The Forums › Forums › What is it? › Co-morbidities/Secondary Disorders › Anxiety or ADHD › Re: Anxiety or ADHD
I find that the occasional cup of coffee does not cause anxiety problems for me, but drinking two or more a day regularly will. It’s as if there is a cumulative effect. I do drink coffee with my breakfast, and drink a cup on the the way to work, only it has to be decaffeinated.
Strangely, tea does not bother me, even though I do feel it give me a lift in the afternoon.
I used to put my ADHD symptoms, or at least those I was aware of, down to anxiety. This was because after having an anxiety attack in my twenties, I learned to use relaxation response and improved dramatically. I now understand that it wasn’t just being more relaxed, but also the type of RR I used promoted mindfulness. Progressive Muscle Relaxation has many properties with meditation, but is far easier to learn and see results.
Since my ADHD diagnosis earlier this year, I started using PMR again after a twenty year hiatus. The quality of breathing is a good indicator of stress and I had often been finding myself breathless for no reason. It has taken a few months, but now my breathing is relaxed slow diaphragm breathing all the time. I can exercise quite hard and still breath through my nose.
I have also been working on mindfulness generally to improve my ADHD symptoms, but for me relaxation is the most important first step if anxiety is also causing problems.
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