Wednesday April 17, 2013 | 3 comments
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
– Sidney Harris, journalist
Too much stress?
The seemingly dreaded “cortisol” hormone was designed to help us. However, according to About.com:
“While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation response be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress.”
When do we have time to relax?
NOW! Don’t wait until you are in the midst of stress. Plan ahead – plan daily.
Almost a decade ago, I began my tea journey with two questions:
1. What is tea?
2. Why is tea associated with tranquility and spirituality?
We rarely think of tea as something to pump ourselves up with – we usually think of tea as something to drink to calm ourselves down. This goes back thousands of years to the Buddhist monks who first discovered the calming, yet stimulating effects of the tea leaf – but they weren’t drinking it, they were eating it. They found the leaf of the Camellia sinensis perfect to prolong spiritual meditations. It calmed the mind and the body, thus allowing for mind, body, and soul alignment – the ultimate stress reliever.
Along with drinking tea, there are many other things we can do to keep our stress levels down: physical activity, yoga, tai chi, aromatherapy, visualization exercises, music, deep breathing, journaling, meditation, sex, laughter, singing, and self-hypnosis, along with many other simple practices. Can you combine any of these activities with drinking tea? Of course you can! Most of these can be enhanced by adding a simple cup of tea!
Again, from About.com:
“Higher and prolonged cortisol levels in the bloodstream can have a whole host of negative effects on the human body, such as:
- Impaired cognitive performance
- Suppressed thyroid function
- Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
- Decreased bone density
- Decrease in muscle tissue
- Higher blood pressure
- Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
- Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of metabolic syndrome, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!”
Who’s got time for any of these?
Since stress seems to be something that is part of our daily lives, we must do something daily to negate its effects. Can you pick just a few things from the aforementioned suggestions and add them to your daily routine?
Yes, yes you can! Don’t wait until stress manifests itself as a disease. Start now. Start with something simple and start sipping along and making the activity more enjoyable.
The time to relax is when you take the time and make the time. When else will it happen? Even our sleep is affected by the stress levels in our bodies. Consciously and daily – very simply – we can find ways to relieve the stress hormone “cortisol” and live happily and in a healthy, more empowered way.
Everyone deserves this – so make time for yourself. Put the kettle on and go to your happy place. Even smiling makes us feel better – let’s try that, too!
What terrific suggestions. All are useful in the journey to defeat stress in our lives. I love the addition of tea into so many possibiities. Thanks for calling all of these ideas to our attention. You are so right……….”The time to relax is when you take the time and make the time.”
Namaste Dharlene
“Half an hour’s meditation is essential except when you are very busy. Then a full hour is needed.” St. Francis de Sales
I was looking for this quote to include along with my post.
It still fits!
Thanks, Dharlene, for this entreaty to get people to take stress seriously and find ways to slow down. It’s very important. Stress is most likely the most significant contributing factor for 80% of our illnesses. Especially the chronic ones.
Here’s one very simple thing tea drinkers can do that won’t even take much more time above and beyond the time they are taking to prepare their tea. Just slow down the tea prep process. Be more mindfully aware as you prepare your tea. Notice your breath. Notice the look and aroma of the tea as you take it out of the container and put it in the pot. Listen to the sound of the water as it heats up and how it begins to quiet down as it approaches higher temperatures. While waiting for the tea to steep, just observe your natural breath. Don’t try and direct or control it, just observe it as it already is. Fast or slow, just follow it. Pour the tea slowly and notice the color and aroma. How does the pot feel in your hands? Observe the flow of the tea from the pot into your cup. Savor the aroma and taste of the liquor. Notice how it feels in your mouth and how it warms your body.
Just taking a little more time with your tea preparation can help you create a small island of equanimity that can have a huge impact on your health.