In this article, I’ll introduce my CATSERN acronym for a low anxiety lifestyle.
Manage Anxiety Before it Manages You
Anxiety (to some extent) is a functional driving force and essential to survival. It’s called an adaptive response because it helps species survive by responding to the environment with fight or flight. Like animals, humans developed quick reflexes, the ability to move quickly, jump, and make loud vocalizations. All of this can help with survival.
In my personal and professional life, I have attempted to reduce anxiety and keep it down. One of these options might be easier than the other, depending on where you’re at in your anxiety recovery journey. If you experience high anxiety, the safeguards and defense mechanisms that help you survive might also make it difficult to manage anxiety. But if your anxiety is moderate to low, learning to manage anxiety can feel easier. Regardless of where you’re in your journey, all of these tips will be helpful to reduce your anxiety.
C = Caffeine
Coffee stimulates the nervous system, making you feel more activated, and can create a sense of mental alertness. Caffeine also mimics many symptoms you can experience when you feel anxious. For example, feeling keyed up, shaky, lightheaded, muscle agitation, irritability, increased heart rate, dizziness, headaches, heartburn, frequent urination, and upset tummy… Could come caffeine, and could come from anxiety. It’s for this reason that I often recommend to cut out caffeine when you want to reduce anxiety.
How? Coffee can be a daily ritual, and caffeine withdrawal headaches might have you reaching for a fresh cup. If you experience withdrawal headaches, begin by switching your morning coffee to a half-caffeine-half-decaf mix for a few days. Then switch to full decaf. There are still trace amount of caffeine in one mug of decaf coffee. A regular cup of coffee has around 150 mg of caffeine, while decaf has only around 30 mg.
General tips for caffeine and anxiety:
- Start your morning with a glass of cold water instead of a glass of coffee. This can give you a sense of invigoration.
- Don’t drink coffee (decaf or not) on an empty stomach. Drink your coffee with a full meal, light meal or snack.
- Don’t drink coffee after 3 PM to help your body digest and burn through the caffeine half-life.
A = Alcohol Intake
If you’ve ever felt extra anxious or depressed after drinking alcohol, the reason is because of your alcohol intake. Ingesting alcohol inhibits the production of GABA (gaba aminobutyric acid) in the brain. GABA is a “chemical messenger” that helps to regulate the speed of impulses (and thoughts) in the brain. There’s no magic number of ounces of alcohol that a person can consume so that they don’t experience a dip in mood the next day. Each person has a different tolerance level, and some people metabolize alcohol differently than others.
Alcohol can also interfere with many medications, including anxiety and depression medicine in particular. Some people also experience anxiety when they drink alcohol, because they notice changes to their body sensation and thinking as alcohol disrupts the regular operating functions. If you’re experiencing disruptive anxiety, reduce your alcohol intake until your anxiety drops to a manageable level. Then slowly re-introduce alcohol—in moderation.
T = Tobacco (and Recreational Substances)
The rule of thumb here is to stop any anti-health habits like smoking cigarettes or using recreational substances, including cannabis. While some people think having a cigarette calms them down, the effects of nicotine can mimic anxiety symptoms. It’s more likely that taking a break from stress to do deep breathing is what produces calm during a smoke break.
The use of cannabis for the treatment of anxiety is highly nuanced and still widely debated. While cannabis and CBD in particular might help to induce sleepiness, there is also a potential negative effect. Reliance on cannabis to fall asleep can create a a sleep habit dependent on using drugs. (The same thing goes for melatonin, over-the-counter sleep medication, or any other aid for falling asleep.)
With cannabis in particular, there is also a link between cannabis abuse and increased anxiety and depression symptoms. Anecdotally, clients who have decided to quit cannabis noticed a change to their overall awareness. This allowed them to notice anxiety triggers and implement behavioural changes to reduce anxiety naturally.
If using cannabis decreases your overall motivation for the day or is used to numb emotions, you’re more likely to have drug dependence. Examining your your relationship with cannabis could help you to address underlying issues.
S = Sleep
Just like a cell phone battery, humans can’t run on empty. We operate best with a full battery at the beginning of the day that can slowly reduce in time to lie down and recharge at the end of the day. If you end your day with mindless scrolling or watching a murder mystery movie, you might have racing or intrusive thoughts before sleep and dreams with violent and scary themes. The general rule of thumb is to avoid screen time 60 to 90 minutes before bed.
So what could you do instead of scrolling? Read a book, listen to a podcast or guided visualization, extend your wind-down and evening self-care routine. If you don’t have an evening wind down and self-care routine, take the opportunity to make one.
Some other habits that can interfere with sleep and increase anxiety includes: electronic distractions, attempting conflict resolution before bed, and fighting with your partner. This is not an exhaustive list, but it this gives you the idea.
E = Exercise / Activity
Teaching your body the difference between activated and relaxed can help your nervous system switch gears more easily. Because anxiety turns on the fight or flight response, some people might feel triggered by physical exertion to reduce anxiety. It’s recommended to work with a therapist or use a self-help guide like The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook to learn about relaxation strategies and symptom induction.
Regular physical activity, even a daily brisk 20-minute walk or moderate cardio exercise can help with endorphins and releasing stress. This is helpful for lowering anxiety by managing cortisol, the stress hormone. If your physical abilities prevent you from conventional exercise, working with a specialized physical therapist can help you navigate physical activity.
R = Relaxation Rituals
How often do you actively engage in intentional relaxation? Take a moment right now to think about that. If you’re like most people in North America and you’re an adult, you probably say “busy” more often than you say “relaxed.” A ritual of relaxation looks like incorporating any activity that helps you to feel calm, grounded, relaxed, and centered. This can include: meditation, painting, guided visualization, reading a book, walking in nature, playing with your pet, puzzles, listening to music.
I’ll be honest, it can be tricky to avoid “hacking” relaxation by doing something relaxing while completing a task. I admit to listening to relaxing music while sweeping. You can bet that I felt more energized than relaxed because I focused on productivity.
The intention with a relaxation ritual is to do at least one activity for one hour per day dedicated just for your own enjoyment. You may need to experiment with this to pinpoint what is truly relaxing, and that’s OK. Make a list, or look at suggestions online and start your relaxation ritual ASAP.
N = Nourishment
The definition of nourishment is “the food necessary for growth, health, and good condition.” Applying this to anxiety, nourishment looks like eating regular meals to provide your body with the energy it needs to complete tasks throughout the day. And if you have a day without tasks to complete, nourishment serves the purpose of continued growth and maintenance of your well-being.
With the elimination of caffeine from your morning, a nutrient-filled smoothie or breakfast meal will give you a boost of energy needed through the morning to midday. Snack if you need to! Tummy gurgles and feeling lightheaded indicate the need for more nourishment. These symptoms can also increase anxiety if you miss your hunger cues (which caffeine and tobacco can do). With this in mind, you should reconsider intermittent fasting and other restrictive diets if you want to reduce anxiety.
A note: “Health” is a tricky word considering that many people live with chronic illness and disease. I encourage folks to shift their definition of health to consider the nutrients required for survival.
Anxiety Relief is a Process, Not a Destination
These tips can help you manage anxiety and make a significant positive impact in your life. Living a low anxiety lifestyle means implementing these daily habits and making mindful changes when you feel prepared and regulated. Keep a reminder of these tips by writing CATSEN and posting it to your mirror or monitor.
Why CATSEN and not TRANCE or NECTARS? Use whichever acronym you prefer. In my clinical practice, this list started as CATS and grew into CASTEN.
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