I Quit coffee for 30 days and it was a Hell of a Ride☕️
I made a promise to myself that I would stop my addiction(I was having 3–4 cups every day) and try to build my energy levels for the day by other means.
Coffee is not the most Go-To beverage in my part of the World(Indian Subcontinent) and most people choose Tea over Coffee. Thanks to the 200+ years of British Rule.
However, my own introduction to coffee happened with the American shows and movies where some character that I admired or enjoyed was consuming shots of Espresso to stay up all night and get sh*t done. I suddenly felt that I needed to try this and become more productive.
Well, I poured an Espresso from a Coffee Machine at my office. The Aroma was very strong and once I took a sip of it, I wanted to spit it out immediately. The reason? It was so bitter and disgusting. Who in their right mind would enjoy that thing? I gathered courage and watered it down a bit and finished it. The aftertaste that it left in my mouth was weird and long-lasting. But I was inspired by the show and had to keep going.
So, every day I started gulping these shots of espresso once or twice a day and felt it was something special. It did keep me awake and I was not getting tired. But as you know ‘With Great Powers comes Great Responsibility’, I should have been more responsible with the Coffee.
I started abusing coffee and started drinking 3–4 cups a day and at odd hours. It messed up my sleep, and my health, and I was literally dragging myself to get things done. Coffee, which was responsible for most of this, appeared to me as a Savior who was helping me in this weird phase of life.
It has been 5–6 years of this weird cycle of staying up late, waking up late, having a coffee, working for a few hours, another coffee, working some more, and another coffee and dinner, sometimes followed by a small cup of coffee which leads to Insomnia and the cycle repeats itself.
I decided to Quit coffee for 30 days just to challenge myself and also give myself some time to deal with or temporarily break free from this addiction that I am not willing to accept. However, quitting anything is not easy. Some things are a bit easier and some are very hard to quit. Quitting coffee was a bit hard but I knew that if I persevered a week then the challenge would become slightly easier.
I had to devise a plan. I needed to break down the addiction to its basics and find alternatives that are clean or less harmful.
I realized that I drink coffee for the following reasons:
It helps me Wake up(literally).
It keeps me energized(of course it slows down fatigue and does not necessarily have anything to energize you).
It doesn’t taste that bad. (If you buy good coffee that is slightly expensive, the taste gets better).
The main factor was and still is to feel energized and work continuously for hours without feeling tired and lazy. I knew I needed a replacement for coffee. Well, I found one and surely it wasn’t a quick hack or quick fix but in a few day's time, I felt that this method had some merits to it.
The method was to Consume Sunlight in the morning. Yes, it is not a Magical fix as some of you were expecting. I was listening to Andrew Huberman’s podcast where he spoke about his Morning Routine and he said that consuming 20–30 minutes of sunlight can help you feel awake, and energized, and will also fix your Circadian cycle(24-hour body clock).
So, I started working out in the morning and absorbed sunlight for half an hour every day. I had to wake up a bit early even if I didn’t want to. Every day, at 7:30–8 am, the water supply is opened for our connection and I have to keep a watch over it so that we don’t waste any water which is not in surplus over here. Anyway, I try to make the most of this half an hour and do stretching and some bodyweight exercises in the sun. It is a Win-Win situation as I am getting my quota of the Sunlight and at the same time, I am making my body strong and flexible.
This routine helped immensely and I could withstand several hours of work without feeling the need to be drugged by Caffeine to fill the “tanks”. I had no body aches and I was feeling a new and exciting synchronization between my Mind and Body. For the evenings, I decided to have Tea once in a while or a non-caffeinated Green tea which surely helped or may have tricked my brain :D
It wasn’t easy initially.
It was BRUTAL for the first 3–4 days. I wasn’t able to get out of my bed. Yes, it was that BAD. I was slogging and pushing myself to do even the smallest things. I couldn’t concentrate, I was tired, and I was irritated for those 3–4 days.
My focus on staying healthy and active paid off, and I stopped craving coffee after just a few days. It was like a quick rehab that helped my body resist the temptation. I'm proud to have finished the 30-day challenge.
It applies to everything we do in our lives and a balance needs to be stricken in the quantity of whichever thing we consume directly or indirectly.
I am having a Coffee now while you are reading this. I love Coffee and I can’t imagine giving up fully on it. However, I surely feel my relationship with it is much healthier now. I use and consume it more strategically and not literally depend upon it to get me through the day.
Do you love coffee? How is your relation with this wonderful substance?
Coffee is not just a beverage; it's a comforting embrace in the morning, a pick-me-up during the day, and a delightful companion for conversations with loved ones. Whether enjoyed hot or iced, black or sweetened, coffee has a way of bringing people together, sparking creativity, and providing a moment of solace in our busy lives.
