With the end of the year comes many stressors — finals, holiday parties, family gatherings, gift shopping and more. We all need a little extra boost of energy to get through sometimes. Coffee is typically our best friend when we need a pick-me-up, but how good of a friend is she? As much as I loved an iced vanilla oat milk latte, I came to realize that coffee was not serving me as well as I thought it was. It spiked my anxiety, kept me up all night, hurt my bank account and sometimes even made me sick… so I stopped drinking it. Crazy, I know. If you’re like me and you want to redefine your relationship with coffee, here are some alternatives you can try that could give you that boost of energy you’re looking for.
- Switch to a different caffeinated drink
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Coffee is typically the first caffeinated drink that comes to mind, but there are plenty of fish in the sea. If you love the idea of having a drink by your side while you start your day or crackdown on work, there are options out there for you! Tea is a great alternative for your morning latte — although it contains less caffeine per cup, it still packs an energetic punch. Cutting out coffee and switching to tea has been instrumental to lessening my anxiety while still having something to sip on throughout my morning to get going. There are a lot of drinks to fuel your switch, like the infamous matcha tea, the sweeter chai tea, a simple homebrew blend, or, my personal favorite, an iced London fog from my local coffee shop. There are also some companies that provide coffee alternatives created with adaptogenic mushrooms, like MUD\WTR and Everyday Dose. There’s a drink for every tastebud.
- Get endorphins from exercising
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There are plenty of benefits from exercising for both your mental and physical health. The beautiful thing about exercise is that it can be defined differently by everyone who participates in it! You can do something as simple as a quick dance session in your room, or something as elaborate as a weekly routine at the gym. Regardless of how you want to exercise, you’ll definitely feel better after doing it. If you’re unable to exercise, you can implement a morning stretching routine with the help of YouTubers like Yoga with Adrienne.
- Try a morning meditation
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If you don’t have the time or ability to implement an exercise routine into your schedule, then meditation may be a great alternative for you. There’s an incredible episode of the Netflix series The Mind Explained on mindfulness that changed my entire outlook on meditation and breathwork practices. Meditation is not only great for your mental space, but it improves your physical wellbeing as well. Practicing meditation has never been easier with the help of mobile apps like Calm and Headspace to guide both amateurs and experts. points for ending your morning session by telling yourself some positive affirmations for an encouraging start to the day.
- Listen to motivating podcasts
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Podcasts are one of the hottest trends of the past decade, and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are plenty of podcasts out to give you that extra boost of motivation that you need. Some podcasts to look into as a starting place are Too Smart for This by Alexis Barber, Unlocking Us with Brené Brown, and The Michelle Obama Podcast. These options offer encouragement or conversations about important life topics. Listen to a podcast of your choice while working or on your way to work or class for meaningful moments with yourself. Chances are you already have a subscription to a service that allows you to listen to podcasts, so this option would come at no extra cost to you.
- Take energy-boosting vitamins
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You can choose to get your energy an entirely noncaffeinated way with supplements that are scientifically proven to give you a boost. Some of the best vitamins for this are ashwagandha and B12, or you can even take melatonin to regulate your sleeping patterns. You can go to your local grocery store and pick up a bottle of the vitamins you’re looking for, or you can subscribe to a service like Ritual or Care/of that ship you a personalized pack of your daily vitamins.
It can be hard to unlearn the habit of drinking coffee, as many of us have relied on it for fuel since our middle school days of after-school Starbucks Frappuccinos. Regardless of your reason for wanting to break up with coffee, whether it’s giving your bank account some room to breathe or cleansing your body from high levels of caffeine, you can try some of these alternatives and see how you feel!