Blooming Prairie Psychology- Sara Kenney,PsyD

02/22/2026

02/21/2026

Did you go on today’s Coffee Crawl in Bismarck-Mandan? I love coffee and love supporting local! It was so fun checking out all 9 places. If you went, what was your favorite?

As I was drinking each one, I was thinking about caffeine and how much this will affect me today. Here’s some thoughts:

☕ Caffeine: Friend, Foe, or Both? A Psychologist’s Take

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. Yes — psychoactive. It changes how your brain functions.

Like most things in mental health, it’s not “good” or “bad.” It’s contextual.

✅ Potential Benefits

• Increased alertness and focus
• Improved reaction time
• Temporary mood boost
• May enhance cognitive performance in sleep-deprived states
• Can improve physical endurance

For many people, moderate caffeine use (up to ~400 mg/day for most adults) is well tolerated.

But.

⚠️ The Less Discussed Side

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. That means it activates the same physiological arousal system involved in anxiety.

Higher doses can cause:
• Restlessness
• Racing heart
• GI distress
• Irritability
• Sleep disruption
• Increased anxiety
• Jitteriness or tremor

In vulnerable individuals (especially those with panic disorder, health anxiety, ADHD, trauma histories, or sleep disorders), caffeine can amplify symptoms.

⸻

📖 Yes, There Is a DSM Diagnosis: Caffeine Intoxication

According to the DSM-5-TR, Caffeine Intoxication is diagnosed when:
• Recent caffeine consumption (typically >250 mg)
• 5 or more of the following:
• Restlessness
• Nervousness
• Excitement
• Insomnia
• Flushed face
• Diuresis
• GI disturbance
• Muscle twitching
• Rambling speech
• Tachycardia or cardiac arrhythmia
• Periods of inexhaustibility
• Psychomotor agitation

And the symptoms cause significant distress or impairment.

Most people won’t meet criteria. But many experience subclinical effects that look a lot like anxiety.

⸻

🧠 Things I Often Explore Clinically:

• Is caffeine masking burnout or sleep deprivation?
• Is it worsening anxiety that someone thinks is “just how I am”?
• Is afternoon caffeine contributing to nighttime rumination?
• Is someone self-medicating ADHD symptoms without realizing it?

Sometimes reducing caffeine dramatically improves mood stability and anxiety.
Sometimes it’s not the main driver at all.

Context matters. Nervous systems differ.

⸻

Bottom line:
If you struggle with anxiety, insomnia, irritability, palpitations, or panic symptoms — caffeine is always worth assessing.

Not eliminating automatically.
But evaluating thoughtfully.

Your nervous system deserves that level of curiosity.

☕🧠

02/15/2026

If you’ve been my patient, you’ve maybe heard me talk about this. I hope you can have some grace with yourself.

🫶

02/14/2026

02/14/2026

As a psychologist, I want to gently challenge a phrase we hear a lot this time of year:

“Love yourself first.”

Self-compassion absolutely matters.
Healing matters.
Personal responsibility matters.

But the idea that you must fully heal, resolve your trauma, and achieve solid self-esteem before you’re worthy of love? That’s not attachment science — it’s often toxic positivity.

From an attachment perspective, we don’t develop self-worth in isolation. We develop it in relationship. Secure bonds literally shape our nervous system and our internal beliefs about who we are.

For many trauma survivors, self-love wasn’t modeled. Safety wasn’t consistent. Worth wasn’t mirrored back.

And here’s the important part:

You don’t have to complete your healing before being loved well.
You don’t have to be perfectly regulated to deserve secure attachment.
You don’t have to “fix yourself” before someone treats you with care.

Healthy relationships can be corrective experiences.
Co-regulation builds regulation.
Being seen with compassion helps us internalize compassion.

You can be healing and held.
Growing and chosen.
Working on loving yourself while being loved by others.

That’s not weakness.
That’s how humans are wired. ❤️

02/13/2026

02/11/2026

02/10/2026

These are core needs in relationships and often at the root of the conflict or arguments.

Source: Based on emotionally focused therapy by Dr. Sue Johnson and attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth.

Disclaimer: Content is for educational purposes and doesn’t constitute therapy. Posts are generalized and may not fit all individuals or situations. My posts don’t speak to situations of abuse, active addiction, or certain mental health conditions.

02/08/2026

Treat yourself!