Coffee & Coping w/ Anxiety

After a day of working as a PE teacher, I stood outside the school with a cold cup of coffee in my hand waiting for our daughter so we can head home. During this time other parents started to arrive and I began talking to a friend. He took a look at my cup and told me that he recently had to cut coffee out of his daily routine. I asked him why and he shared his fondness for latte’s, that he probably drank too many of them, and that this amount of caffeine could be creating some health concerns. I told him I could relate and then we went on our way.  

The next time I saw him, he asked me what the latest topic of discussion was in health class and I shared that we discussed anxiety. He jokingly said maybe I should attend next time. He laughed, I laughed, and then we dove into the topic a bit. Some of the symptoms that he has been feeling, I too have been experiencing them. It was funny as we got to a point where I finished a sentence for him and he said something like see, you know what I am talking about and I said, yes, unfortunately I do! Things like an occasional bout with dizziness, heart palpitations while laying down, the sensation of an increased heart rate, and so on. For me, the first time I experienced this was around the one year anniversary of my brother's death. For him, it was losing someone close to him and also having another member of his family being ill. We were/are on a similar path and are both working on improving it. 

Now, considering our plight, our doctors gave us the same response. After initial tests, the heart was working fine but it was most likely anxiety and the elevated blood pressure that was at the root of our problem. Adding caffeine on top of these symptoms seems to further exacerbate the issue. 

So what is the solution to this mess I have found myself in? To start, I was advised to focus on relaxation techniques, to slow down, to try to calm the mind and body and to breathe. It just so happens that these are the same principles I attempted to bestow on a group of teens! So much for practicing what you preach, right? Sometimes I am good about following the doctor's advice and other times I am not. When the moments of anxiety or stress get elevated, I try to refocus on what is important and put the following ideas into practice: 

1. Write down 3 things that went great for you in the last year, the last month, the last week, and the last day. Every moment you spend being grateful is one less moment you spend being anxious. 
2. Go for a walk or just spend time outside. The sun is starting to shine brighter each day and it is a disservice to our wellbeing if we do not get out there and take in those rays! 
3. Breathe. Close your mouth, inhale through your nose, fill your belly with air, and then exhale. My favorite strategy is to count the inhales and exhales. Inhale is 1, exhale is 2. Inhale 3, exhale 4. Just say the number in your mind and it distracts your brain the negative feelings and shifts focus onto the breath. 
4. Sleep. Give yourself 8-9 hours each night to spend in bed. For example, if you have a 6 am wakeup, crawl into bed around 9 pm the preceding night so that if it takes 1-2 hours to fall asleep, you will still get 7 hours which is the minimum time recommended for anxiety. 
5. Be mindful of the Three T’s: Thoughts, Toxins and Traumas. Make it a point to limit negative self-talk and reduce the amount of toxins you consume. This can be in the form of what you eat and drink or even the type of books, podcasts and TV shows that you view. For trauma, everyone has different experiences. All I can say on this topic is that we cannot let past events dictate our future. 
6. Be grateful. On Tuesday, February 6, 2024 I made a proclamation. As I was preparing for a podcast I took a look around, noticed the trees, the rising sun, the horses and thought about how beautiful our farm was. In years past, every time I looked around I thought about the work that needed to be done, the time it would take to do so, and scariest of all, the amount of money it would cost to fulfill some of our dreams for the property. I kept thinking about what needed to be done and never took the time to appreciate what we have out here. 

Funny side note about that last point. A few parents were chatting again at school and the topic of having a farm came up. The response from others is always how great it must be and I shared my story about how I am trying to appreciate it more. One mother thought that was so great and another mother, who also has a farm, looked at me and said sarcastically, “How’s that working for ya?” I laughed and said well it has only been two days but so far, so good! As I write this, I can now proudly say the streak continues and I am at day number 5!  

I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Chris