Drinking tea improves your health in many forms, so adding tea to benefit your self-care is a great idea!

We can’t add EVERYTHING to a Self-Care routine, but adding tea should truly be in the top 5!  This article will show you some convincing reasons why.

A cup of tea has surprising benefits that can improve your emotional health, help you sleep, calm your anxiety, and settle your tummy.

Did you know that tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, and can be found in almost 80% of all U.S. households?! (1) Check out this fact sheet for more amazing information about tea!

If you are feeling stressed and anxious, the simple Self-Care routine of having a cup of tea might be just what you need to calm down and feel better.

Drinking tea has many benefits beyond the drinking part. Just the making of tea with a daily mindful routine, can calm anxiety.

Selecting your favorite type of tea, pouring the hot water, smelling the tea, & warming the hands with a beautiful tea cup, are some of the triggers for our senses to relax and unwind.

Of course, the internal health benefits of tea are well documented and have lists and lists of ways to help you!

And finally, you can take advantage of the social aspect of drinking tea to teach your children their own routine of calming down, and spend relaxing time with your friends.

The simple act of having a cup of tea by yourself or with someone you care about can be deeply healing for many reasons, which makes tea a MUST to have in your Self-Care routine!

Related:  How Does Your Body Ask For Help?

Meditative Tea Time Routine Relieves Anxiety

You can turn the steps of making a cup of tea into a truly meditative and relaxing habit, by paying close attention to each little step.

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of my favorite authors, a renowned Zen Master & author of over 100 books, and he describes pouring a cup of tea so beautifully in his book The Miracle Of Mindfulness.

How Thich Nhat Hanh outlines pouring a cup of tea as so simple, and explains how being aware and present to this simple act can bring our mind and concentration to the here and now, instead of thinking about yesterday or tomorrow.

Many of us need reminders to think of the here and now, and things we can control, instead of disappointments of the past or the uncertainty of the future.

A cup of tea can calm our mind and emotional health at any time of the day. Especially if we put down our phones, turn off social media & our internet connection, and appreciate the environment we are sitting in.

We often take simple daily acts for granted, and the act of making tea is one of those simple acts. Simple routines benefit your Self-Care by bringing attention to the small activities which can be used to calm your mind if you do them with awareness.

Our favorite meditative routine is making a cup of tea

Be Mindful Of All Of Your Senses When Making Tea:

• The smell of the tea leaves you choose
• The sound of pouring the hot water
• Feeling & smelling the steam on your skin
• Holding the warm cup in your hands
• Watching the swirl of the steeping tea leaves
• Sipping the tea: the sound, the taste, the warmth

When we can slow down and really enjoy each simple step of making tea, it can be quite healing and calming. As you consider your own Self-Care habits, or contemplate which habits might benefit your health the most, I hope you include a tea time routine.

If you slow down the entire process of making a cup of tea, and stay in the present moment, I think you might find a better appreciation for all the simple steps. This appreciation can dissolve your angst of the unknown and replace it with ease of the RIGHT NOW.

Related:  What Is Emotional Pain?

Use Tea Time To Teach Your Children How To Relax

Include your kids in your tea time Self Care routine.
As a mom, with kids, pets, work and other things pulling at us, it is a challenge to get any quiet alone time at all.

One idea is to include your children in your quiet tea routine, and encourage them to sit with you, quietly, and sip some tea.

They will want your help preparing their tea at first, and you can help them get their own tea and teach them how to pour without spilling, or how to be gentle with cups & tea pots.

Your Children are creating their own Self-Care habits by watching you, so show them how effective a daily tea time routines habit can be.

When we include our family in our time of calm, it can teach them tools to find moments of peace and calm in their own lives now and when your children have grown and moved away.

Show them how to find calm, how to breathe deeply, or to smell their tea and feel their warm hands as they hold the teacup. As you teach these benefits of your tea routine, they learn mindfulness for the present moment, and at the same time, you give yourself a wonderful gift of peace.

Years later, as your children adapt to life on their own, and you spend time together, tea time will have an even deeper meaning for you both. These simple Self-Care routine is a tradition (maybe more than your generation?) that makes a big difference in the way they deal with the world and with their own stress & anxiety. It’s a wonderful gift you have given them.

Related:  Self-Care Basics: A Beginner’s Guide

Teas To Wake You Up, Improve Your Focus & Concentration

Did you know that there are teas that can help you concentrate? Also, many that help boost your general health and many other wonderful things.

When you are working late to finish a project, or you are a student studying late hours in college, utilize the power of tea instead of coffee to keep alert and able to concentrate!

Try to sip these special teas before your big event, but also drink all the way through for best results.

Popular Teas To Help Your Mental Focus, Alertness, Memory And Concentration:

Ginseng Tea

Use Ginseng tea to gain energy and improve your memory and mental focus.

Ginko Biloba Tea

A popular tea to boost memory retention, mental focus and generally help cognitive function.

Green Tea

The high antioxidant levels in Green Tea improve our circulation and boost our focus and mental clarity.

Rosemary Tea

Crush some fresh rosemary leaves and use their aroma to boost your focus and concentration! The tea form of Rosemary also reduces stress.

Keep some of these teas on hand when you know you have a long night or important test to study for or a big project due, to keep your focus clear and memory on track!

