During the past few years, I've been trying to figure out how to live life in a way that feels interesting and valuable to me, like discovering what makes me excited about what the day might hold. (Not a huge surprise, but working out is such a great activity for everything connected to mental health and excitement.) I've been taking small steps forward, testing out new landscapes and activities, so I thought I would share some of my findings here, in case they can be of use to someone else too. :)
One thing that has been really good for me was changing what I consume. For example, I stopped drinking coffee 1.5 years ago, and it's been so good for my mood, tolerance, and stamina. Instead of being on a caffeine-mood-rollercoaster every day, I can just have a stable mood instead, which is so nice! Everybody's body works differently, so I'm not sure if it works like this for anyone else. Some bodies seem to be able to drink coffee without being affected by it. But if, for some reason, you would like to stop drinking coffee and start a new habit instead (or stop with something else—in this example, the word "coffee" will be used), I would recommend this method:
- Think of quitting as a fun project that will be part of your life for a few weeks. Then make a plan to reduce the amount of coffee you drink. For example, if you drink 4 cups/day now, remove 1 cup/day every week. Then maybe only drink one cup every other day for a week, and continue to drink less and less until you can stop drinking coffee. This way, you won't get the worst withdrawal symptoms. The important thing here is consistency.
- Move all coffee-related items in your home so that they are out of sight (and don't remind you of coffee).
- Research other drinks to have, and how to make them. If you are looking for something strong, then make a smoothie with fresh ginger. You can make your own ginger shots to drink in the morning to wake up fast (if you miss that wake-up feeling from coffee).
- Try to figure out other things you can drink or eat instead during routines when you used to drink coffee. Maybe eat carrots or apples. When you quit something, it's important to start with something else, otherwise, the void from what you quit will make it super hard to quit. So try to figure out what coffee means to you, why it's important, and what functions it fulfills in your life. Then, try to figure out what else could fulfill those functions, and see if they work. This is very interesting because the amount of functions will probably grow. At first, it looks like one function, and when that function is replaced, you'll most likely find another function coffee has for you, and then you'll replace that. It will go on and on until you really know every function coffee has had for you. It's very interesting! :)
- I recommend not drinking black tea or decaffeinated black tea, as it will make you miss coffee (or at least, that's how it was for me).
When you've found your new favorite yummy things to drink and made your new routines, you'll be free! You can do it! Good luck!
