Today is my fifth day off coffee (and any caffeine -- so chocolate is off limits -- sad face). Today, while I craved it a little bit, I resisted without much issue. Then again, I overindulged on carbs, possibly to make up for the lack of satiety in terms of caffeine cravings. Do I want chocolate and coffee right in this moment? Not particularly. The most prominent effect of having gone caffeine free (aside from the headaches, which have dissipated by this point for the most part) has been the reduction in stress and anxiety level. Although I still feel more anxious than anticipated, it's different than the caffeine-induced kind of anxiety that I have experienced over the past few months when being hooked on it. My thoughts are not racing to the same extent.
When I went to work on Tuesday (which was the fourth day of withdrawal), I felt a surge in anxiety along with an overall downgrading of my overall sense of well being. I felt unwell. While I think I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms, I know work stress was another component to my not feeling great. Today, I still feel a bit groggy, but it's not as bad as yesterday. Last night, I had a natural electrolyte drink (made of lemon, honey, and sea salt), which I found helpful to improving some vertigo and headache symptoms I was experiencing.
Some benefits I have noticed from eliminating caffeine from my life in just this short time frame has been an increase in restfulness. If I'm reading, I decompress and drift off easily. I am able to nap for the first time in so long. This is the old me. Caffeine just charges me beyond normalcy and gives me an unnecessary jolt, making me feel uncomfortably restless, despite making efforts to relax, like reading. It revs me up unnaturally and puts my body on overdrive, thereby stressing my already naturally nervous tendencies. It feels so much better to be able to naturally give into my body's craving for rest. It feels like I'm doing my body good, and that is enough motivation to make me continue forward.
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