How I quit coffee, Traditional Medicinals, and #handstand365 Day 11

  My body forced me to get healthy and pay better attention to my food choices.  It pretty much threw a proverbial fit and sat on the floor and refused to move like an angry and exhausted toddler.   Otherwise I probably would still be downing pots of coffee each day.  I am thankful, in hindsight of course, that I hit bottom and had to make the changes I have made although I am sorry I didn't listen to my brilliant body sooner.  One of the things I have done to change has been to give up caffeine.  I know it sounds CRAZY  to give up the life blood coffee but it is doable and actually I feel so much better than when I was coffeeing it up every day. 

  Everything I read about adrenal fatigue said to give up coffee.......give up coffee.....give up coffee.  In the beginning it was like giving up water.  It was like giving up a close friend whom I loved.  It was like giving up a life raft that I thought was holding me afloat.  I felt tired all the time and the coffee gave me a boost.   But then I would crash and need another cup and another and so forth.  In hindsight, it was so worth it to quit.  It wasn't my friend nor my life raft at all.  It was holding me back. 

   I won't candy coat this. During the first few days it was indeed hell.   I had nasty headaches, was cranky, to put it mildly, and emotional.   I decided that cutting back to start with was best.  It took many tries to actually be able to say I have given up caffeine.  I would say that it took about a month to give it up completely.   I say caffeine because I don't even drink tea and certainly no energy drinks from a can, of which I used to like very much in my silly exhausted past.

  It was time for some overall personal change and it wasn't just letting go of caffeine.  It was a stopping of the glorification of busy.  I don't have to get it all done.  The things I think I have to get done are really all arbitrary expectations I put on myself and in the grand scheme of things I took away so much time from myself  pushing too hard and not valuing rest when my body finally said "knock it off bitch!".  So, I finally listened to my brilliant body. 

  Ok, back to coffee.  I still like the comfort of drinking something in the morning.   Everyday I drink lemon water in the mornings.  Its often warm lemon water.  Typically its  a large 32 ounce glass of lemon water with a pinch of sea salt.  Lemon water gets your body ready for digestion and breaking your fast.  The sea salt replenishes some electrolytes of which help the water to enter your cells to hydrate as well as gives you a bit of minerals.   

 I have always loved to sit and drink something warm in the mornings and warm lemon water doesn't always hit the spot.   I wanted something different and more comforting.  

I drank Mothers Milk tea by Traditional Medicinals when I was pregnant with all of my sons.  I drank a lot of that tea as I nursed for a very long time!   I adore that tea and it did help me when I was having milk production issues.  

  Traditional Medicinals sent me a selection to try out just recently and I love all that they sent me.  They sent me these samples that I love and I am not being paid for this endorsement I just really like this company! 

   It was perfect timing to discover the Roasted Dandelion Root tea.  The Superhero was drinking his coffee and I was feeling tired and that coffee smelled soooo good.   I was really tempted and almost caved even though I know that caffiene will make me feel horrid with heart palpitations and the jitters.  While he was drinking his said cup of coffee I got this box of tea in the mail.  The universe gave me what I needed just when I needed it.  I love it when that happens!

  In particular the Roasted Dandelion Tea is relevant to the quitting coffee theme of this post.   It has a nice light bitter flavor and the roasted flavor is so much like coffee.  Granted it is not like a dark roast but of  a light roast.  I don't even put honey or chocolate in it although both would be delish.  

  Not only is the dandelion tea tasty it is also really good for you too.  " It gets the juices flowing, gently stimulates the liver and supports healthy digestion.  It helps your body’s natural detoxification process by helping your body break down fats during digestion and carry away waste."
 Perfect for drinking with breakfast or any time of the day. 

Besides my bees love dandelions so don't spray nasty weed killer on your lawns!  Think of the beauty and the bees that love dandelions.  Bees know best don't ya know!

So, if you are still not convinced that you should try letting go of coffee for a while here are some tips to help you out.

• say you are quitting out loud.  Post it to Facebook, write a blog about it, tell your friends, so you can be held accountable.  Its a great motivator and source of support.
• Its not permanent. You can go back to drinking coffee anytime you want but give yourself a chance and set a goal and stick to it and then reevaluate.  I bet you will stick with feeling better.
• Don't try to find something to replace coffee.  Nothing can replace coffee.  It is wonderful stuff and trying to replace it will only make you hate what you are replacing it with.   Just think of liking something new and take what you can get from it.   Its not like I would choose warm lemon water over coffee if they were equals but feeling great and not being addicted to something is worth more than the flavor.  
• Try different drinks in the morning to see how they make you feel.  I like kombucha in the mornings too.   Try different brands of teas.  Yogi teas are wonderful too. 
• drink lots of water throughout the day.  Stay hydrated while you go through the tough transition.  Its not about replacing coffee with water but it is still very important to stay hydrated.  That water is flushing out toxins. 
• I had to get up in the middle of the night to add this one after I had posted this the first time!  Get upside down.  Handstand, headstand, downward facing dog is cosidered an inversion too.  It changes your perspective and gives a great boost of energy and only takes a minute or two.
•  be kind to yourself.  Be kind to others.  It takes the edge off.

 Today was Day 11 of the #handstand365 challenge.  Even though I am really busy trying to get rid of stuff I can still find a few minutes to get outside and play!   Not a lot of hang time today and I wasn't feeling it like I was yesterday but I still got a couple seconds here and there.  Good enough for me!

  Have you quit caffeine?  Got any tips or tricks of your own?  What drinks do you like in the morning?  If you are quitting, YOU CAN DO THIS!!! IT GETS BETTER, I PROMISE!!!

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Cheers,
Angie Bee