Knowing I have anxiety is recently new to me. I went through denial for the first bit of understanding it and then accepted it. Since accepting it, I have been trying to figure out ways to avoid it or to not let it get to me too much. I guess I didn't know all the ways of avoiding it though.

About two months ago, I picked up a large iced caramel coffee from Mcdonald's. Now, just writing that gets my heart racing. It was later in the evening, but it wasn't anything out of the norm for me to get a coffee later in the day, but then something weird happened.

After drinking my coffee, I could feel the energy inside me begin to rush. It felt like my heart was about to explode and I could not control it. That night, was the first of many sleepless nights. That coffee affected me for the next couple days and I could not understand why.

I think this is the appropriate time to add that I was the type to drink a coffee and be put to sleep at times. Coffee rarely had an effect on me and it sure never had an effect like this.

My mind was constantly racing, when I went to bed I felt a pressure on my chest as my heart beat its life away, and the worst part was the constant thoughts that ran through my head. I was not myself.

A couple of weeks later I tried some coffee again. Starbucks this time. I thought "maybe its just McDonald's," but I was so wrong. The same thing happened. I tried having it in the morning, afternoon, all the effects were the same no matter what.

So then I looked into it, and there it was. Turns out that coffee can worsen your anxiety and even "trigger" it at times. I had been inducing and at times worsening the thing I was trying to avoid.

That's when I realized I needed to let go of coffee. Part ways with it. It was a little tough and every now and then I get a craving for it but overall, it's done me well.

I let go of something that was holding back my mental health from getting better. I took action. Another toxic relationship bites the dust and my mental health betters.