Does Sour Candy Help With Anxiety?

Sour Candy & Anxiety

The prevalence of anxiety disorders is 4% of the World population. In 2019 specifically, 301 million people were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.² Anxiety manifests in the brain when the decision-making portion of your brain perceives a threat. This triggers a response in the amygdala, which tells the hypothalamus to trigger the fight-flight-or-freeze response. The entire limbic system is responsible for emotional responses, and scientists have found that those with anxiety disorders have more activity in this portion of the brain.³

Sour candy has become an unconventional remedy for anxiety, and therapists often recommend it as a coping skill. When anxiety arises, many experience racing thoughts, panic, shortness of breath, sweating, and other distressing symptoms. The role of sour candy is to provide a distraction. The practice of engaging the senses in such an intense way can ground the individual and decrease anxiety symptoms.

Does Sour Candy Help With Anxiety?

Sour candy can significantly reduce anxiety by providing an intense sensory distraction. Marsha Linehan, creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), emphasizes distraction as an effective way to manage distress. Similar to snapping a rubber band on your wrist, sour candy quickly engages the senses, increases self-awareness, and helps anchor you in the present moment.

Is Sour Candy a Sustainable Technique to Relieve Anxiety?

Sour candy is accessible, which can make it sustainable in terms of affordability. Although sour candy can be seen as a short-term fix, some health experts believe it can be an unhealthy coping skill. As with most things, if you find yourself relying on it to excess, it has the potential to become a maladaptive coping mechanism.

Potential Drawbacks of Using Sour Candy for Anxiety

Some potential downsides of using sour candy for anxiety can include dependency and over-consumption. If an individual is utilizing sour candy to mitigate symptoms related to anxiety, they may find themselves building up a tolerance. Eventually, the individual will not receive the same intense sensory experience intended to be distracting. If over-consumption occurs, there are potential health concerns related to sugar intake as well as the psychological effects of relying on food for anxiety relief.

Some potential downsides of using sour candy for anxiety include:

• Consuming high amounts of added sugars
• Blood sugar spikes and drops
• Depending on food as a coping skill
• Building a tolerance

What Research Says About Sour Candy & Anxiety

There is little to no scientific research that explores the connection between sour candy and anxiety. However, plenty of research discusses the benefits of distraction and engaging the senses to decrease overall feelings of distress. Distraction is taught by many clinicians as a distress tolerance skill, which is one of the core modules of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, frequently known as DBT.⁴

Additional Coping Methods for Anxiety

Different coping methods work for different people. Since anxiety manifests uniquely for each individual, it’s beneficial to explore a variety of coping skills to discover which techniques best help you manage your symptoms.

Some other coping methods for relieving anxiety include:

• Box breathing: Breathing techniques can be used wherever you are, so many use it frequently to cope. Box breathing is a technique where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold for 4 seconds to begin again.
• Guided imagery: Many rely on guided imagery meditation for anxiety to cope, again, due to its accessibility. Guided imagery involves imagining soothing scenes or images that promote relaxation and decrease stress.
• Mindfulness: Another great way to get your mind off your current stressor, is mindfulness. Some examples include a body scan meditation, watching the clouds, or eating mindfully. Mindfulness allows us to stay in the moment when anxiety attempts to do the opposite.
• Sleep: Lack of sleep can leave you more vulnerable to experiencing distress. Ensuring you get adequate sleep will allow you to move through your day effectively.
• Fueling your body: Similar to sleep, fueling our bodies with food and fluids will decrease vulnerability.
• Exercise: Engaging in joyful movement provides a sense of accomplishment, empowerment, and is a natural stress relief coping strategy.

Traditional Treatment for Anxiety

While coping strategies and distraction techniques like sour candy can help, people may still require traditional treatment methods. Anxiety can vary in intensity, and severe anxiety will likely require working with a mental health professional and potentially a psychiatrist.

Anxiety Therapy

Although anxiety can be difficult to move through, there are many options for anxiety therapy available, like individual counseling or group therapy and support groups. Having a safe space to process anxious thoughts allows them to exist outside of yourself, and helps your therapist understand and better support you. Frequency of therapy can vary based on clinical recommendations, affordability, and personal preference.

Common types of anxiety therapy include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): One of the most commonly used modalities is CBT for anxiety. CBT helps to identify harmful thought patterns that keep us stuck.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): Many coping strategies that help manage anxiety, come from DBT. DBT for anxiety is a popular approach, as it provides practical ways to tolerate distress.
• Exposure therapy: If there is a specific situation that provokes anxiety, then exposure therapy might be helpful. Exposure therapy for anxiety involves slowly confronting the distressing thing with support from your therapist. The idea is that the increased exposure will make the situation seem less daunting and cause less distress.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is a short-term therapeutic technique that allows the brain to re-process distressing events and thoughts. Professionals who are trained in EMDR will often utilize EMDR for anxiety as the outcomes have proven to be positive.

Anxiety Medications

In addition to engaging in individual therapy, some people are prescribed medication as part of their anxiety treatment plan. Medication can be a helpful tool when used properly and in conjunction with a mental health therapist who specializes in treating anxiety.

Common medications prescribed for anxiety include:

• Antidepressants: Although antidepressants were originally designed to treat depression, they have also been found helpful in treating anxiety. Specific types of antidepressants that may be utilized include SSRIs, SNRIs, and tricyclic antidepressants.⁵
• Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers can sometimes alleviate physical symptoms that present with anxiety, including heart racing as well as other symptoms. However, many believe there needs to be additional research on their ability to treat anxiety effectively.⁶
• Benzodiazepines: Benzos were one of the first medications used to treat anxiety. Although benzodiazepines can be considered helpful in the treatment of anxiety, there is a high potential for abuse and addiction.⁵

When to Seek Professional Help for Anxiety

If anxiety frequently interferes with your daily life, including work, social activities, or family relationships, it may be time to consider professional support. Speaking with a therapist is a helpful first step. If leaving home is challenging, using an online therapy platform for anxiety or using an online therapist directory can make accessing support easier.