Tea as a Natural Therapeutic...Part 1...
There Are Two Ways Tea Is Naturally Therapeutic...
What is it about drinking tea that makes us feel good?...
Is it the aroma, the taste, or the mouth feel? Is it the sensation we get when we sip and swallow the tea? Is it the feeling of satisfaction as we savor the broth in our cups?
Could it be all of the above? To answer these questions, let's first think about what feel good actually means...
There are two ways that tea is naturally therapeutic...that is, two ways in which tea can be considered a treatment or therapy, a routine with long-lasting beneficial effects. Let's start with the first...Psychologically.
Yes, tea can be warm and inviting, stirring up feelings of creature comfort and stress relief within us. Tea can be captivating, sweeping us away with the wonder of Mother Nature's creation, in conjunction with the mastery of leaf manipulation that creates the vast range of pleasing tea broths we have become enamored with.
As a therapeutic tool, tea helps us relax or feel better about things in the present moment, especially if we are in a state of unhappiness or dissatisfaction. Even if we haven't been feeling negatively, tea still has the power to make us content, satisfied, and, well...happier.
If tea makes us feel better, why? How?...
Tea is psychologically therapeutic for many reasons. We anticipate the experience we will enjoy when we consume the tea, starting with the gustatory pleasure. We have become familiar with the character of the tea and know what the experience will be like when we consume it. We have primed ourselves to relax and unwind as soon as we begin steeping tea, anticipating the positive, naturally therapeutic drinking experience we are familiar with.
Equally or more important, though, is that we also know what the tea will do for us after we consume it. With tea, phase one of the naturally therapeutic benefits comes as we anticipate the two things that immediately affect us...the enjoyable consumption experience that is upon us, and the satisfaction of the sensation and health benefits resulting from the powerful ingredients in the tea.
It is about positive reinforcement, the feelings triggered by the appearance of the broth and tealeaves that are repeatedly confirmed through tea enjoyment...
Long ago, to remember to have my green tea on any given day, I decided to make it a habit to start the day with green tea, lessening the chances that I would miss out on consuming my daily antioxidants.
Now, after decades of drinking tea, I continue to start my day with green tea.
I wake up, go to my infuser, add my chosen green tea, and steep it to my sweet spot. I pour two lovely mugs of delightful green tea, one for Judy and one for me.
I place my clear glass mug on the counter and go about my business, getting ready for the day, while I allow the tea to cool to a temperature where I can taste it. If the tea is too hot, I not only risk burning my tongue, but the heat also changes how the tea tastes. As excited as I am to drink my green tea, waiting until the broth has cooled enough for my taste buds to perceive the tea's nuances will lead to the best drinking experience, and therefore the most potent, naturally therapeutic effects.
As I glance over at the tea on the counter and recognize the characteristic color of the broth, which I have come to know and appreciate, I get my first health benefit.
I get happy...
The happiness is real. It's a result of dopamine...the happy hormone. Why? After half a century of paying attention to tea, I've become acutely aware of the immediate, short, medium, and long-term ways tea benefits my health, and how its naturally therapeutic effects have positively changed my life.
Intently focusing on tea brought me to an awareness of how tea supports my natural systems, by doing some of the heavy lifting and taking some of the load they would otherwise have to manage on their own.
Happiness is a subliminal reaction that happens automatically, connecting the goodness the tea is doing with the color of the broth that I've learned produces the best cup for me.
It is about reinforcement and satisfaction...
The combination of immediate psychological awareness, satisfaction, and the positive reinforcement one gets as their enjoyment and appreciation of various teas grow is only the first way tea is naturally therapeutic.
The second way tea is naturally therapeutic is the set of Physiological benefits one experiences from drinking tea. Learn more about tea's physiological effects in Tea as a Natural Therapeutic, Part 2...