Quit Caffeine by Mixing Up Your Routine

By: Tim Whiston

[ Posted On: 2008-10-28 ]

Quit caffeine more easily by changing your addictive routine. This article will show you how.

We get really used to having our coffee at a certain time, even in a certain place, every morning. Or we develop a steady habit of always having our tea or energy drink right after lunch.

Whatever your specific habit is, you’re no doubt very comfortable with it. You’re not just hooked on the chemical caffeine; you’re totally dialed into everything about your current routine.

Addiction counselors and people who have successfully broken long-term chemical habits will tell you that mixing things up is one of the best tactics you can employ when you decide to quit caffeine. In fact people in 12 step programs say if you’re used to putting your left shoe on first each morning, switch to stepping into your right shoe first from now on.

Have you sat at your kitchen table morning after morning for the last ten years with a cup of coffee? From here on in eat breakfast on your couch, or standing at the sink.

Does your routine involve stopping by a drive-in coffee shop on the way to work every day? Find a juice bar on the other side of the street and start picking up a smoothie instead, or better yet buy a blender and start making your own fruit treats at home.

Do you and your co-workers ordinarily sit in the break room and drink a pot of coffee every day at 11 a.m. sharp? From now on you should take your break outside or in the building’s lobby at 10:45.

The above scenarios are examples of how to shake things up when it comes to your usual caffeine consumption times. But don’t stop there. To quit caffeine with minimal effort you should find ways to completely rearrange your daily program.

Change the order of your morning ritual. If you normally brush your teeth first and shower second, reverse this. If you’ve been laying your clothes out on a chair in your bedroom each night before bed, start hanging them in your bathroom instead. Anything you can do to take yourself off autopilot will help.

Our bodies become programmed with a routine after a while. Most likely you could walk through your morning schedule with your eyes closed. This type of conditioning is useful and has its place, but when you’re ready to quit caffeine your prior programming will work against you.

You might even toss something completely new into your usual procession. If you don’t ordinarily exercise in the morning now is a great time to start.
A few minutes of light stretching or a walk around the block is sufficient. Exercise will improve your bodies’ ability to cope with the stress of change and it will give you a natural lift to help replace the synthetic rush you get from caffeine.

Don’t just change your mornings. Take your whole day into a new direction.

You probably have routines and rituals built up throughout the day and right up until you go to bed. Mix things up as much as possible in all areas of your life to avoid falling into a rut and to decrease the likelihood of being able to just reach out and grab a caffeine fix because it was convenient.

You’ll be surprised by just how effective this strategy can be. When you change your routine, you alter the flow of your whole life, and this makes it much easier to initiate and sustain change.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Tim Whiston -- Caffeine addiction is serious business but with our help you can beat it! For more solid tips on how to quit caffeine easily and for good please download our online system right now!

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