What happened when I stopped drinking caffeine

One rather boring Monday, I woke up. But this time around, I woke up feeling rested- which never, EVER happens; not since my teen years at least.

My regular Mondays consist of convincing myself for 10+ minutes that I do indeed have to go to work accompanied by the feelings of utter exhaustion and misery.

This time around though I woke up and felt good. To get myself through the day I usually take half a caffeine pill (equal to half a cup of coffee) and then for the rest of the day I drink soda (reserve judgement, I know it’s not healthy).

But that boring Monday morning I was glistening. A wild thought popped into my head- what if I go all day without caffeine?

So I did!

I felt powerful. Almost couldn’t believe I lasted through a Monday without any magic caffeinated pill to wake me up.

Then Tuesday came. I woke up miserable. The blissful sleep of the previous night was gone. But I didn’t want to go back to caffeine. I lasted a whole day, could I last another one?

So I did! Around noon, however, a throbbing headache started creeping up on me. I drank a lot of water but that’s not what my body wanted. More headache! I got home cranky and ready to punch somebody. I decided to go to bed early to sleep the pain away.

I don’t know why I decided to keep it up but that’s how I do things in life in general. Once I start I want to stick to it even if it doesn’t make sense. Was my body telling me to get some caffeine in it otherwise it will shut down? Yes. But was I semi proud that I made it two days without being addicted to caffeine and its magical effects it does on my preceptors? Yes!

It’s been a month now since I’ve had caffeine. I tell ya, I’ve heard many stories about how you allegedly feel so much better when you stop drinking sodas and coffee. One of my past co-workers insisted she was short of being reborn and rejuvenated and it actually showed in her radiant look. Me personally, I still feel lousy every day. I look sickly and have about as much energy as my 12- year old cat. The only difference is I fall asleep faster because I am beat by the end of the day.

• How about you guys? Did you have better results since kicking caffeine to the curb?

Don’t let numbers define you.

Too often I find myself chained to numbers in my life. I rely on them and let them determine who I am. They tell me whether I am loser or a winner, a good person or a bad person, or if I am a failure in life.

How much money do I make? Why am I not making more? How many pounds do I weigh? How expensive was the holiday I went on? Was it expensive enough to impress other people? Does this dress look like an expensive dress? How many hours did I sleep? Why don’t I have a two car garage? How old am I? (and the inevitable- when did I get this old?)

It’s a scary thing, relying on numbers. They put me in a bad mood because there is always a goal that has to be reached. Sales numbers, performance reviews, even damn dieting is not successful unless the scale budges and shows less!

What would happen in my life if I started to ignore numbers? What if I became happy with what I am making? What if I realized I don’t need a two door garage and that the world won’t end because I do not drink 8 glasses a day like I was supposed to according to every health magazine? What if I was happy with the fact I only sold one book so far on Amazon– someone bought my book, isn’t that something?

What if I, instead, focused on helping others, or making someone’s day by actually having a conversation with them? Or baby-sitting someone’s kids so they can finally go on a romantic date after sleepless nights and dirty diapers?  What if I invited that chatty old neighbor for dinner after five years of knowing her?

The world becomes so much easier when the burden of number disappears- suddenly, the focus is on others, and not on you.

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Taking a semester off

“I took the summer semester off to go on an adventure with Timm. The plan was to spend the next three months together, travelling around the States.”- Jenna Gunner

Taking a semester off is a dangerous matter. Jenna feels like she will get back to the studying rhythm in no time, but it is not always that easy. Once you leave school for a semester and go travelling, it is ridiculously hard to return back to a routine which doesn’t allow you to do whatever you want.

Even if you leave school for a semester to work more or earn more money, the rewarding paycheck coming in every two weeks makes it much more tempting to not go back to school and spend money on overpriced text books and university fees.

I will always support taking a semester off, but make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Make sure you know how hard it is to integrate in the boring, daily routine again. Because sometimes, people quit school and become wanderers; they don’t want to go back to where they were, but they are not happy with the status quo either. Money eventually runs out or the “good money” you thought you were making with no degree is actually not that good when you realize they are working you for little money but pay someone more because he didn’t quit and finished his/her degree.

Did any of you take a semester off? How did it turn out?

P.S: Thanks to all the visitors of the blog for coming and taking the time to read my stuff!

P.S2: Link to my book on Amazon. Check it out!

Picture Credit 

Take a risk!

“It is not my first choice to go to the same vacation spot for the past twenty-one years of my life, but we are not the type of people that enjoy change.”

Jenna Gunner plans her whole life around the same cycle- school during the year and vacation in Syracuse at her Uncle Bruce’s house for the summer. The steady routine seems to work for her; she enjoys family BBQs and swimming in lake Oneida….and above all….she is in love! Jake Hudson, the love of her life, will notice her. One day. She just has to get his attention.

So how is it that she ends up going to France for half a year one day?

Read more in my new book, “Six months of Croissants, Café crèmes, Parties and Love” available on Amazon :))

Picture credit: Wikipedia

P.S. Thanks for reading my blog 🙂