| I was famous for my coffee habit. We're talking 20 | | | | Absence of coffee was bad for my mood. |
| mile detours in the Rocky Mountains to get a latte and | | | | The coffee cravings took a full 6 weeks to go - and I |
| taking a stove-top espresso machine camping. | | | | didn't even cheat a teeny bit. |
| And I was famous for how good my coffee was - | | | | And for most of that time, I felt grumpy and miserable, |
| freshly ground organic Colombian beans, brewed just | | | | because I was denying myself something I really loved. |
| right, with no one refusing a second mug. | | | | "Go back on the coffee, then!" I hear you cry. |
| It was safe to say I love the stuff. | | | | It's not as simple as that. Coffee was an addiction for |
| Then, a few months ago, I decided to do something | | | | me. But my need for it wasn't physical, it was |
| silly - give up coffee. Why? To see what would | | | | psychological. |
| happen and whether giving up coffee would make me | | | | Coffee was tied into an emotional need - like a "badge |
| happier. | | | | of honour" whenever things were stressful. |
| I expected the initial withdrawal symptoms - caffeine | | | | The thing is, if we want to break a habit, it's essential to |
| headaches and energy slumps, plus the usual detox | | | | look at why we had the habit in the first place, not just |
| symptoms. But after that I had hoped my energy | | | | what the habit is. |
| levels would bounce back and I'd start feeling healthier, | | | | We have to deal with the need that the habit was |
| happier and generally better for being off the stuff. | | | | satisfying, otherwise we're just entering into a battle of |
| The thing is that it didn't quite work out that way! | | | | willpower. And, chances are, the need will resurface |
| I managed to avoid most of the detox symptoms by | | | | with a new addiction to a different substance or |
| drinking lots of water and fresh juices, but the energy | | | | behaviour. |
| slump went on and on and the impact on my mood | | | | Once you have worked that out - and dealt with it - |
| was unexpected. | | | | then the habit will naturally fall away. Then you're free |
| I had read plenty of research that says caffeine (and | | | | to choose. |
| other coffee ingredients) can be bad for your mood. | | | | And feeling free is the pivot point on your journey |
| For me, it was the other way round. | | | | towards feeling happier. |