Well, it turns out that sipping sweet tea (caffeinated) from fast-food establishments from early morning until late night is not good for the mental health.
The amount of tea had sort of crept up on me. I did know that I was buying it by the gallon.
It took a doctor to tell me that caffeine is a depressant and undoes the good that serotonin-encouraging drugs do.
By the gallon!!!
And so on Tuesday I went off the stuff. I cut down to a modest cup of home-brew in the mornings...and no more. Practically cold turkey--in keeping with the holiday.
The transition hasn't been as bad as I'd expected: I wake up with a headache, take a couple of Tylenol and then in twenty minutes I'm okay. At some point, the headaches will likely stop.
In the meantime I've discovered faintly-flavored water. Pas si mal, as the French say. Not so bad.
And I'm relieved to discover the ridiculously simple cause of the blues that kept threatening to recur.
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4 comments:
Peggy, that is great news! My husband is very sensitive to caffeine and sugar, to the point that he really has to limit his intake. As a matter of fact, right now, he is totally off of sugar because when he eats just a little, he craves more and more. He ends up "crashing" from the sugar or caffeine, and then he gets into a very bad mood for a while.
Your headaches should improve quickly, and then you will feel better. Can you drink decaffeinated tea,or would that cause you trouble too? I know from my husband that caffeine gives him an immediate rush of energy and then after about 30 minutes, the opposite occurs. He is able to use honey because it metabolizes much more slowly, and there are also some very good medicinal benefits to it, as well.
I am so glad to hear that you found out how to change something that is fairly simple, which will help to ward off those bad moods!
I'm delurking to say try Rooibos tea - organic, caffeine-free tea from South Africa that is naturally sweet and delicious. You can drink it with or without milk, whichever you prefer. I'm sure you'd be able to find it in an organic or health-food store.
Wow, Peggy, that's good news that you've discovered the source of the funk.
I was going to suggest herbal tea but if you're drinking so much of it in a day even the herbs could have effects, so the faintly flavored water sounds best. Having something "special" in the a.m. and perhaps mid-afternoon will soon become your regular routine.
Good suggestions. I'll likely pull them together and try rooibus with honey (I like REALLY sweet). I'm still quite happy from what is, in effect, stopping hitting myself on the head.
Also, delurking is a term I hadn't heard, Charlotte. Coined by you? I like it.
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