I love coffee and have had a pretty torrid love affair with it for years, sometimes having long separations and then passionate moments of sheer ecstasy. Most recently, coffee has been my friend, something to start my day with, a ritual of sorts. I love the feel of a mug or cup of warm coffee between my hands, the pungent strong aroma, the bold warm taste as it crosses my lips, my tongue and down my throat.
However lately, coffee has become my "frenemy", as it's started making me jittery, have restless sleep or sleepless nights and making my heart and mind race. In being committed to being happy, healthy and hot, I started to see that coffee was a detriment to that commitment and it was time to say goodbye.
Then a friend sent me a blog article by Dr. Andrew Weil called A Life with Tea, about the benefits of Green Tea, and I took that as a sign that it was time to kick coffee to the curb. I swapped coffee for the green tea eleven days ago and haven't looked back.
It wasn't, however without symptoms of withdrawal. Surprisingly, I didn't have any cravings for coffee, my withdrawal symptoms were all physical. Headaches, feeling sluggish in the morning, tired by the end of the day and feeling nauseous and a little achy. It was then that I realized that I was addicted to coffee. After about five days of feeling that way, I noticed that i felt a little calmer, less jittery and the heart palpitations went away.
In the spirit of replacing an old habit with a new one, I've taken on the Chopra Center's 21 day meditation challenge to put that practice back into my life. I invite you to join me in taking on creating a new practice and exploring what transpires.
And there is always decaf coffee if you enjoy the taste. People always seem to forget that its an option...
Posted by: Megan Douglas | 08/19/2010 at 03:45 PM
Love the green tea recommendation. I have started to drink green tea. It was good to meet you weekend 4.
Posted by: Caara | 10/12/2010 at 12:08 PM