3 Ways Tea Can Help You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions Strong!
2022 is going to be different. This year you are going to crush all those goals you have been wanting to manifest! Yes it will be hard and feel awful at first. New habits take time and energy and your brain will be constantly tempting you with thoughts like “just forget it”, “it won’t work anyways”and that old favorite “you can start tomorrow”. You will need help and support especially in the first 3 weeks of this month to stick to your new plan.
Tea to the rescue!
Below are 3 ways that tea is naturally designed to help you get healthier, be happier and build the life you want.
Resolutions of the Body:
Getting healthy/losing weight
I’ve already written about how tea helps you lose weight and stay healthy in my tea and wellness guide but bottom line is that tea is really a great friend for you when it comes to health. Its full of antioxidants. It has no calories. It has some caffeine, but not too much. It helps keep you hydrated. It lowers cholesterol and boosts good gut flora. The only way tea could be healthier is if it yelled “gimme 10 more” for you at the gym.
Here’s some ways to use tea to stick to those resolutions around your body and health this month.
When you want to reach for a cookie or soda or glass of wine try making a cup of tea instead. Very often we are tempted into our old habits because we want to numb uncomfortable emotional states like boredom, anxiety, shame, guilt, stress etc.
Making a cup of tea and sipping it takes just long enough to take a deep breath let the emotion pass- or to move through. The hot water is comforting. You are hydrating, slowing down and getting nutrients. If there is caffeine in the blend you’ll get a little lift of energy too. Those 5 minutes are all it takes to reset your intention and make a better choice.
Maybe after you have a cup of tea you decide that you are hungry and so can choose an apple instead of a brownie. Maybe you are stressed and realize you need to take a quick walk or do some deep breathing or jumping around to relieve the tension. Maybe you are tired and choose to take a 20 minute nap instead of pushing yourself through it.
Let tea be the friend that reminds you to take a minute before you act. And unlike cigarette breaks, tea breaks are good for you and you can have as many of them as you need through the day!
p.s. I always have my favorite TEAS on standby when I need them- if you need a restock
Shop the For Support Tea Here!
Resolutions of the Mind:
Being Present/Focused/ Calm/Happy
Mindfulness is a big part of being happy. When you realize that circumstances and other people don’t make feel bad but your doing it to yourself with your thoughts, you gain the power to take back your life and start manifesting your goals. This is the work of human evolution and it takes constant practice. The more mindful of you are of your thoughts and how they in turn cause emotional reactions and how those emotions in turn those drive your actions- the more present, focused, calm and happy you will be.
One of the biggest reasons we don’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions is because we think our actions and will power will be enough to create change. But if you don’t clean up those thought patterns that are habitual- eventually your emotions will win out and the old habits will return.
Tea is a superpower in the realm of mindfulness. Green tea and Matcha in particular have both calming and energizing affects on the mind at the same time due to a gentle amount of caffeine, very high levels of an amino acid called L theanine and lots of vitamins and minerals. Research shows that L theanine reduces anxiety and calms us because it increases the number of inhibitory neurotransmitters (which balance our moods) and modulates serotonin and dopamine (which makes make us feel good).
For thousands of years monks have used tea as a means of staying awake, focused, and calm during meditation.
In the times we are living through the mind medicine that the tea plant offers us is needed more than ever before.
We are bombarded daily with information, advertising and demands for our attention by our own phones.
How to Use Tea for the Mind:
Beyond the chemical support that the tea plant provides for your brain and mood, the simple act of brewing and drinking tea can be your first step towards a daily practice of meditation and mindfulness.
The act of making tea requires you to leave behind whatever you were doing for a moment, heat water, add leaves and wait for them to steep before enjoying the sensation of the tea itself.
This simple ritual can be all you need to infuse meditation and mindfulness into your daily life.
How to turn your tea into a daily meditation practice:
To have tea as a meditation, you simply add mindfulness with each step.
Choose your tea. What will it be today? Consider your current mood and your mental and physical needs. Examine the intention behind your choice of tea and how you choose to prepare it.
Select a cup with care. Perhaps it’s your favorite mug that was passed down from a family member, a birthday gift from your friend, or a hand-crafted mug from a local artisan. Choose a cup that speaks to you and lights up your soul with happy memories and associations.
Notice the water boiling. While you’re waiting for the water to boil notice the sound of the water. Hear the pace of the water quicken as it heats up. This might be a long period of waiting, so notice if any thoughts of impatience arise (without judgement). Enjoy the slowness of this process. As the water comes to a rolling boil, see the steam escaping from the kettle, and hear the sound of the kettle’s whistle.
