Compassion Fatigue Solutions

Doctor: "I have some great news for you!"

Me: "ok, wonderful, what's the diagnosis then?"

Doctor: "Oh it's a very benign problem that can easily be solved with one minor change to your diet"

Me: "Great, I'm a healthy eater so no problemo. Tell me what to do"

Doctor: "No caffeine, ever. No coffee, no tea, no diet coke, no pepsi, no dark chocolate, no green tea, no nasal decongestants or cough syrups. That's it. You'll be right as rain."

Me: "WHAT? But that's terrible! Can I have decaf? Please tell me I can at least drink decaf?

Doctor: (clearly realising she has an addict on her hands): "Yeah, sure, decaf is fine but only one a day. It still has trace amount of caffeine in it you know."

So there you go, that day last week marked the end of my long love affair with coffee. Luckily I don't eat much chocolate so that's not so bad. But coffee... the taste, the aroma, the anticipation when I hear the cappucino maker frothing... (I once worked in a coffee shop for a whole summer and lived on lattes and leftover muffins. I was one wired barrista).

What has been interesting about this has been to note my friends and acquaintances' reactions. Coincidentally, most of them were clutching a disposable cup of coffee while I talked to them about it. All of them looked horrified, as though I had told them about a terrible diagnosis I had just received. "Oh my goodness, that's awful! Poor you!" One joked "Sorry, we can't be friends anymore!

Then, three days of headaches, fatigue and basically thinking about coffee all the time.

Phew.

Now that I am on the other side, I realise that when I get up in the morning, I can in fact engage in conversation with my children right away and don't have to shove them out of the way to make a beeline for the coffee pot.

Interesting.

I am not suggesting that any of you coffee drinkers out there should quit, but I was a bit shocked to observe how strong the withdrawal symptoms were for someone who is a 2 cups a day gal.

I am most interested in the fact that I can no longer rely on caffeine to keep me going if I am tired during the day. (Bad night's sleep? no problem, I'll just have a cup of coffee at lunch). So interestingly, no being able to drink coffee means I have to have even better self care in general. And when I'm tired, my choices are power nap or brisk walk outside instead of sitting at my computer with one more cup of joe.

See you later coffee!