Going without the spice of life ...
Welcome to "Two Weeks Without," where Yours Truly goes without an item for a certain amount of time and reports back with the possible benefits (or disadvantages) of that particular item. This time, I went without eating coffee.
These past two weeks I have found that I am addicted to three things: chicken nuggets, Pinterest, and coffee. After much thought, I have realized that there could be worse things to be addicted to, but nevertheless, I have a problem. After trying to go without meat for three days, I ate a 10-piece chicken nugget meal and had to deal with the feelings of failure. After going 24 hours without coffee, I caved and had a cup, completely forgetting that I was trying to go without it.
But what was I to do, Your Honor? We went over to a close friend's house, and she always has amazing coffee. It was a French press. There were IKEA mugs involved. Can I plead the fifth?
By the time I realized I had made a mistake and drunk the sweet, sweet nectar of the gods, I was about 80 percent of the way done with my cup. Yes, it was when this lovely coffee goddess/hostess mentioned the chicken nugget fiasco that I realized I was holding the same thing I was supposed to avoid this time. This is how I must have looked:
Courtesy of giphy.com
You're probably wondering if I came clean about the coffee. Absolutely not ... Even after she mentioned my past mistakes and was talking about how difficult it was to go without things. And talked about how she couldn't do it herself. She didn't ask what I was going without this week, so I didn't mention it. My husband was even sitting right next to me and he did not say a word, so either he did not realize what I was doing or he was supporting my decision.
What happened next? It just got worse.
I have heard that there is a nationwide phenomenon that women experience when they walk into any Target, anywhere across the country. They have an out-of-body experience, and Target tells them what to buy. They are finally jolted back to reality when they hear the astronomical total of their cart at the register. This is what it was like for me to be in a coffee shop these past two weeks.
I would walk in thinking: "I am going to get an iced black tea, no water, with sweetener. It is gonna be great, and it will caffeinate me." I would cross the threshold of the heavenly caffeine brewery, black out, and wake up back outside with a caramel macchiato in my hands. This happened three times.
Courtesy of JayRhoads Photography
What did I notice on the days I didn't have coffee?
I drank tea most of these two weeks, which I noticed kept me going at a calmer pace. It also didn't have the yawn-inducing crash that coffee causes. I was awake and relaxed, to the point that I would notice it throughout the day.
I also had a much easier time sleeping these past two weeks. Not only was it easy to get to sleep, but it was also easy to stay asleep. When I drink coffee regularly, I usually sit up at night with my mind going a mile a minute, but that wasn't the case without coffee.
Courtesy of tenor.com
Here are the cons of going without coffee:
Macchiato. Cappuccino. Latte. Affogato. No, I'm kidding. There was only one truly bad thing I noticed about going without coffee. When I had a big day ahead of me, I felt like I didn't have the energy I usually had to take care of all the things I had to handle.
So I learned this these past two weeks: Every once in a while people should take a break from that lovely caffeinated substance. It will reset your body and lower your tolerance, which may also save your wallet. Tea is a good substitute – even though it isn't as strong, it still gets the people going.
Courtesy of tenor.com
So excuse me while I go to visit a coffee shop.
Are you a coffee or tea person? Have you ever gone without coffee? If so, for how long? How did it make you feel? What else should I try in this new OCN series? Tell me in the comments!
Check back in two weeks to see how I handle going without sensible shoes!
