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> In "Four thousand weeks" by Oliver Burkeman, he breaks down that this obsession with action Great book, but I have pinned down my obsession with action to my

by sph 2mo ago

> In "Four thousand weeks" by Oliver Burkeman, he breaks down that this obsession with action Great book, but I have pinned down my obsession with action to my daily single cup of coffee habit. The idea of relaxation doesn't exist. When I sit down, it takes a minute before my brain desperately tries to find something to do. Guilt soon overcomes me. Even in the extreme anhedonia of the first days of caffeine withdrawal, I am able to glimpse a state of mind where idleness is both natural and restorative. I strongly feel that my creativity suffers because I am unable to allow my mind to drift, daydream, laze around on the couch without immediate goals other than the contemplation of life. Too bad I am too brain-washed (and lazy) to go through the unpleasant mental phase to drop the brew. It is no wonder that our caffeine-addicted society is all about action, and we are unable to truly relax. Necessary disclaimers given the topic and the constant disinformation: yes, I have ADHD. No, caffeine does not relax anyone's brain due to its mode of action, and any claim of doing so is misunderstanding the chemical pathways involved. The vast majority of us are too addicted and not self-aware enough to notice the effect coffee has on our lives, yet are ready to claim it's the miracle brew that only has positive side-effects

N_Lens 2mo ago
I’ve been contemplating giving up coffee for two years, sometimes wanting to switch to green tea alone, for the reasons you articulated. Hasn’t happened except for brief stretches, and I’ll mark my coffee free era as one of sustainable effort.
- sph 2mo ago
  I'm kinda doing a self-experiment right now with coffee dosages, using how scatter-brained I feel during meditation as indicator. It's amazing how productive I believe I am when I drink coffee, yet my attention is all over the place and I think a lot of that feeling of productivity is placebo and/or chemically induced euphoria. Next I want to try tea to compare. One thing's for sure: I used to meditate best, for longer and deeper, when I was taking dexamfetamine medication and was abstaining from coffee. Caffeine for ADHD is overrated and I will gladly die on this hill.
  - reasonabl_human 2mo ago
    Have you tried yerba mate? That helped reduce the scatter-brained and anxious feelings received from similar doses of caffeine via coffee for me
- vpatel1093 2mo ago
  Green tea has l-theanine in it which calms the mind allegedly. Might work for you! Matcha and guayusa as well. Alternatively you can get l-theanine as a supplement if you want to keep your coffee habit
skrebbel 2mo ago
The trick is to wait until you get a terrible flu. You won’t feel like coffee, because you feel terrible. You won’t notice the withdrawal symptoms, because the flu symptoms are the same but much worse. Caffeine withdrawal takes only a week or so, so by the time the flu is gone, the addiction is as well. Just (“just”) remember to not get that habitual cup of morning coffee on the first day you feel kinda OK again, that’s the only hard bit really.
- sph 2mo ago
  Yes, I know it's not that hard, but lately I've been going through a period of low mood, and I really cannot stomach the idea of diving deeper into the Abyss for a couple weeks while my receptors downregulate. It's hard enough already as it is.
  - mlrtime 2mo ago
    You just explained your cycle though. At least you can see it, up to you on how to get out of it. It sounds cliche but it's entirely in your power to change it. The reason you can't is because in this sentence, you are saying you can't (or won't).
  - jerf 2mo ago
    I had some success systematically reducing it over time rather than cold turkey. YMMV. It may feel silly measuring out coffee and reducing it by just a small bit every day but it's worth it to avoid the fully withdrawal symptoms.
    - diydsp 2mo ago
      +1 Titration works. E.g. blending caff and decaf. The "cup" measure of coffee is a blunt quantization. My ideal amount is approx 3-4 oz.
- excentricus 2mo ago
  Yes! I had exactly the same experience. Quitting habits like smoking, drinking coffee, or playing video games has always been much easier during those periods, and it felt like it happened on its own. It was mind-blowing to notice that after it happened a couple of times.
yoyohello13 2mo ago
I’ve quit caffeine (multiple times) and it doesn’t do what you’re talking about. I still get the restlessness. It’s just easier to sleep at the end of the day.

by sph 2mo ago

N_Lens 2mo ago

I’ve been contemplating giving up coffee for two years, sometimes wanting to switch to green tea alone, for the reasons you articulated. Hasn’t happened except for brief stretches, and I’ll mark my coffee free era as one of sustainable effort.

sph 2mo ago
I'm kinda doing a self-experiment right now with coffee dosages, using how scatter-brained I feel during meditation as indicator. It's amazing how productive I believe I am when I drink coffee, yet my attention is all over the place and I think a lot of that feeling of productivity is placebo and/or chemically induced euphoria. Next I want to try tea to compare. One thing's for sure: I used to meditate best, for longer and deeper, when I was taking dexamfetamine medication and was abstaining from coffee. Caffeine for ADHD is overrated and I will gladly die on this hill.
- reasonabl_human 2mo ago
  Have you tried yerba mate? That helped reduce the scatter-brained and anxious feelings received from similar doses of caffeine via coffee for me
vpatel1093 2mo ago
Green tea has l-theanine in it which calms the mind allegedly. Might work for you! Matcha and guayusa as well. Alternatively you can get l-theanine as a supplement if you want to keep your coffee habit

skrebbel 2mo ago

The trick is to wait until you get a terrible flu. You won’t feel like coffee, because you feel terrible. You won’t notice the withdrawal symptoms, because the flu symptoms are the same but much worse. Caffeine withdrawal takes only a week or so, so by the time the flu is gone, the addiction is as well. Just (“just”) remember to not get that habitual cup of morning coffee on the first day you feel kinda OK again, that’s the only hard bit really.

sph 2mo ago
Yes, I know it's not that hard, but lately I've been going through a period of low mood, and I really cannot stomach the idea of diving deeper into the Abyss for a couple weeks while my receptors downregulate. It's hard enough already as it is.
- mlrtime 2mo ago
  You just explained your cycle though. At least you can see it, up to you on how to get out of it. It sounds cliche but it's entirely in your power to change it. The reason you can't is because in this sentence, you are saying you can't (or won't).
- jerf 2mo ago
  I had some success systematically reducing it over time rather than cold turkey. YMMV. It may feel silly measuring out coffee and reducing it by just a small bit every day but it's worth it to avoid the fully withdrawal symptoms.
  - diydsp 2mo ago
    +1 Titration works. E.g. blending caff and decaf. The "cup" measure of coffee is a blunt quantization. My ideal amount is approx 3-4 oz.
excentricus 2mo ago
Yes! I had exactly the same experience. Quitting habits like smoking, drinking coffee, or playing video games has always been much easier during those periods, and it felt like it happened on its own. It was mind-blowing to notice that after it happened a couple of times.

yoyohello13 2mo ago

I’ve quit caffeine (multiple times) and it doesn’t do what you’re talking about. I still get the restlessness. It’s just easier to sleep at the end of the day.