1 month caffeine free notes

Thanks for people sharing their experiences and helping me make a decision to eliminate/reduce my own intake. I've gone a month without caffeine after being a 3-6 cups of black coffee a day drinker for probably 10+ years, with occasional breaks of a few days to 1 week. I'm sharing my own experience for others (and for me to remind myself if I need it!).

I have noticed elimination of almost all anxiety (was feeling pretty anxious of things almost every day beforehand). The burden of anxiety was one of the main reasons I decided to experiment going caffeine free, as lately it had just felt burdensome. For me, this was often manifesting as ruminating on and on over some pretty small things. It seems a lot easier now to let things go and just trust things will get sorted out or whenever.

Dreams! Much more vivid, lively dreams. Dreams I can remember waking up. Sleep is more solid and something to look forward to. This whole part of my unconscious seems more alive and healthy.

Much more steady and balanced energy throughout the day. I don't feel as tired in the AM and I still have energy in the afternoons. While drinking coffee heavily, I'd feel absolutely tired waking up and very tired again in the afternoons. Being on caffeine is very much an energy swing, and the habit made me think I needed coffee to have any energy. I'm still working on improving my energy levels with other lifestyle pieces, but the energy balance and general improvement is noticeable. Often my energy felt like I was running on fumes and coffee was helping me get through. Now I'm not in it, I can see what an awful cycle that is to be in.

Clearer-headed and more grounded in general. Less checked out, seems like problems and thoughts are easier to work through. More access to the present and being 'in the moment' in general.

I notice less draw to sugar and simple carbs, especially in afternoons. I'd find myself eating more of these things probably to try and compensate in the lulls of the caffeine energy swings, often somewhat unconsciously.

Stomach and digestion feels better. While drinking a lot of coffee, I often had a nervous, ungrounded feeling in my core pretty much all the time. This has improved.

Feeling more tender with myself in general, physically, mentally, etc. More of my choices seems to be made around the reality of what I actually need, rather than what I think I need to do.

I stopped cold turkey and didn't experience headaches. It hasn't been all easy, I've had some times in the last month where I've been in a depressive funk, whether or not that is related I don't know. Regardless the improvements of my experience overall I'm pretty excited for. Initially I missed the ritual of drinking coffee, but at this point I don't really care or miss it at all.

The deeper work -- Another part of this experience form me has been a subtle sense of "waking up". The swing and rhythm of heavy coffee consumption had been shutting down or obscuring certain parts of my experience, some of which I've already outlined and some of which is so experiential it's hard to articulate. A lot to explore and to learn here, and a sense of reclaiming subtle parts of my experience that seemed simply lost to getting older, or whatever.

Anyway, if you have a significant caffeine habit and certain things about your daily life rhythm aren't working for you, I'd recommend giving a lengthy break a try!