Caffeine — a lesson on mindful consumption

I’ve been diving into herbal replacements for coffee because I’ve known for a while caffeine doesn’t agree with me. I actually decided to look up what caffeine is. It is categorized as a drug because it “stimulates the central nervous system, causing increased alertness.” It is also said to stimulate the brain. Which yes is something we need. But as someone with anxiety and an overstimulated nervous system, I really don’t need much. And if I’m being honest, coffee does feel like an addiction.

If I’m exhausted to the point I need to be “drugged” to stay awake, then guzzling coffee is certainly not going to improve my health and wellbeing. And my chronic fatigue does not stem from a nervous system and brain that isn’t active. I need balanced support in all my body systems to keep things flowing and functioning optimally.

Now, I do have a history of chronic migraine and caffeine is said to be helpful in that case but at the end of the day too much of anything isn’t good for you. Even with herbs I avoid consuming anything in large, continual quantities. We want to be in balance which means variety is the spice of life and an excellent way to ensure our bodies have what they need.

I’m also trying to get away from a restricting mindset. Rather than focusing solely on what I need less of, I’m considering what I need more of and how I can work it into my life. So I could replace a few cups of coffee a week with an herbal tea blend, or I could just add them into my routine, and it’s still making progress.

When we try to make changes in our life with an “all or nothing” mindset or fear making a mistake, we shame ourselves to stay where we are. Then nothing gets better. We don’t need to be perfect or experts. We simply need to try.

Stay tuned because I have been perfecting a delicious blend of herbal “coffee” that will be available soon. It’s an excellent spring tonic that gets things moving in our body which increases alertness more sustainably.