Tea time
Not too long ago, I wrote about self-love and (my undying love for) coffee. Well, as surprising as it might sound, I managed to change my love for coffee to purely platonic. For over a month now – and it is only now I dare to publish this – I haven’t been drinking coffee. At least not the normal, proper, functional, caffeinated one. There, I said it. I am equally as shocked as you are. And even more so since it wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be, and it felt great.
The key to success for me was understanding my whys. Why do I love coffee so much? It is warm, it tastes like roasted, milky heaven (yes, I know, cappuccino for me, please), and it helps me adult so authentically that even I believe that “yes, we can”. Why am I so hesitant to let it go? Well, um... the adulting part is kinda important, right? And finally – if it works so well for me, why the hell do I even want to make a change? Jokes aside now – if it starts to influence your sleep, if you wake up tired more often than not, and if it takes three days for the coffee high to wash out entirely, even a less insightful observer can figure out you probably should.
“I may be an adult, but I’m really more of an adult cat. Someone should probably take care of me, but I can sorta make it on my own.”
Coffee or not, there still was the adulting part. So I decided to put in all on red and trust the powers of tea. The most important factor (in comparison to coffee) is that the energy boost is more gradual. And so is the drop. Thanks to that, tea helps avoid the initial rush (and twitching) and then the steep drop afterwards. There are many other health benefits to it as well. To list just some, these are the benefits of green tea – as an example – that are generally known and documented most widely:
It is an excellent source of antioxidants and a helping tool in getting your body rid of toxins.
It is said to improve brain function, memory, and learning.
It boosts immunity and has anti-inflammatory properties.
It supports weight loss and body fat reduction.
Lowers cholesterol levels and helps in the prevention of various heart diseases and types of cancer.
Hydration. :) We are basically just house plants with more complicated emotions, after all.
Yes, I still have my moments. Just like any other addict in recovery, I sometimes think maybe I’d have one cup when I feel down. Just one, you know? Just this one time. This hug in a mug. Liquid warmth. Survival juice. Nectar of the gods. Just this one time... but then, nah. You’re tempting, my dear caffeinated friend, and while I still love you dearly, I will keep doing that from a distance. The thing is, self-love is not just taking care of yourself through pleasure and indulgences. More often than not, it’s about taking care of yourself by keeping your boundaries and discipline. And every time I talk myself out of breaking my tea streak, I feel the self-love pouring in more than before. However hard it might be to believe, it is a better fuel for me than coffee.
