride these waves. My mind is going to some seriously dark places. It's making me doubt what I usually feel pretty sure about.
I wish I was somebody else. I'm terrified that this will never end.
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