How do I kick caffeine?
AIt’s a toughie, isn’t it? A real humdinger. Quitting a five-a-day coffee habit can, like parenting a pair of rambunctious ne’er-do-wells, lead to headaches, low mood, fuzziness around the edges, and a bunch of other tricky symptoms. Those who’ve done it crow about their new-found focus and health and happiness, because of course they do, but they conveniently miss out that three-week period where everything was black and they wanted to punch people.
Guru’s first suggestion would be to use an app to track your progress. Many will find the most success in rolling their own spreadsheet or hammering the Notes app, since a lot of dedicated apps are somewhat iffy; one, which GaGu won’t name, offers to sell you several packages of ‘unique and incredible images’ to aid in distracting you away from the demon bean. They’re £2 a pop. Makes Starbucks seem reasonable.
Strides (iOS only) is a fantastic habit tracker and, if you’re selfmotivated enough to start the quitting process, it might be just the thing to keep you on track. On Android, Loop does a similar job.
Even once you’ve weaned yourself down, getting through the first few caffeine-free days is going to take some mental sharpening; meditation can work, as can a nice soothing head massage. May Guru suggest the lovely Therabody SmartGoggles (£174)? Pop ’em on when you need them, and you’ll soon wonder why you ever needed a triple espresso to get through the morning.
Strides is a fantastic habit tracker and, if you’re selfmotivated enough, it might be the thing to keep you on track