On Coffee and Writing

7 Days Of Quitting Coffee, What Was I Thinking?

7 Days of Quitting Coffee With Surprising Results At The End

Lately, I have been getting these headaches, not the kind that I am accustomed to, you know the usual headaches which I attribute to working too much on the laptop. I am a writer and as a writer, I am usually lost in time when I start to write on my laptop.

My headaches usually begin with an eye strain and end up as a headache. This year is the year as far as I can remember when I have been either feeling either fatigued or have experienced flu-like symptoms very often. When the headache was becoming so unreal, I decided to start a program that I call the “ 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge” What was I thinking? One would ask,

During this pandemic I have become more observant and curious about myself, and the things I can accomplish. I am using this time to be more self-observant rather than to be self-absorbed.

With the threat of the coronavirus and headache being one of the symptoms, I have to consider everything first before I even think that I could have been infected with the coronavirus, without any other symptoms, I decided to find out what is causing these headaches.

Please see my note at the end of this article, as one should take the coronavirus seriously and seek medical help if needed.

For the last 5 years, I have been on either the keto diet, the low carb diet, or OMAD, the one meal a day diet, but as the pandemic continues, there are days when it causes me to feel some anxiety. I have been eating carbs, not at the level of the normal American diet, but it can no longer be considered a low carb diet much more a keto diet, but who cares everyone needs to deal and cope with the pandemic in a way he alone can fully understand, so keto dieters don’t judge me as I don’t judge anyone for doing whatever makes them happy as we all struggle to make sense of what is happening in our world today.

So I made a closer look at my diet and eating habits and since the lockdown began, I have been drinking cups and cups of coffee. From the usual two or three cups of coffee, I was surprised to be drinking four or five cups of coffee throughout the day.

Coffee drinking is aa habit I learned early in life, from my parents who are both coffee drinkers. As an adult, coffee has been at the centerpiece of my friendships and romantic relationships. My first date always begins inside a coffee shop, because I believe, anything can be talked about over a cup of coffee, so if the guy happens to be a non-coffee drinker, I always walk away from him. It is simply non-negotiable.

Because of the lockdown, there is really little left to do especially when I am done writing, and if I don’t want to watch another series or movie on Netflix, or laugh at some silly videos I find on Facebook or Youtube, I have been experimenting, yes doing challenges, some are my own ideas, but some simply to put some structure back into my life like the 100 days of Code challenge, which by the way I am on track to finish, but I will reserve that for another story.

Thank you Alexander Kallaway, you have inspired me to go all the way and finish the #100daysofcode challenge.

So, voila I came up with my own challenge, the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge.

Here what happened next,

On Day 1

As soon as I woke up, still with a headache, I almost didn’t want to start the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge, having coffee is a habit and a hard habit to break. I was throwing a tantrum, like a baby who needs some attention and I needed my coffee badly.

Luckily, I also started meditating, and after my meditation, I was calm. I felt I have to do this, just to rule out if coffee or caffeine is causing the headache. So instead of coffee, I settled for a hot lemon water drink.

Throughout the day, I was drinking hot lemon water instead of coffee and ate anything and everything I wanted, just to focus on one thing that I can’t have and that is my reward to keep myself motivated on conquering the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge.

I survived the first day and thought to myself that wasn’t that bad but with the congratulatory remark the realization that I still have the headaches and at this point, it was a cause of deep concern. I was able to sleep earlier than usual as I didn’t have the late coffee I am used to and I can’t be on my laptop as it exacerbates the headaches.

On Day 2

The headache was still persistent, what is odd about this headache if you asked me on the pain scale of 1 to 10, I would say it was only a 4 but it stopped me from doing anything on the laptop, so while I was thinking it was my eyes, deep inside I knew it was more. Again I drank hot lemon water throughout the day, so instead of cups and cups of coffee, it was a day of hot lemon water.

Usually, the first two days are the hardest if you have done fasting, a test of will if I may say, but the rewards come after you have finished 48-hour fasting and in this case, I have gone two days without coffee.

On Day 3

It is usually on the third day of any 7-day challenge when you feel settled, it can be the breaking point of forming a new habit, it has always been my conscious thought whenever I do fasting, that if I get to the third day, I will be able to do more, the longest fast I did was 7-day water fast, the caveat here is one should be prepared before you embark on fasting but the benefits of fasting have been widely talked about by doctors especially by Dr. Jason Fung.

The headache hasn’t disappeared, but I continue with the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge.

On Day 4

With the lingering headache, I am beginning to be concerned about what if there is more to the headache but now it is also possible it is caffeine withdrawal, which I have read before could happen in some people, doing away with coffee cold turkey is now a possibility as to why the headache won’t go away.

I just stayed on with the program, the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge, I continue to drink hot lemon water throughout the day, it was also 4 days being away on my laptop.

On Day 5

I can’t still let myself open my laptop as the headache becomes more pronounced, so I just pushed myself more, I keep telling myself two more days, just two more days of the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge. On the fifth day, I wasn’t looking for my morning coffee anymore.

On Day 6

I noticed when I woke up, I was feeling better, not at 100 percent where I wanted to be, partly maybe I was also stressing out with the things left undone that requires work on the laptop. But, for now, my health was far more important than work. I decided to continue with the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge. I am a day shy away and I was more committed, I can almost taste victory, the fulfillment of being able to finish it is the only thought I had for the day.

On Day 7

Yey, I said to myself when I woke up. I made it and on the 7th day of the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge, the lingering headache was gone, and now the question I presented to myself was, Should I continue life without coffee?

As the day passed and my body fully recovered from the headaches which have been there even before I started the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge. I took the courage to open the laptop, imagine seven days have passed, the longest I have been away on the computer, and the first thing that popped on my email is a request from an editor of a photography section of a national daily to come up with an article about photography and how the pandemic has affected the lives of photographers.

So the dilemma was real, I try to craft an article, and while I started to do some research as I always do when I write, I noticed something was off, I was dumbfounded that what is missing as I write is the inspiration, I asked myself a question and that is,

Should I? Should I make myself a cup of coffee?

Wow, the struggle was real, seriously it boiled into choosing to stop the challenge, so I calmed myself, midnight was just around the corner, I decided that if I will have a cup of coffee, it has to be past midnight just to complete the full seven days of the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge.

I guess by now, you know what happened next …

I prepared myself a pour-over coffee, and I was giddy, happy, and excited. I never imagined how a cup of coffee can elicit that range of emotions. The aroma, the joy of seeing the black liquid pouring slowly into my mug.

As the clock strikes at midnight, I took a sip and coffee didn’t taste this good, and it was like seeing an old friend, as with any real friendship there wasn’t any judgment, it was letting me savor the moment, the quiet moment when feelings can no longer be expressed by the English language and I took the last sip, I know in my heart and in my mind, I made the right decision.

Words started flowing in my head, and on my notebook, I started writing, I finished the photography article and I submitted it to the editor.

My mind is fully awake, I simply took the moment, to say gratitude to the coffee, that it let me go when I thought I needed to go, like true love it was waiting for me to come back, in my own time.

I can never be sure what caused the headaches, though I am also happy to have completed the 7 Days of Quitting Coffee Challenge, but seriously, What was I thinking?

If you are feeling sick lately and are manifesting symptoms especially shortness of breath, please see a doctor, my own experience is not necessarily a piece of medical advice. Thank you.