☕️ how to STOP (or reduce) a habit without extremes [OHT 081]

This one is a mini masterclass / case study sharing how I've been weaning myself off my daily caffeine fix without major effort and extremes.

DISCLAIMER: I'm clearly not a medical doctor, nor am I suggesting what you do with your body. I am sharing what's worked for me and encouraging you to do your own research and explore what works for YOU and your bod / life. That's the #onherterms way.

Tune in for full context, and consider:

What's the habit you want to stop or reduce?

What are the benefits you were getting when you first started doing it? Ex. For me it was a blend of physiological energy and mental clarity, the ritual to help me refocus in the afternoon, and the pleasure of the taste of the drink itself.

What are the drawbacks you're now noticing (which is why you want to reduce it)?

Ex. For me I didn't like feeling depending on it, psychologically or physiologically. I'd have headaches on days I wouldn't have caffeine, so I was doing it to avoid pain, and that felt disempowering. I also don't want to mess around with my hormones; I want to help them get back into balance. So if that plays any role, I'd like to see if stopping / reducing helps shift things.

What are new things you can do / try to get those same benefits (without the same drawbacks)?

Ex. For me it's a whole combo of new habits - the afternoon drink ritual was replaced with adrenal mocktails around carpool time during my afternoon dip in energy. Morning I added in a yummy protein drink with my breakfast and started to delay the caffeine by waiting till I'd had breakfast and at least one full (22 oz) cup of water. Then I added in workouts to my "first hour" routine. Prioritizing more sleep led to more energy too.

All of the above = energy from more sustainable and beneficial sources than caffeine. Which led to (gasp!) forgetting to even drink the caffeine, on more than one occasion. It now feels optional.

And when faced with a sleepy day, I'd rather find a way to sneak in a 15-25m power nap than to dump more caffeine into my system.

In with the new helped me "out" the old.

Who says old habits have to die hard?

MENTIONED Dr. Jolene Brighten on caffeine and hormones: https://drbrighten.com/how-coffee-affects-your-health-and-hormones/

"caffeine narrows the blood vessels surrounding the brain": https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/caffeine-connection-between-coffee-and-headaches

Dr. Andrew Huberman's notes on timing morning caffeine intake: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab/p/Cl2DawHv9Fk/

Full Huberman Lab pod on using caffeine to improve focus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3b9QKo_VpM

Study on caffeine and brain volume: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8969755/

Sample "adrenal mocktail" recipe: https://pcosnutritionistalyssa.com/cortisol-mocktail/