The Benefits Of Tea For Your Health: Great Daily Habits For Self Care

There are many types of teas in the world, and amazing tea makers who can blend tea like magic potions to cure tough colds, heal bones, help us focus, sleep and much more.

If you have ever seen this in action, you know what I mean!! They know what to pinch, how much, then they smell it, look at it, and know what to add and when the blend is complete.

As a beginning tea drinker, we have the luxury of tea in tea bags! We don’t need to know which herbs to pinch or how much to use. We can just pick “Throat Coat” by Traditional Medicinals or “Stress Relief” by Yogi Teas, for example.

As you get more experienced in the world of TEA, you can dive deep into how-to steep, what to steep and why.
For now, trust the tea experts and buy some boxes of tea bags. 

One of the most well known aspects of the benefits of tea is how it can help reduce anxiety and stress! As we discussed above, merely going through the routine of making the cup of tea can, in itself, be stress reducing!

Besides the highly caffeinated teas like black tea, Earl Grey or English Breakfast, MOST teas (even those I just mentioned!) can reduced stress.

And, how about a cup of hot water? If you can’t find any tea, but have the hot water, that has been used to reduce stress in many countries. So, try that as well! 

Tea Blends That Help Reduce Stress:

• Nectevia with Stevia (this one includes American-based ingredients!)
• The Republic of Tea Honey Ginseng Green Tea
• Pukka Tea Collection from Target. (Their vast collection has got something for everyone)
• Kava Stress Relief by Yogi Tea

Teas That Ease Menstrual Cramps

• Camomile Tea
• Ginger Tea
• Peppermint Tea

Tea Blends That Support Lungs & Throat

• Masala Chai
• Throat Coat
• Breath Easy
• Licorice Root Tea

Teas That Boost Your Immune System

• Tumeric Tea
• Lemon balm Tea
• Ginger Tea
• Peppermint Tea
• Camomile Tea

Teas That Ease Constipation

• Smooth Move
• Ginger Tea
• Camomile Tea
• Ginger Tea

Do you see a pattern above of several teas on several lists, it’s true! Some teas support our health in many different ways, like Camomile, Ginger or Peppermint.

Camomile is very mild and can be tolerated even by very touchy tummies. Ginger is a bit more “spicy” and Peppermint is still mild, yet not as mild as Camomile.

If you are new to drinking tea, a good first choice is to start with Camomile Tea. Try adding some raw honey and milk for a yummy treat. It’s my daughter’s favorite. Of course, we have the honor of using my father’s honey from his bees, which is extra yummy.

Not every tea will appeal to you. Try different flavors and styles of tea to find your list of favorites. You can also mix tea flavors, steep longer or sorter, add sweeteners, milk, and drink iced.

Tea Time Social Support To Benefit Your Self-Care

Our family loves tea parties! Even during the pandemic, we’ve had Zoom tea parties, and clinked tea cups via FaceTime or Facebook Messenger Video Chat!

Getting together with friends to drink tea and sometimes include savories, crumpets or other treats is one of our favorite things to do!

We love the entire process and love tea time websites like Oh, How Civilized, one of our favorite places to learn about many yummy tea recipes, how to REALLY make tea, afternoon tea etiquette, and much more. If you catch the “Tea” bug, definitely check out Jee’s wonderful tea site.

You can make your tea time very simple with only one or two cups and tea bags. Or perhaps pull out a tea pot and steep several tea bags for 2-4 people. You can set your table, have sugar and cream, or just the tea cups.

It’s totally up to you!

My point is to have a social tea intensionally, to find pleasure in just setting up the event, no matter how big or small. Use social tea time to benefit your mental and emotional health as well as your physical body.

Evening Tea Time Routine For Better Sleep

Do you tend to toss and turn the whole night?
Stress can disrupt our sleep cycle as all those worrisome thoughts run through our minds. The after-effects of sleep deprivation include grogginess, headaches, and fatigue.

Luckily, adding a cup of low-caffeine green tea to your nighttime ritual can put you back on track. The botanical brew turns off those negative thoughts and shifts your mind to a Zen mode.

Subsequently, this allows you to settle in comfortably and fall asleep.
Unlike sleeping pills, organic green teas and herbal blends don’t have any side effects.

This knowledge can allow you to ditch the over-the-counter medication if you are taking any for some stress-induced insomnia. I’m sure that a lot of you will like the possibility of leaving pills once and for all.  This is yet another way that Tea can benefit your Self-Care routine!

Also, remember the meditative use of a tea routine to create calm & unwind before sleep.

Best Teas For Sleep:

• Valerian root Tea
• Passionflower Tea
• Camomile Tea

Summary Of Tea Benefiting Your Self-Care Routine

As you can see, the benefits of tea are infinite. The magical concoction has the power to heal you from within, while the perfect company adds to the experience. Plus, this simple coping mechanism is healthier and easier than anything else available on the market.

If you’re ever going through a stressful situation, I suggest that you put the kettle on and brew a hot cup of tea. The motions of preparing tea will set your mind at ease and once you add it to your daily routine, your stress levels will start to subside.

When you’re in a hurry, you can always use tea bags instead of making tea traditionally. The beverage is still effective though you miss out on some of the meditative side of tea making.

So the next time you feel overwhelmed, stressed or anxious, just grab a cup, a blanket & maybe some company and untangle yourself from the stress of your day.

Watch how a soothing cup of tea helps you relax and recharge your body on all levels.

I hope the tea helps you as much as it helps me & my family.