Second Attempt at Quitting Coffee

This week was my second attempt at quitting coffee, but I already relapsed after two days: I need a better plan.

I don’t like having to rely on coffee. It’s bad for my stomach, my stress level, and my sleep pattern. I drink two to three cups a day to get things done. If I go without it for two days, I get headaches. It has to stop.

From my experience, coffee should be a last resort thing. I learned from my first experiment a few months ago that going without coffee really improve my energy levels. There are better ways to go without it, namely: exercising, cold showers, deep breathing, and power napping. 

I take one cup in the morning and another one after lunch.

The morning cup is useless. Brain fog can be decreased with better sleep, a cup of water right after waking up, some exercise, and a good shower.

Post-lunch time is when my energy levels are at their lowest. That’s when I should schedule a power nap and some walking time. I also have to schedule exciting discovery activities around that time to counter-interact the effects of the insulin spike.

Replacing tea with coffee doesn’t work because I don’t like tea without sugar, which only reinforces the insulin spike and is counter-productive in the long run. 

I don’t want to spend money on decaffeinated alternatives either, because I find it useless and a bit ridiculous to drink that on a daily basis.

Coffee feels like a nootropic, and that’s what I ultimately find addictive about it. Do I really need my brain to be at maximum capacity and over-stimulated all the time though? I don’t think so. It could even be harmful if I’m not careful. Hard to measure, I can only try for myself.

I also noticed I relapse because I feel pressured to perform at my best, which is complicated during the first few days/weeks without coffee because of the withdrawal symptoms. I need to let go of this anxiety by taking time to breathe and limiting my working hours.