Me and Tea

Oh, all of these posts with the word "failure"!  Good news, this one is about an area where I am  actually seeing some positive progress!

Since the middle of December-ish, I have been cutting out caffeine.  I slowly weaned myself down from two cups a day of regular coffee to half-caf and then decaf.  I feel really good about that! 

I have emotional ties to coffee.  Really.  Before I was married with children I was most likely to be found at one of my favorite coffee houses with my friends...or by myself with a journal.  Everything from aroma to flavor to coffee culture is meaningful to me.  Giving it up was a sacrifice. 

However, I have found that decaf is good enough.  I can still walk into a coffee house and drink coffee and smell coffee and "do" coffee.  After the initial order is made, no one has any idea what's in my cup.  It doesn't matter. 

Truth be told though, now that coffee doesn't give me that extra sumthin' sumthin', I have been more likely to order tea.  I have discovered that I LOVE chai tea.  It's like Zoloft in a cup for me.  The mix of warm, exotic aromas calms me.  It does have a little caffeine, but only about 25% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee.  It also has antioxidants, ingredients for digestive health, and spices that act as an anti-inflammatory.  So, it is a beverage that soothes my emotions AND has health benefits!  Hooray!  Some chai does have a little bit of sugar...but I'm not gonna stress about it. 

Some other caffeine free herbal teas that I have been using are:

Rooibos Chai-  This is an herbal tea made from an African shrub infused with the spices of chai.  I brew it cup by cup at home.  It has all of the charm of chai and no caffeine.  Some studies have found rooibos helps with nervous tension.  Additionally, some studies found it to have strong anti-oxidant properties and has been traditionally used as medicinal treatments for allergies, colic, and skin problems.

Mint Tea- This is an herbal tea made of mint leaves.  Some studies have shown it to help sharpen mental focus and relieve anxiety.  It also helps with digestive health and bad breath (you know, if you have bad breath...which I DON'T)

Chamomile Tea- This is an herbal tea made from a flowering plant.  Some studies have shown it has uses as a cure for anxiety and insomnia.  It has also been shown to boost immunity, soothe menstrual cramps, treat colic, and assist with the healing of skin disorders including eczema (which BOTH of my sons have).

In closing, I would like to reiterate that coffee is NOT BAD!  With my particular bag of mental health issues, full-caf coffee is not a good choice for ME.  Coffee does have some health benefits.  But ALL of the research I have read about anxiety flavored depression and serotonin deficiency says that caffeine consumption just contributes to the problem.  I don't want to be counterproductive.  So, instead,  I will enjoy my decaf coffee or my little box of herbal teas...and get both emotional relief and bonus health benefits.