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Feeling overwhelmed in life? Trying to be superwoman in life? You're not alone. This is an epidemic among women. The problem? You will eventually have a health crisis whether physical or emotional.

Many women are using a powerful drug to attempt to do it all - CAFFEINE. The problem? It's addictive and leads to hormonal breakdown. Caffeine is a sympathetic nervous system stimulant which can cause jitters, diarrhea, palpitations and insomnia, plus it has gnarly withdrawal symptoms.

Not everyone needs to quit caffeine but for some people it becomes addictive and all-consuming. When we treat caffeine like the drug it is, we can start to manage it like any addiction. A 12-step program called Caffeine Anonymous can really help.

Work stress can lead to coping with caffeine - negative feelings, boredom, isolation - a lot of us are unhappy because we work in unfulfilling, boring, monotonous, 9-5 jobs. A little bit of coffee can be the highlight of your workday!

When we aren't stimulated mentally, we can turn to stimulants like caffeine to rev up our minds and bodies. It can make us feel good temporarily but it doesn't last.

Some important things to do when trying to quit caffeine are to:

- admit your powerless over caffeine
- turn it over to your higher power
- learning how to process negative feelings
- learn that all forms of caffeine including decaf and chocolate can keep you dependent on the substance
- call friends who are also committed to being caffeine-free
- learn that negative feelings don't last that long
- trust that peace & contentment are available on the other side

Often times those of us trying to quit caffeine struggle with the belief that productivity = worth but that is a lie. We must free ourselves from this belief in order to break any addictive habit.

A few more tidbits:

- Relapse is part of recovery
- Belief in God is often essential to recovery
- Ask yourself, how is my relationship with the world beyond?
- Teecino is an amazing chicory root coffee substitute that helps replace the coffee ritual

You're not alone in this addiction to caffeine. It changes your brain chemistry and can take weeks and months to fully recover. One day at a time!

Connect with Heather on IG: @heathermcconochie