Everyone knows the saying “America Runs on Dunkin,” however, I truly believe that I run on coffee. I drink coffee in the morning to wake up, in the middle of the day for a little pick me up, and even a cappuccino for dessert because coffee is ~literally my life~. I love the taste, the smell, and the energy it gives me. If you haven’t been able to tell, I am really passionate about coffee. However, all this caffeine isn’t healthy and I am trying to start a new ~healthy lifestyle~. So here is what happened when I gave up coffee for a week:
Day 1:
The first day began with a rough start because I was still exhausted from the weekend and all I wanted was an iced coffee with skim milk ASAP. Instead I went to the gym and got an acai bowl, which was so unlike me. It was fine and I felt healthy afterwards but I was still exhausted. I was tired the rest of the day and even got a headache towards the end. I was actually going through caffeine withdrawal… it was terrible. The struggle was real.
Day 2:
Unfortunately, the following day was not much better. Although I woke up relatively early and went to the gym, I was still very tired. I went to Dunkin because I like to torture myself – as if giving up coffee wasn’t torture already! I got a hot chocolate because I thought it might replace coffee but it didn’t. I was tired the rest of the day and needed to take a nap.
Day 3:
I started to have some relief from my exhaustion by the third day. I felt energized throughout the day and did not feel like I needed coffee as soon as I woke up. I had two classes, one of them being a turbo. Although it was weird not having coffee to get me through, I was remarkably fine. However, I did miss the taste of coffee, sigh.
Day 4:
On the fourth day I caved and got a coffee. I was done with feeling tired and I felt immediately better and re-energized after. I learned that giving up something that is normally part of your daily routine is really hard and not practical. In order to give something up, I recommend doing it in small doses instead of giving it up cold turkey.
Day 5:
After my slip up the day before, I was really determined to stay strong and resist the temptation of coffee. I did not have class today so I got to sleep in, which meant that I wasn’t tired throughout the day! I was also really excited because it is the weekend! I felt energized and ready to relax! Overall, the day was fine without my usual caffeine fix. Weekend and coffee here I come!
I was surprised by how tired I was without coffee and how much I relied on it to get through the day. I was almost embarrassed by how much I needed it. I think in the future I will give up coffee for good, but I don’t think college is the right time. Whether it’s staying up late on the weekends, waking up early for class, or pulling all-nighters for homework, I need to be alert. So, I am happy to say that coffee and I rekindled our relationship, but we are taking things slow. I decided to reduce my coffee intake to one cup a day and hopefully one day give it up for good. But until then, you can catch me at a Starbucks near you.