Hello, tea lovers! As we navigate all that is unknown these days, I pray that you are all still staying safe in these trying & unprecedented times!
With all of the new and constantly changing restrictions, the overwhelming wave of statistics we are bombarded with daily, & negativity that seems to invade every facet of our lives nowadays, I thought we would take a break & focus on some positivi-tea! :)
First, & foremost, let's talk about the potential for all of this new free time we are presented with. While we seemingly still have plenty of tasks to complete, rooms to clean, meals to cook, & other chores, because of our confinement to our homes we, no doubt, have more idle time on our hands. This increase in down time can be, at first, a bit intimidating. What are we going to do to fill this new found free time?
Of course, there is the new Netflix series that we have been meaning to catch up on, or the room makeover that your Pinterest boards have been inspiring for months. But on a deeper level, why not use this time to work on your meditation practice? Not commonly known, mediation is a learned skill. It must be practiced & worked on in order to become proficient & to reap all of the benefits.
Meditation is defined as "a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention & awareness, & achieve a mentally clear & emotionally calm & stable state."
Let's repeat that last part; mentally clear & emotionally calm & stable state. How nice does that sound??
Now to the part about focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity. Here's where we at Good Life Tea come in. There is a practice known as Tea Meditation which uses tea as this particular object, thought, & activity. We have another blog article here that details the practice of Tea Meditation, how to do so, & all of the benefits that accompany this practice! Anything that encourages you to engage in mindfulness, especially in trying times, is a positive, & tea meditation certainly does so!
Another benefit not to forget to appreciate & to be sure to acknowledge in this time is the surplus of moments with loved ones that would otherwise be spent at your desk or elsewhere. These moments are precious & great opportunities to bond with our loved ones. What better way to indulge during these moments than to bond over a delicious cup of tea as well? Another previous blog article, here, details exactly why enjoying tea with another person is so special & satisfying!
You're probably saying to yourself at this point, "But aren't we supposed to be social distancing & staying away from others or loved ones?". Indeed, we are! But why not brew yourself a nice cup of tea & either call or FaceTime your loved one? Share this way! Better yet, order your friend some of their favorite tea & have it shipped to them, order your favorite, then have a FaceTime to enjoy together!
The best & most important part of this blog post is as follows. Tea is not only absolutely safe to drink during this time, it is actually advisable to drink more tea! This is for a variety of reasons. First, any bacteria or viruses that may be present are completely destroyed in the steeping of your tea in boiling water. Secondly, in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, tea, as always, continues to keep you hydrated. Hydrated individuals, as a whole, have healthier immune systems & are better able to ward off infections, diseases, & viruses. Lastly, green tea, specifically Matcha, has been studied & is known to contain large amounts of the molecules such as quercetin & epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). These molecules are known to destroy the enzymes that coronavirus releases once inside your cells! How cool is that? We will delve more into this in another blog article this upcoming week!
Moral of the story, don't let this quarantine cramp your style! Stay positive & drink more tea! Let us know how you are staying positive & healthy in the comments! Wishing you all the best & hoping we are able to see you soon! - Kaytea :)
