Why drinking tea is my answer to everything...

Yes, I am obsessed with tea!! Not just a little, a lot! I don't really know how it began, because I have never been into the typical British black tea with milk and sugar. I think my love for tea grew as my love for wellness and spirituality blossomed too.

For someone who has always suffered with severe anxiety, tea has always been a bit of a constant friend for me. When I look back, I realise that every single tea that I made for myself actually included a mindful moment, even though I didn't realise it then. Sometimes under a minute, where I selected the type of tea carefully. Sometimes a few minutes of watching the steam rise from the kettle more and more as I waited patiently for it to boil. Other times, periods of 30 minutes or more were spent making, waiting, enjoying and appreciating my cup of tea. All of those moments were mindful and brought me ease. One moment wasn't more healing than the other - they all relieved and grounded me. At the peak of my anxious times, I tended to find myself near the kettle a lot! It is a sign for me that I am wanting to distract myself, get space or escape from something challenging. Anytime we have to step out of the constant and annoying narrative of the anxious mind, and into the present moment to focus our attention outside of ourselves, we are practicing mindfulness. I mean don't get me wrong, the anxious voice continues to chatter even when I'm pouring the hot water in at times, but if I didn't somewhat say "hold on just a second" while I poured, I would have scolded my hand millions of times by now (ouch!).

I think we all have mindful practices such as this, that we probably don't even acknowledge consciously because it's habitual. Maybe you have a bracelet you wear daily and play with during the day?

Maybe you grab a croissant and coffee from a coffee shop on your way to work each morning and wait in the line for a while each time? Bringing a little awareness and gratitude to these rituals can often boost the benefits of that practice even further. These moments exist for all of us where we can transform them into our very 5-10 minute mindful retreat, anywhere, anytime.

When I select tea, I consider what ingredient would be good for my body in that moment, or what smell would bring me joy. I carefully choose the seat or place that I will savour the tea. I sometimes select an activity I want to do in conjunction, such as reading a book, listening to a podcast, looking at a view, or just sitting and breathing for a moment. With this mindset, I love that drinking tea for me feels like such a luxurious treat - as if I am indulging in an experience I may in fact pay a lot of money for at a wellness spa! I love that now that I have a better relationship with my anxiety and mental health, I become more aware in the moment of how good this ritual makes me feel spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally.

Despite the title, tea isn't my answer to everything for YOU. It is definitely my answer to experiencing ease and presence a lot of the time but, for you, mindful moments may contain unique treasures I am yet to unearth! I hope that today, you can take a moment and ask yourself what are the small rituals I do that I never want to miss out on, that bring me healing? And how can I enhance those moments by becoming more aware of the beautiful effects it's having on my body and mind? It sounds silly, but sometimes it's the small things like tea-making that have the most profound effect on our holistic well-being (and not only because it tastes great and wakes us up in the morning!).