I need motivation

I take no medications other than occasional supplements. It happens with tea, soft drinks, etc. I first thought it might be sugar related, but it happens with unsweet tea as well. Since then I have considered a mild allergic reaction as a possibility.

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Years ago, while working as a bank teller, I would drink coffee all day long. When I’d walk into my home in the evening, I would crash like there was no tomorrow. My husband’s theory was that it was a crash from the constant caffeine rush during the day…ie, a caffeine withdrawal. Never had any ups and downs during the day, but after all was said and done, it was downhill all the way in the end.

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I will echo @takitus.
For me, chasing motivation only seems to make it more elusive. Kind of a mental entropy, where focus is fleeting - if it is there at all. For me, trying to force progress is difficult, frustrating and only marginally successful.
It reminds me of fighting upstream against the flow of a river, where what I need is to turn around and allow the current to carry me. Time to cast the burden.

Creative people usually have the ability to visualize pretty clearly. I like the example of the river, effortlessly flowing around any obstacle - seeking it’s own level, finally coming to rest, flat and calm with a mirror surface. I will visualize still water, and my mind will begin to reflect that.
Deep, smooth even breathing has a great calming effect, and your heart rate will follow.
Doing nothing but observing the outdoors helps me also. What sounds do you hear? Birds? Feel the breeze on your skin? Look at those beautiful clouds! All of those colors!

The mind is much like an undisciplined child, able to scamper in any direction it wants. It’s been running loose observing and assimilating sensory input since we were born.
Sometimes the mental landscape begins to look like a child’s playroom, with toys scattered everywhere, and our attention along with it.
That’s my que to put it down and walk away.

That’s especially true with situations that I have no control over (with the exception of how I let it affect me) like what you were reading that bothered you.
Investing energy in worrying about something I can have no effect on is a huge waste, and only leads to that scattered playroom.

Take a break Jules, just be for a little while. Spend some time away from the playroom. When you come back, you will find everything has been cleaned up and put away.
With the right frame of mind, motivation will find you!

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From what I understand, caffeine works by blocking the signal that tells your brain that you are tired, it doesn’t provide any actual energy. So the crash is likely a result of the caffeine wearing off and revealing your true tiredness level.
That’s just a guess though, any of the doctors here are welcome to correct me. :wink:

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The best motivation will be when Glowforge sends you a Fedex/UPS tracking number :slight_smile:

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For me, the best “reset” is a walk in the woods. If I’m in a city and need to refocus, I head for the nearest park. At home, I just start walking.

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Caffeine actually physiologically accelerates all sorts of functions. We use analogs for dilating airways (theophylline) in severe asthma and its effect of increasing aerobic output with lower oxygen use.

It’s strongly neuroactive itself (too much can cause seizures). It also affects brain bloodflows.

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Check your pulse when the effect happens. Some people (actually one of the nurses on my floor) get arrhythmia switch caffeine and the slight drop in cardiac efficiency can manifest in exhaustion. Also some people have hypertensive carotid bodies, which can cause increased Vagal tone, causing a low heart rate and drop in blood pressure causing that sensation as well.

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I will check that. With the retinal problems I was having, I am routinely checking bp, pulse, blood sugar to rule in/out cardiopulmonary factors. Even though they were in the normal range, I made some dietary improvements.

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I believe espresso’s more caffeine per ounce but the serving size is smaller. Quick googling… Caffeine Content in Espresso vs Drip Coffee | coffeechemistry.com

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Sorry, you are correct, that is “as consumed” which are in little cups (or even less if mixed in a latte, etc)

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I start my morning with a 6oz cup of espresso so for me the distinction is not academic. :wink:

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Red Bull
Magic Mike Dance/Strip Scene
Starbucks

In no particular order.

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A “trash can”? Hey, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.

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Hah! I start with a latte and triple shot in the morning and follow that up with another in the afternoon. When the local coffee shop closed doors it made sense to buy my own espresso machine and grinder and I figured payback was less than a year.

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That is a good investment with an excellent payback. I bought mine 2 years ago (A Breville BES870XL) for only 1 latte with double expresso per day :coffee:. And it was the best investment, because also I can choose which coffe grains works best for me.

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I went with a Rancilio Sylvia and Baratza Vario electric grinder. I get my whole beans by mail order from a supplier in Peoria, IL and my current preference is a mix of Italian and Costa Rican roast beans. The Costa Rican beans seem to improve the crema quite a bit compared to straight Italian roast. I tried a blend with Kona beans a while back and that was really nice but the Kona beans are a little pricey.

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Coffee makes me tired too. I still drink it though. when I drink it my BPM drops to 69.
someone once told me it’s probably my ADD.

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So the only studies I can find on this were in trials of using Red Bull to see if memory was enhanced, and while it wasn’t, there were significant numbers of people with bradycardia (slower heart rates) and the paper attributed them to what I mentioned before about increased vagal tone when the blood pressure spikes from the caffeine.

This is a milder version of vasovagal syncope (feinting) where a sudden epinephrin (adrenaline for you brits) surge from a surprise causes a rapid rise in blood pressure, and young women often have hypersensitivity in the carotid body (blood pressure sensor) which over-reacts and sends a signal down the vagus nerve to slow the heart and dilate blood vessels.

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Very handy to have a medical professional in the family.
My wife is a registered nurse of 40 years and is the main reason I’m still alive!

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