Tuesday Afternoon Tea Time

Oh, you know, just a pic of me enjoying my tea ;)

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.  ~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

Okay, so sadly, I don't have an hour each afternoon to dedicate to "the ceremony known as afternoon tea," and I doubt that you do, either. But, what a lovely idea, no? And what I have found recently is that there really is nothing that helps me slow down more than brewing a cup of tea around 3 or 4pm and just taking a moment to stop and take a few sips. I know, it sounds indulgent, but trust me, it's not. It's mandatory...

Today, for instance, after a bustling day of meeting after meeting (luckily, though, a day that did start with some AM yoga!), I finally got the chance to sit down, pause, and catch my breath around 3:30pm. I brewed a cup of tea, took a few deep breaths as I allowed it to cool, and gave myself a chance to stop and just be present for a moment...and wow, was it nice! I know that so many of us don't have the luxury of being able to take much time to stop and pause each day, but I've found that taking some time for an afternoon break is a great reminder to breathe--even if it's just for a few minutes, or a few sips--before heading off again to finish up my day. Even if you're stuck at your desk, or you only have 5 minutes between meetings, try to think about finding a way to take a moment for yourself during even your busiest of days--or, especially during your busiest of days!

A great way to remind yourself to do so? Create an afternoon ritual. Whether it's tea, coffee, a stretch break, a 5-minute walk outside, or even a 2-minute walk down the hall, give yourself a moment just for you each day. Set the alarm on your phone or a reminder in Outlook, and just make it a habit. That way, each day you'll have that moment to count on--a chance to breathe deeply, check in with your stress-level, your posture, the state of your mind and body, and your energy-level. And maybe, over time, you can even begin to check-in more than once per day...but for now, let's just start with 1x daily :)

My recommendation? Brew a cup of tea. Blow on it to cool it, breathe deeply, and then savor every last drop. Not while writing emails or surfing facebook--while doing nothing else. Nothing else.

Now doesn't that sound nice? I'll leave you with this, the words of Bernard-Paul Heroux: "there is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea."

Now I'm off to finish mine in silence :)

Namaste!
Mary Catherine

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