Ah Caffeine, My Fair Weather Friend...

 Every morning, I like to start my day with a cup or two of Fire Side Hot Toddy black tea, that I get from a local place near my home (berteas.com) . It's a perfect way to wake up, and it gently gives me energy to start the day's tasks. After that, I generally stick to water, my Stur electrolyte drink, or some decaf tea. 

Well, most days. When I'm mindful and remember that....

Caffeine is my fair weather friend. 

Having chronic fatigue, one would assume that caffeine is a cure-all for most people. Until it's almost 2 am, and I'm up writing a blog post, because...

Caffeine is my fair weather friend.

Oh she's sweet in the morning. But like a cat, if you give her too much attention, she will raise her fur at you and swat at your hand.

Or keep you awake when you should be asleep. 

I need to mention that I had this can of Sparkling Ice with Caffeine at 12:30 pm. I drank about half the can and finished it about 1:30pm (I'm a sipper). Most adults my age stop caffeine after 2 or 3 pm, and can still rest at night. And yet, I was able to 'nap' a little at bedtime and woke up at 12:30 AM, ready to take on the day. 

And so I am eating popcorn and drinking spring water and sitting beside a very confused dog. 

I remember when I worked, I lived off caffeine. I did what I had to do to get through the workday. I would drink another black tea before leaving for work (in addition to my cup in the morning), and usually take caffeine pills or drink a caffeinated pop while on shift. It's no wonder I crashed and burned; I was going about dealing with CFS all wrong! 

Chronic fatigue and other chronic illnesses require us to slow down, not speed up. The only way to get better and go back to living life outside of bed or our favorite armchair is to do a little...take a break....do a little...take a break... meanwhile, nourishing our bodies with healthy foods and hydrating with water.

Slowing down is hard, and goes against everything we know about how to cope. We are in a microwave-ready world...zap it just a few minutes, and it's done. Or, pop the pill, and you're good to go. But, once we learn that the only way to health is by slowing down, we finally are on the path we need to be on to living our best life. (and heads up: this new life will most likely look a little different than your life before chronic illness...but that's ok, and that's for another blog post, so keep reading... :) ) 

So, what about you? When do you stop drinking caffeine in a day? Does it seem to help? And if you are local (or shop online!), check out my friend Carol at Bertea's. She's super sweet and has helped me immensely find teas that I am not allergic too (I have several food allergies, including coffee, which is why I began my hunt for great teas several years ago!!) And she has a whole line of decaf teas as well as caffeinated. 

I'm also typing this without my glasses, so, hopefully, the typos are minimal! I forgot to grab them off my bedside table! 

Until next time, drink some water, and take a deep breath. You're gonna be her a while with this slowed down life, but that's ok. I'm sitting down with you; you are not alone! 

Maria

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So Much More Than Tired

 Hello!! This is my first post in a (hopefully) encouraging blog about living life with chronic fatigue and pain. I'm Maria, I am 44 years old, and I struggle with chronic fatigue and pain. But that is not all of who I am. I am a wife, a mother, a sister, daughter, and friend...I am an avid reader, I am a digital farmer (by this I mean I play farming video games!), I love most things music and especially love acapella music...but I'm learning that I love the drums too. I love decluttering and tidying, and am trying my hand at some artsy stuff like watercolors and card-making.  I formerly was a library assistant, and I loved my job. Being around all of those books, helping people find their next book series, even dealing with some visibly sad patrons and helping them smile; I enjoyed helping people. My heart and my love for encouraging people hasn't diminished with my energy levels.  I'm learning that I may be a 'highly sensitive person', both emotionally and li...
Read more

Small, Achievable Goals

 Life doesn't stop or slow down, especially when we physically need to. Things still need to be done, and sometimes, that can be overwhelming. Something I am trying, is to make small, achievable goals for each day. This is how I do it:  I get my weekly planner out. Immediately I think of everything I want or need to do that week. I want to downsize my Google Photos (because I'm running out of space), so on that list is to go through a year of photos each week. I need to homeschool my son, so on that list is each individual subject for him. I need to make appointments and cancel appointments, and on the list that goes. I want to go to a library crafting event, so I add that on there. Sometimes, if I end of thinking of a lot of stuff I want to get done, I will add some stuff onto the next week. There are some journaling things I want to try, and some minor decluttering projects I want to do, and I know those will go on next week's schedule, so I have plenty of white space on ...
Read more

Why I Am Making My Bed Daily

Image
 I'm tired, and the thought of adding another chore to my regular chores kind of contradicts slowing down my life. Right? But here is why I'm doing this, and how it's helped me out so far. Remember, my bed making skills are not five-star hotel perfection. They are "ok, the blankets are straighter, and my pillows are where they should be" perfection.  (my husband and I have adjustable beds. So it's two twin xl mattresses pushed together. Reminds me of a 1950's sitcom, but the adjusting mattresses are nice!)  When I first wake up, I immediately do this, and I open my curtains. Why? Because I need a space to retreat to. If you live in a house with a family, kids, or even just one other person like a roommate or a significant other, sometimes, you just need to go somewhere to journal or process your thoughts. Or just to sit in the quiet and look out the window. Knowing that my room is now filled with daylight, and my bed is now comfy looking enough for me to s...
Read more