It has become a social norm to grab a cup of coffee before heading to either work or class. Nothing feels more satisfying than walking into your favorite coffee shop, ordering your favorite iced latte and waiting for your name to be called. I swear the atmosphere alone makes me want to stay longer and enjoy the natural sound of people talking and classic jazz music filling the air. However, sometimes having a cup of coffee a day can lead to you being too dependent on coffee to get you through the day. Once our body gets used to relying on caffeine, we can become addicted to it.
Now, I can only speak for myself as someone who would deliberately wake up half an hour earlier to grab my favorite Dunkin’ Donuts vanilla iced latte. I felt like it helped me get through the many hours of the day that involved classes, studying, papers, quizzes, etc. and if I was without my coffee, I become cranky and sleepy. I noticed my mood shifted when I didn’t have that extra amount of sugar in my system each morning. This is when I realized…I drank way too much coffee in a day.
So I started to gradually change my habits and drink more Starbucks. I know what you’re thinking, “uh, how does this solve the coffee problem?” Well, drinking a coffee here and there is fine when you’re doing it in moderation. The fact that I would get headaches if I skipped my trip to the coffee shop was a major sign that my body is telling me it relies on this liquid. So I started small and took baby steps. I noticed that Starbucks’ iced skinny vanilla latte was a great alternative from my usual Dunkin’ Donuts vanilla latte order because amount of calories is significantly smaller and the amount of sugar is way lower. Pretty much any drink from any coffee shop can be modified to your liking while still being a little healthier.
Anyways, after a while I started to drink less coffee and I gained my energy from working out, keeping hydrated, eating a little better and getting more sleep. These small things really do help out a lot. If I feel the need to stay up a little later to finish an assignment, I drink a small zero calorie energy drink, which is not the best thing, but I am no longer reliant on coffee to keep me motivated to get through the day.
