Dear reader,

I love coffee. Not just for the taste, but it’s a ritual, a mindful pause, a way to connect with the people I love. So, when my boyfriend casually suggested at the end of last year we try a one-month caffeine detox, my first reaction was like…

“Why??” 😂

But I’m always open to challenges, especially when it comes to wellbeing and understanding how my body really responds to things.

So we did it. Here’s how it went.

Week One: Hellish Headache for Five Days 😵‍💫

Day one, we were at IKEA, and I had zero focus. The brain fog was unbelievable. My boyfriend and I had no energy whatsoever to wander and shop. We just wanted to go home. The struggle was real. 😂

From that first day, the headache was REAL. That was the worst part of the detox to be honest because it lasted for five days.

So, I got curious. Why does the headache hit as a withdrawal symptom?

Because caffeine doesn’t just taste good. It affects your brain chemistry. When you suddenly stop, your blood vessels expand and your brain reacts, which can cause headaches, fatigue, and that groggy feeling. That’s your nervous system adjusting to the lack of stimulant it had grown used to. Even if you don’t think you’re addicted, your body can still show signs of dependence — and mine definitely did.

What We Noticed Over the Month

✨ Sleep improved — deeper, more restorative.

💤 I did nap more and felt sluggish more by afternoon.

⚖️ My boyfriend on the other hand noticed very stable energy — no peaks, no drops — just smooth consistency.

🏋🏼 Weight workouts felt more challenging. We were literally tapping into only our own energy resources. The weights did feel heavier than usual but it also felt good to feel how much we can do just trusting the strength of our bodies.

💛 I experienced more lower mood days. I don’t know if it was linked to the lack of caffeine, but damn the low mood really hit me hard. I think without the stimulant boost, some emotional lows felt stronger — made me wonder that can having caffeine actually mask emotion as much as energize us? … need to research this one more.

By day six, most of the intense side effects had eased, and from there on it was actually quite a breeze.

THE LAST WEEK THOUGH… We were so done by then. 😂

We were counting down the days whole month, but it was during that last week, both my boyfriend and I found ourselves really missing our morning coffees in bed — or those spontaneous moments when you’re out and can just grab a coffee. It’s such a small thing, yet it’s deeply woven into our everyday lives to help us feel connected and present..

I call this having a fika — a Swedish word that means more than just drinking coffee. It’s a pause. A moment of connection. Time to sit, talk, and simply be together.

Fika for me means having a moment of presence with someone I love with a cup of coffee. That is heartfulness for me.

So, you may wonder: How was that first coffee after the detox? 😍

Oh my gosh — the first cup we had last Sunday… coffee has literally never tasted better.

But guess what? There wasn’t a big high, no jittery side effects… just joy.

And that says a lot:

I don’t need caffeine to function. I functioned just fine.

But I love it — the ritual of it. That is what coffee is about. It is not about getting a caffeine fix. It’s a catalyst for connection.

So what did I learn?

☕ A stimulant can become something our body leans on more than we realise.

☕ You can love something without needing it to survive or function.

☕ Having no stimulants or other substances in your body reveals truth what is underneath the surface for you emotionally and psychologically to face.

☕ Your body is powerful and strong without any stimulants. You can do more than you realise without any boosters.

☕ The ritual, the moments around coffee, are more meaningful than the stimulant itself.

Have you ever tried something like this, whether coffee or another habit? I’d love to hear your experience

My boyfriend just said as I am finishing writing this… “when we do it next we can allow having decaf though…”

My reaction… well, my face said it all. Not gonna do this anytime soon. I love my coffee way too much. 😂

Now, I shall get back to enjoying the rest of my morning coffee. 😉 

Sending all my love,
Essi 💛

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