Why I’m Quitting Coffee And How It’s Going After Two Weeks

It’s a snowy Sunday morning. My office is warm and cozy; the space heater is running, and I’m curled up on my office chair with sweats and a blanket. Next to me, steam emanates from my fresh cup of….decaf coffee. 

Coffee and Me: A History

Coffee became a part of my daily ritual when I was seventeen. As a barista, I had access to free coffee during my shift, so, naturally, I drank coffee the entire time. I also learned all the tips, tricks, and secrets to the intricacies of coffee. 

A surprising amount of science and art goes into your favorite latte. How you make a drink or brew the beans has a major effect on taste, quality, and even the amount of caffeine. Early in my coffee drinking days I became a supporter of French Press coffee and pour-overs because both styles deliver on caffeine. Both contain more amounts than a cup of drip coffee or a shot of espresso. 

On average, I’ve consumed 6-8 cups of coffee a day for the past 9 years. That’s roughly 19,710 cups. Most of those cups were extra caffeinated thanks to french-presses and pour-overs. Keep in mind, this doesn’t even count the Monsters I’d drink on long drives or long days in the classroom. 

So, yeah, I’ve had a lot of coffee (and caffeine) in my time. I’d like to think I rival the Gilmore Girls at this point. 

At the start of the new year, I made the decision to go from 6-8 cups of coffee a day, to zero cups a day. I’ve been caffeine free for two weeks, and it’s one of my better life decisions.

Why I Decided to Switch to Decaf Coffee

If I’m being honest, I’ve known for a while that coffee and I needed to split. It was a great relationship in the beginning. We supported one another and spent quality time with one another. Coffee made me a better person; it allowed me to be the best version of myself. 

Things felt different between us the past couple of years, though. I noticed that I didn’t feel great when we spent a lot of time together. I felt torn apart and jittery and sometimes left with a raging headache. But I was dependent, and I didn’t want to lose this beautiful thing we had. 

Then 2020 happened, and that was no time for a breakup of this level. We clung to each other through the ups and downs of pandemic life. I largely attribute my ability to withstand unemployment and teaching during a pandemic to my relationship with coffee. 

But one wintry morning, about a month ago, I was sipping coffee by the Christmas tree, and I just knew. I stared into my warm cup, steam hitting my face, and one thought kept popping into my head. I don’t like who I am with you anymore.

For months, I’d been experiencing almost constant anxiety and the occasional panic attack. While I’d experienced a rare panic attack in college, I never knew that level of anxiety. Truthfully, 2021 was one of the hardest years of my life because I’ve never struggled so much with my mental health. Eventually I reached a point where I had to decide: do I accept this, or do I try to be better? 

I decided to try and be better. This fall I started therapy and went through a long process of getting diagnosed with a couple of mental health conditions (more on that later). I was also on the lookout for practical approaches. While there is no “fix” for my mental health, cutting out coffee and caffeine was a practical way to make daily life a little better. 

I made my first cup of decaf two weeks ago, at the beginning of January. I haven’t looked back.

How I feel After Switching to Decaf (Two Weeks in)

The first day was difficult, and that’s sugar-coating how I actually felt. Surprisingly, gratefully, I didn’t have any of the withdrawal symptoms that I expected, like a headache or feeling overly fatigued. But the non-caffeinated demon emerged and was short and snippy with most people that day. My brain also failed to focus on anything.

After a few days, I started to adjust. I noticed more natural energy and found it was easier to get up and get going in the morning. For the first time in a while, life felt slow. My bloodstream previously sped through me at light speed, but now my body felt calm.

Two weeks in, the calm has continued and my anxiety has reduced. While my anxiety isn’t gone, it doesn’t have control over my day. The voice is small enough that I can choose to ignore it most of the time, and that’s a significant improvement. 

Giving up caffeine was a hard decision, but in two-weeks I’ve noticed improvements in my mood, energy, and mental health. For now, I plan on sticking with this change, but can I still be a Gilmore Girl please?

CHECK OUT MY RECENT POSTS

• Visit Arizona: Explore, Hike, and Discover Scottsdale, Sedona and More!
• Getting Diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety as an Adult Woman: Mental Health Matters
• REVIEW: The Layover by Lacie Waldon
• March Mini Reviews: Olga Dies Dreaming and The Golden Couple
• February Mini Reviews: The Vanishing Half, Reckless Girls, A Slow Fire Burning