Drink a cup of tea to avoid holiday stress

In my opinion, drinking a cup of tea is one of the best ways to create some ME time during the holidays to avoid being stressed. 

There’s nothing better than taking a few minutes in the middle of the afternoon to sip a warm cup of tea. Can you hear the kettle whistling? Have you warmed up your tea pot and tea cup or mug? – most people forget that step but doing it takes the flavor and the experience to a whole new level. Have you chosen your favorite tea blend from your stash? Have you invited a friend over to join you? Did you remember to put out the cream, sugar, lemon, and honey and of course a plate of cookies?

Here are some of my favorite quotes from literature on the pleasures of drinking tea to inspire you to sit down and have a cup of tea at least once before the new year and to give your friends the gift of a tea sampler (available from specialty shops or online) so they can enjoy some tea time, too.

“The Tea Party

I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
'Twas very small-
Three guest in all-
Just I, myself and me.

Myself ate all the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea;
'Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me.”
― Jessica Nelson North

“What kind of tea do you want?"
"There’s more than one kind of tea?...What do you have?"
"Let’s see... Blueberry, Raspberry, Ginseng, Sleepytime, Green Tea, Green Tea with Lemon, Green Tea with Lemon and Honey, Liver Disaster, Ginger with Honey, Ginger Without Honey, Vanilla Almond, White Truffle Coconut, Chamomile, Blueberry Chamomile, Decaf Vanilla Walnut, Constant Comment and Earl Grey."
-"I.. Uh...What are you having?... Did you make some of those up?”
― Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

“A cup of tea would restore my normality.” ― Douglas Adams

There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life.” ― Lin Yutang, The Importance Of Living

“Tea tempers the spirits and harmonizes the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens thought and prevents drowsiness, lightens or refreshes the body, and clears the perceptive faculties.” ― Confucius

“Okay, this is the wisdom. First, time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted. Second, almost anything can be improved with the addition of bacon. And finally, there is no problem on Earth that can't be ameliorated by a hot bath and a cup of tea.” ― Jasper Forde, Shades of Grey

“A cat purring on your lap while you sip hot tea, is there anything better? Oh, and you’re floating in a zero gravity environment.” ― Jarod Kintz, Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change by Deciding to Let Indecision Into Your Life

“Dad was at his desk when I opened the door, doing what all British people do when they're freaked out: drinking tea.” ― Rachel Hawkins, Demonglass

“If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.”
― William Ewart Gladstone

“Nowadays, people resort to all kinds of activities in order to calm themselves after a stressful event: performing yoga poses in a sauna, leaping off bridges while tied to a bungee, killing imaginary zombies with imaginary weapons, and so forth. But in Miss Penelope Lumley's day, it was universally understood that there is nothing like a nice cup of tea to settle one's nerves in the aftermath of an adventure-- a practice many would find well worth reviving.”
― Maryrose Wood, The Hidden Gallery

“I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear
I like my toast done on one side ..."
 (Englishman in New York)” ― Sting, Nothing Like the Sun

“Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea: "One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime.”
― Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Peter Rabbit

My kettle is boiling -until next time,
Helne

Attitude of Gratitiude

November is a month of reflection, and with Thanksgiving Day just gone, it is often a time to express thanks for all of the blessings in our lives. Through gratitude, we accept the good in all. Counting our blessings brings balance to those parts of us that are disconnected. Gratitude changes our attitude and helps us to stop feeling victimized by life. If you are feeling down, hopeless, or worried, you can bring your life back into balance simply by practicing gratitude.

Why should that be? Why should the simple act of thinking about who and what you are grateful for make such a big difference in your life?
Just a few reasons:

It reminds you of the positive things in your life. It makes you happy about the people in your life, whether they're loved ones or just a stranger you met who was kind to you in some ways.

It turns bad things into good things. Having relationship problems? Be grateful you have a relationship. Be grateful you have challenges that you can learn from and that help you to learn. Be thankful they make you a stronger person.

It reminds you of what's important. It's hard to complain about the little things when you give thanks that your loved ones are alive and healthy. It's hard to get stressed out over paying bills when you are grateful there is enough food in your fridge.

It reminds you to thank others. The simple act of saying "thank you" to someone can make a big difference in that person's life. Calling them, texting them, stopping by to say thank you . . . just taking a minute to tell them why you are grateful for them is important to them. People like being appreciated! It's so easy to make someone else happy. And making someone else happy in return will make you happy.

Living a life of gratitude is easy. Simple acts of gratitude don't cost you much, but they can make a huge difference. If you want to give practicing gratitude a try, here are some ideas:

Morning gratitude session. Take 2-3 minutes each morning to give thanks, to whoever or whatever you're grateful for. Don't forget to include yourself! You don't have to do anything, other than close your eyes and silently give thanks. This can make a huge difference.

Say thank you. Whenever someone does something kind for you, however small, always try to remember to say thank you. And really mean it.

Give thanks for "negative" things in your life. There's always two ways to look at something. Many times we think of something as negative. But the same thing can be looked at in a more positive way. Giving thanks for those things is a great way to remind yourself that there is good in just about everything and that nothing happens without a reason.

Learn a gratitude prayer. There are many prayers, religious or not, that can remind you to be grateful. Search the internet and find one that resonates with you and print it out, or write your own. If you're not religious, it doesn't need to include the concept of God.

Love expressed as gratitude demonstrates itself in small acts of kindness and connects us to each other and to ourselves. What accomplishments can you be grateful for? I'd love to hear your comments.

Give the Gift of Yoga

Before things get out of hand and you find yourself stressed beyond measure, make a promise right now to carve out some ME time during this upcoming festive, holiday season. Take a look at your calendar and make sure, while you have the chance and before your time gets booked up with other obligations, to schedule at least 15 peaceful minutes a day for yourself --- and then honor that time.

Taking a few moments to quiet your mind is the key to enjoying this special time of year and practicing yoga is one of the best ways I know to stay calm and relaxed.

Some of the many health benefits of practicing yoga on a regular basis include:


Stronger immune system
Increased energy
More efficient breathing
Better digestion
Balanced hormones
Improved muscle flexibility and strength
Straighter posture
Healthier body weight
Improved sleep
Decreased pain
Improved balance
Increased sense of well-being
Better mood
Decrease in anxiety, depression and anger
Improved concentration and memory
Decrease in total cholesterol levels
Lower blood pressure


You can also use yoga as a theme in your gift giving this year. Encourage your friends to join you in a yoga class with a gift certificate and buy everyone things like yoga mats, yoga pants, instructional videos, thoughtful books, relaxing music, water bottles, eye shades and a special bag to carry everything in.

And since everyone’s feet are bare during yoga class, how about throwing in a gift certificate for a pedicure, too? It just might help your friends who may be new to yoga, to start things off on the right foot, so to speak.

I realize even the most basic yoga moves can prove quite challenging for some people, but with consistent practice, the health benefits of yoga will far outweigh any awkwardness that may surface initially. Yoga is one of those things that you have to stick with for awhile but it’s worth it. You just might find that adding some yoga stretches to your daily routine will really help make this holiday extraordinary.