6 Tips for a Successful Coffee Detox

This article originally appeared on Yoganonymous.com.

Image via Vogue Archives

Be honest with yourself, do you like the coffee or do you like the caffeine rush?

I was in it for the caffeine, I was using it like a drug. I was using coffee to fake enthusiasm, to pretend to enjoy a job I hated, and to artificially energize myself in conversations that absolutely drained me. I was using coffee to hold myself back, to hide how I truly felt about my life, and to cloak the glimmer of my authentic self.

Three cups per day on a good day, five cups per day on a bad one. I wasn’t drinking delicious brew, I was drinking watered-down-and-processed Keurig coffee because I was a caffeine junkie. It wasn’t healthy, and it certainly wasn’t fun.

Step into a space of honesty, and sincerely answer this—Are you using coffee to fake it the way I was? And are you ready to stop?

If the answers are yes, and yes, vow to put your addiction to bed.

The bad part will be the pounding headaches, alarming mood swings, and your scary inability to carry on with the useless tasks in life. The good part will be experiencing a stronger connection with your emotions, a drop in anxiety levels, and enjoying a deeply restorative night’s rest.

You should be warned, detoxing from coffee will feel like a week long hangover—but that pain is going to hurt a lot less than continuing your addiction to the java.

You’ll be able to be a little more real, a little more present. You’re going to feel tired, you’re going to feel peaceful, and you’re going to feel more at ease. Trust me when I say, you got this.

6 Tips for A Coffee Detox

1. Wean Yourself Off

Swap out coffee for other drinks with less caffeine. You don’t have to go cold turkey on this one—it might be better for your body (and your sanity) if you wean yourself off of coffee with something with lower levels of caffeine.

Lower Caffeine Options:

• Hot chocolate made with raw cacao

• Matcha latte

• Chai tea latte

• Dandelion detox tea

2. Water, Water, Water

Glug, glug—you need to hit the reset button on your body when you decide to detox from coffee. That means recharging and reviving your dehydrated and de-mineralized cells. The best way to do this is by drinking water, and lots of it.

Get creative with your water. Try making water infusions by squeezing in a slice of lemon, dropping in a few watermelon chunks, or by dropping in some ginger.

The water soluble vitamins and minerals will infuse their way into the water (along with some supercharged flavor), and you will not only hydrate your cells, but you will also replenish your body’s vitamin & mineral levels.

3. Meditate It Out

Closing your eyes and lying down will make you feel good. This will be a safe place for you, and it’s an opportunity to get back in touch with what sparked your addiction in the first place.

There is a special Kundalini meditation you can practice during your detox that will actually help you release your addiction. Watch this video when you wake up, before bed, or even on the train: Meditation for Healing Addiction, by Gabby Bernstein.

4. Affirm Your Way Through It

Using affirmations will help you get in the rhythm of what you are trying to create. In this case, you are trying to create a coffee-addiction-free life. So when moments get tough, and you find yourself sniffing the smell of coffee off of your not-so-likeable coworker’s breath, snap out of it and repeat after me: “Letting go of my coffee addiction is an upgrade, not a punishment.”

5. Your Practice, Your Pace

Keep in mind that you don’t have to cut out coffee completely. If you love the flavor, embrace it, savor it, and do not feel pressured to abandon it!

Do what is in your best interest—that may mean cutting out coffee two days per week, it may mean cutting yourself down to one cup per day, or it may mean cutting coffee out completely. It’s your life, so go at your own pace.

6. Talk About It, Be About It

Detoxing from coffee, especially when you are severely addicted, is downright painful. It’s going to feel rough, and you will feel the pain in your brain. Let people around you know what you are doing—that way they know to ask you if you’d like to grab a cold-pressed juice, rather than a hot cup of coffee. You may be surprised about the level of support you receive.

Respect your energy and respect your patience levels. If you are having a rough day, don’t be afraid take a step back and rest for awhile. You are doing something that is great for your body, great for your mind, and space opening for your soul.