Oh, here we are in the middle of a pandemic and frantic efforts to end racial injustice and police brutality–and I’m talking about what kind of tea to drink?!

Yes, I am. This is not my first round of lifestyle disruption and suddenly being stuck at home with a lot to worry about–and over the years, I’ve become increasingly aware of how the routine of going to work in an office shapes my daily life and productivity, and part of that is drinking the right kind of tea at the right time of day.  It’s something I struggle to work into my days at home, where it’s so hard to have a routine at all!  Reminding myself of the value of tea in calming my nerves and enhancing my productivity is good for me and probably good for you, too.

Also, I keep noticing how the British–famous for their indomitable spirit and ability to maintain a certain cheer through difficult circumstances–are always drinking tea.  In one of my favorite picture books, Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr, a burglar breaks into the family home, and one of the illustrations shows that as the police officer is writing up his report, he and the family and the burglar all are sipping cups of tea!

We’ve got serious work to do here in the United States to reform our police, make our justice system fair to everyone, protect our health, get our political rage under control so we can work together to get things done . . . and I don’t for a moment mean to suggest that drinking tea is going to solve all our problems!! But could it help a bit?  When the news is overwhelming you, could a cup of chamomile settle you down to get the rest you need to start your next day of action feeling less frayed and frantic?  When you’re trying to get your work done with out-of-school children nipping at your ankles and thoughts of, “My work really isn’t as important as developing a vaccine and ending racism,” battering your brain, might a sip of peppermint help more than coffee?

Drinking a cup of tea together with someone–even if you’ve had to brew your cups separately at a social distance–creates a perfect time for conversation.  Maybe you could have tea with an African-American person, a person who’s recovered from or lost someone to COVID-19, a police officer, a health-care worker, a person who’s been home alone for weeks, or anyone whose experience of this year has been different from yours . . . relax . . . and listen.  Maybe you are someone who needs to be heard and could get someone to sit with you just long enough to drink a cup of tea.

Zero Cater asked me to share this graphic about different varieties of herbal tea and how they can help you get through the day.  I don’t know much about Zero Cater and have never used their services.  But this is helpful information, and the full article has more about each variety of tea, including health benefits and references to scientific studies.

Please include attribution to https://zerocater.com when sharing this graphic.

For more about herbal teas, check out my articles on rooibos (red tea) and peppermint tea!

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