Watch the tea transition. Whether you’re using a bag or an infuser, carefully pour the water into your cup and watch the color change as time passes. See the color becoming darker. If you take your tea with cream, milk, sugar, or honey, add those in with intention. Think about why you enjoy each addition, and consider carefully how much you really need.
Savor each sip. Feel the warmth of the cup or handle in your hands. Feel the solid construction of the cup. Notice the shape of the cup as you hold it. When you’re ready for your first sip, hold the cup up to your nose and breathe in deeply. Enjoy the aroma — what does it smell like? Is it light and floral, or fresh and fruity? Or perhaps it’s earthy and robust. When you're ready for your first sip, take it slowly and intentionally. Let the tea sit in your mouth for a moment and notice the first burst of flavor. What does it taste like? Let the flavor spread across your tongue. Now follow the journey of the tea into your body as you swallow your first sip. Feel it nourish you.
Enjoy the process. As you continue the slow process of savoring your tea, feel where you currently are in space — perhaps standing or sitting — and feel grounded in the moment. Notice all the points where your body contacts the floor. Notice the pace at which you are finishing your tea — do you feel the urge to quicken the pace? What could be causing those feelings? Or perhaps you’re content to stay where you are right now. Without judgement, notice the feelings that arise in the process. Notice the temperature of the tea change as time passes.
Seal your practice with gratitude. As your tea meditation comes to a close, express gratitude to yourself for showing up, gratitude for all the people who put in work to grow, harvest, package, and bring you this tea, and gratitude for this present moment of peace and pleasure.
Resolutions of the Heart:
Spending more time with family & friends/Feeling Connected
It’s no secret that we called our tea brand “Communitea” because we love how tea brings people together to share conversations and connection all over the world. When you invite someone over for tea it’s a physical act of kindness. Tea gives us the time and place we need to relax and connect on a deeper level.
Making Time for Friends and Loved Ones
From Victorian parlors, to Buddhist monasteries, to the deserts of Africa, people from all walks of life gather over cups of tea to celebrate honor the ancient tradition of hospitality, to socialize, and to share a pleasant moment with others.
One of the top five most common New Year's Resolutions is to spend more time with family and friends. If that's one of your resolutions this year, here are a few ideas for creating heart felt connections.
Set up a regular teatime.
Life gets busy. Even if you're the most well-meaning friend, it's easy to get distracted by the flurry of the day-to-day hustle. Before you know it time flies by, and you still haven't met up with that old friend you've been meaning to contact.
To keep time from slipping away, try scheduling a regular tea date ahead of time. Whether it's tea with your BFFs once a month, or an annual afternoon tea with your kids, or morning tea time with your partner- schedule you tea times first before your calendar fills up with the “to do” list. Planning ahead also gives you something fun to look forward to!
Get creative with tea times:
● Tea Happy Hour: Have you ever tried tea in a cocktail? The diverse flavors of tea blend wonderfully into all sorts of "grown up" drinks. Or ditch the alcohol and just enjoy tea while you relax, chat and snack with friends.
● Tea Over Zoom: If you have a friend who doesn't live in town, you can still meet for tea. Send your friend some tea you know they'll like, and purchase the same tea for yourself. Then arrange to brew up a pot at the same time and meet "over tea" using zoom or facetime.
● Tea and Sympathy: Invite a friend over for tea and snacks, and take turns deeply listening to one another. Sometimes all we need is to be heard and supported and life feels much easier.
Send a tea care package.
Nothing is as touching as receiving a surprise care package from a friend. It's a beautiful way to reconnect, and let someone know that you're thinking about them.
With tea gifts, it's truly the thought that counts.
● If your friend is under the weather, create a Wellness Kit with some Immunitea, a bottle of honey and fresh fruit (perhaps a lemon to add to the tea!).
● If your friend is going through a difficult time, leave a surprise basket at the door with their favorite tea, some homemade cookies, and a card letting them know you're there for them anytime they need support or want to chat.
● Send a "thinking of you" card in the mail, and slip in a gift card for their favorite tea shop. You can include a message saying, "This gift card is for us to use the next time we meet for tea!"
These ideas are just a few to get you started. Your tea traditions may look different than someone else's, but the opportunity is always the same: tea provides a way for people to connect with each other.
If you’ve already thought about your Resolutions and written them down, you’ve made a great beginning to your year!
Let me know what Resolution you made this year so I can write more posts to help you to reach your goals!
Please share in the comments below!
xoxo
Ginger