Don’t spill the tea, drink it! I am a self-proclaimed tea enthusiast. I have two cups a day; green tea in the morning and black tea in the afternoon. Sometimes I switch it up and have a chamomile or an earl grey. I have a tea cart in my room full of my favorite teas and mugs.
Courtesy of Karisma Garag
I didn’t get this way all on my own, my parents drank tea twice-a-day, everyday, for my whole life. With school starting and the weather getting colder, now is the perfect time for a calming hot beverage. Skip the coffee and reach for the tea, because I have some great recommendations that’ll help you relax.
Courtesy of Karisma Garag
Courtesy of Karisma Garag
The first tea I recommend is a green tea. Its perfect for days where you have a test or a big presentation to give. Green tea has a mild amount of caffeine and an earthy flavor. This Tazo Zen tea in particular has lemongrass and spearmint which are refreshing and help you focus. I love this tea because it helps me calm any jittery nerves I have on stressful test days.
Pro Tip: A mug speaks a thousand words. Get a mug that inspires you to work hard or just makes you laugh. It can make drinking your tea a moment of joy and empowerment.
Courtesy of Karisma Garag
The second tea I recommend is a chai. Numi Organic Tea’s Rooibos Chai is my favorite because it’s caffeine free. Too much caffeine in one day can actually raise levels of anxiety, so it’s important to monitor how much caffeine you are consuming. Having a caffeine free option for a hot drink is great because you can enjoy this chai at night without being worried if it’ll keep you up at night. Hot drinks before bed can aid restful sleep and digestion. Chai is known for it’s comforting cozy flavors: cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. Perfect for fall!
Courtesy of Karisma Garag
The last tea I recommend is a sleepytime tea, especially this loose-leaf tea called Dream On by David’s Tea. Loose-leaf tea can be kind of tricky if you don’t have a steeper handy, but a lot of sleepytime teas come in tea bags as well. These teas don’t contain any caffeine and have ingredients like lavender and chamomile that are known to help induce sleep. This particular tea has ingredients such as chamomile, licorice root, and rose petal, that are known to help reduce stress, anxiety, menstrual cramps, and acne.
Overall, teas are subjective and not everyone is going to agree on which tea tastes good or is the best at helping you relax but that doesn’t matter. The most important lesson I’ve learned from my years of drinking tea is that it should be a moment for yourself. Put the work away, drink some tea, and forget about everything you have to do for ten minutes. It’s important that you remember to focus on yourself amongst all the hectic things going on in life. Life is always going to be moving and work is always going to be there but making time for yourself is beneficial for a healthy state-of-mind. So recharge, sip your tea, and feel like a goddamn queen. You deserve it.