Soothing Teas for Holiday Stress

The holiday season can bring an abundance of excitement and festive events, but it's filled with stressors as well. From the strain of seasonal shopping to the exhaustion of social occasions, there's a lot to manage this time of year. Fortunately, you can manage many of the symptoms of holiday stress with tasty teas featuring powerful ingredients.

Chamomile

Chamomile is a soothing pick that's proven useful for reducing symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Chamomile is caffeine-free, so it won't give you any jitters. In fact, this tea can aid in a restful sleep. Along with calming your mood, it can also soothe an upset stomach and act as a powerful antioxidant.

Spearmint

Spearmint is an antioxidant-rich herb with a sweet, refreshing flavor that you can often find in candy, gum, and toothpaste. The menthol in the spearmint leaves provides a mild sedative effect, while the spearmint itself interacts with the gamma-aminobutyric acid neurotransmitter to reduce nerve activity and lower stress. Drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day has even been shown to improve hormone imbalance in women. As an added bonus, spearmint tea can ease indigestion, making it a great follow-up to any heavy holiday meal.

Peppermint

Peppermint is a hybrid of the powerful spearmint plant, mentioned above, and water mint. Peppermint tea has a wonderfully fresh flavor and supports metabolic and cardiovascular health. Peppermint tea is effective for treating many holiday maladies that can come from too much stress, such as headaches and gastrointestinal trouble. Peppermint may also ease menstrual discomforts, making it a great go-to for nearly any troubles you might have this festive season.

Rosehip

The base for rosehip tea are the small pseudo-fruits beneath the lush rose petals. These deliver a generous dose of vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and polyphenols. This equips the plant to fight everything from heart disease and type 2 diabetes to cancer. It will help your immune system stay strong to fight off other little bugs, too, so you may find it easier to battle a cold with rosehip tea in your kitchen. If that wasn't enough, this sweet-sour tea can also ease anxiety, boost weight loss, and help you maintain your mood through the stressful season.

Lavender

Lavender has a soothing scent that you often see in aromatherapy to ease cares and release stress. This aromatic tea can help combat holiday stress as well. One study showed that the benefits work best when you consume the tea slowly, enjoying its aroma as well as its taste. Over the course of two weeks, drinking one cup of lavender tea a day in this manner helped reduce fatigue and depression for study participants.

The distinctly floral taste is a popular pick when you're feeling overwhelmed. Studies have shown that lavender stimulates the part of the brain that creates a positive mood. It can also soothe stress-induced migraines, and it helps ease digestion after a big meal.

Valerian

Valerian root contains compounds that interact with the GABA receptors in the brain. Valerian root has been proven to ease anxiety, improve sleep quality, and ease the symptoms of depression. Some studies even indicate that valerian root tea may help with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Taken in the evening, valerian root can help you fall asleep faster and reduce sleep disturbances. 

The sleep benefits of valerian root work best when you use it consistently, so you may consider adding this to your bedtime routine. Speak with your doctor about the safety of valerian root for your personal health. Once approved, you might consult with one of our Psychics to develop an evening meditation and gratitude routine to combine with your tea ritual.

Lemon Balm

Though lemon balm comes from the mint family, it has a fresh lemony scent that goes with its name. Some studies have shown that lemon balm can be effective at reducing anxiety and depression. It can also improve memory and concentration. Using lemon balm tea around the holidays might help you keep your cool while juggling the numerous tasks that you have weighing on your mind. Lemon balm can also help you sleep better, which is essential during this busy time of year.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha root tea is an earthy, slightly bitter concoction that provides powerful support for your mental and emotional health around the holidays. It improves your memory and cognitive function, regulates the cortisol stress hormone, and improves sleep quality. It also helps support the immune system to keep you healthy throughout the busy winter season. 

Tea Blends

Many popular tea blends tap into the benefits of multiple ingredients. Yogi Bedtime tea features chamomile, rose hip, lavender flower, valerian root extract, and other calming ingredients to help you wind down at the end of the day and get a good night's sleep before your holiday festivities. Pukka Peace lives up to its name with a combination of ashwagandha, chamomile, lavender, and spearmint to bring you into a calm headspace.

You can also brew your own blends by combining the above options or adding them to other well-loved flavors. The sharp spice of ginger adds zing to ashwagandha root tea. Lavender and mint are a popular combination for the fresh and floral flavors. If you'd like to add a kick of spice to your softly flavored lavender, mix it with black tea to brighten your afternoon. Chamomile, lavender, and spearmint complement valerian root well for a powerful sleep-inducing tea on holiday evenings.

Adding a tea ritual to your regular routine can go a long way toward controlling stress during the holiday season. If you're still struggling, consult one of our Psychics for deeper insights into what ails you. You might reveal deeply buried hurts, fears, or issues that you can work through with an intuitive's guidance. This will free your energies to accept the abundance of the season.