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I noticed that life is running extremely fast lately and I am having a hard time being "in the moment" ... and I drink a lot of coffee. I drink a lot of coffee

I noticed that life is running extremely fast lately and I am having a hard time being "in the moment" ... and I drink a lot of coffee. I drink a lot of coffee. I'm a very in the moment person, meditate regularly, enjoy and live in the moment, etc. This is an approach to life thing that is quite orthogonal to whether you drink coffee or not.

free_everybody 9y ago
I totally agree. The most "in the moment" person I've ever known ran a non-profit coffee shop and drank coffee every weekday. I drink one cup of coffee three or four times a week and I feel like it boosts my awareness rather than takes away from it.
sol_remmy 9y ago
Regardless of your anecdotal evidence, caffeine as a drug does cause people to focus. This comes at the expense of noticing what happens in the background
- endorphone 9y ago
  Mindfulness is actually selective focus, so if caffeine helped it then it supports my "anecdote". Caffeine doesn't make life move quicker, it doesn't stop you from enjoying the moment, etc. In conversations like these too often people promote a quick fix type of thing. "I stopped {X} and gained {Y}!", when really there was no causative relationship, and {X} was just a one of many lifestyle changes.
  - tertius 9y ago
    > too often people promote a quick fix type of thing Though, to be fair, caffeine is a very strong stimulant. So likely, when you stop using it, things will change for you. I do a coffee fast (for months) every so often. I suggest you try it, we can share more anecdotes when you're on the other side. I think self-awareness plays a very strong role here. If you're addicted to caffeine, as many are, you know how it makes you feel. Some choose to ignore the effects, others also choose to ignore them... Likely addiction to anything, if broken for a time, will yield results that one can measure against. And yes, stopping addiction is a quick fix.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Retric 9y ago
Being in the moment has a lot to do with getting enough sleep. Caffeine is generally bad for peoples sleep quality and quantity, but there is also a lot of variability in this.
uptownfunk 9y ago
I was saying that it worked for me to stop. Not that you should all stop drinking coffee. If it helps you then why stop. I was just sharing how stopping helped me and that if you want to you can. Nor was I promoting a quick fix. It's not a quick fix and was initially quite a difficult experience for me. And I disagree that they're orthogonal. There's definitely some correlation between what you consume and your state of mind and awareness. (Don't believe me? Eat a handful of chillies) It is why the Buddhist monks live such a moderate lifestyle, would recommend chefs table episode 1 of the latest season.
- endorphone 9y ago
  "I was saying that it worked for me to stop." Great. I was replying to someone else who took your statement to mean that stopping coffee == enlightenment. I'm not looking for an argument, but far too often on here people look for, or push, an easy fix for larger problems. "I started working at a standing desk and now I'm a 10x programmer", "I stopped watching TV and now I'm a great artist", etc. But in reality the causation was "I realized I needed to make change, and for now at least things are different but here's some proxy symbolic thing". I realized that I needed to live healthier, and in doing so wore gym shorts more often, so gym shorts make you healthier. Regarding the Buddhist monks, be wary clutching onto something they did given the mysticism, but it's notable that monks drink tea (and, in many cases, coffee), and their precepts are against intoxicants like alcohol. And some of the things they avoided were things like onions and garlic, which were believed to make them aroused.

free_everybody 9y ago

I totally agree. The most "in the moment" person I've ever known ran a non-profit coffee shop and drank coffee every weekday. I drink one cup of coffee three or four times a week and I feel like it boosts my awareness rather than takes away from it.

sol_remmy 9y ago

Regardless of your anecdotal evidence, caffeine as a drug does cause people to focus. This comes at the expense of noticing what happens in the background

endorphone 9y ago
Mindfulness is actually selective focus, so if caffeine helped it then it supports my "anecdote". Caffeine doesn't make life move quicker, it doesn't stop you from enjoying the moment, etc. In conversations like these too often people promote a quick fix type of thing. "I stopped {X} and gained {Y}!", when really there was no causative relationship, and {X} was just a one of many lifestyle changes.
- tertius 9y ago
  > too often people promote a quick fix type of thing Though, to be fair, caffeine is a very strong stimulant. So likely, when you stop using it, things will change for you. I do a coffee fast (for months) every so often. I suggest you try it, we can share more anecdotes when you're on the other side. I think self-awareness plays a very strong role here. If you're addicted to caffeine, as many are, you know how it makes you feel. Some choose to ignore the effects, others also choose to ignore them... Likely addiction to anything, if broken for a time, will yield results that one can measure against. And yes, stopping addiction is a quick fix.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Retric 9y ago

Being in the moment has a lot to do with getting enough sleep. Caffeine is generally bad for peoples sleep quality and quantity, but there is also a lot of variability in this.

uptownfunk 9y ago

I was saying that it worked for me to stop. Not that you should all stop drinking coffee. If it helps you then why stop. I was just sharing how stopping helped me and that if you want to you can. Nor was I promoting a quick fix. It's not a quick fix and was initially quite a difficult experience for me. And I disagree that they're orthogonal. There's definitely some correlation between what you consume and your state of mind and awareness. (Don't believe me? Eat a handful of chillies) It is why the Buddhist monks live such a moderate lifestyle, would recommend chefs table episode 1 of the latest season.

endorphone 9y ago
"I was saying that it worked for me to stop." Great. I was replying to someone else who took your statement to mean that stopping coffee == enlightenment. I'm not looking for an argument, but far too often on here people look for, or push, an easy fix for larger problems. "I started working at a standing desk and now I'm a 10x programmer", "I stopped watching TV and now I'm a great artist", etc. But in reality the causation was "I realized I needed to make change, and for now at least things are different but here's some proxy symbolic thing". I realized that I needed to live healthier, and in doing so wore gym shorts more often, so gym shorts make you healthier. Regarding the Buddhist monks, be wary clutching onto something they did given the mysticism, but it's notable that monks drink tea (and, in many cases, coffee), and their precepts are against intoxicants like alcohol. And some of the things they avoided were things like onions and garlic, which were believed to make them aroused.