If you're a caffeine addict, chances are your drink of habit is coffee. Just its smell is almost enough to wake you up! But you also crave the rush of energy. Yes, caffeine is addictive. Caffeine withdrawal is now actually in the DSM-5, the official directory of mental illness! Though the withdrawal is really physical, it can have mental effects, including depression, anger, and lethargy. In this article we'll cover ways to get off of caffeine without headaches and withdrawal symptoms.
1. Taper slowly with decaf. Ten days is a good amount of time. Replace 10% of your coffee per day with decaf or herbal coffee such as Teecino.
2. Go to bed earlier. If you're getting enough sleep, you won't need so much caffeine.
3. Try adrenal supplements. Licorice and ginseng support your adrenal glands, which are stressed and weakened by coffee and stress--it's a vicious circle. The condition is known as adrenal fatigue. If you give the adrenals some support (try three months' worth) they'll strengthen. If you feel severely fatigued, visit a holistic/integrative doctor for testing on your thyroid and adrenals.
4. Meditation is a great natural high. Mindfulness meditation can put you in touch with your feelings, and you might find you prefer them without stimulants. As you build up positive emotions through meditation, you'll feel clearer minded and energetic without coffee.
5. Try the Emotional Freedom Technique, a series of tapping points. It's an energy medicine proven to work. Start with tapping on "even though I need coffee to wake up and work... " (if you're not familiar, a Google search will turn up many sources of info, as will YouTube).
6. Exercise. It will give you natural energy and stimulate natural opiate receptors.
7. Journal. Keep a journal of your caffeine intake. Note how you are without coffee.
8. If you can resist temptation, you can still enjoy the smell of coffee by sitting in a coffee shop. If you can't resist, then stay away.
9. As soon as you wake up, do something to distract yourself from thinking about coffee.
10. Use other caffeine drinks while you're tapering, such as green tea. This will get you away from depending on coffee, while reducing caffeine.
11. Yerba mate is a superfood that can provide energy without jitteriness.
12. Reward yourself every day of the time you spend cutting down, with a bigger reward at the end. These can be free, such going to a place you enjoy, watching a show, any little indulgence you normally deny yourself. Addiction feeds the brain's reward center, but so do other treats.
You will feel much freer once you're not dependent on a drug to get through the day.
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Beat-Caffeine-Addiction&id=7926028
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