Life can be overwhelming at times. When anxiety, grief, or stress weigh heavy on my heart, I turn to family, friends, tea, and calming activities. God has gifted us a world full of supportive herbs for difficult seasons. There’s something inherently soothing about the ritual of tea – from the steam rising to the warmth of the cup that gently calms your body and mind. But beyond the ritual, teas have wonderful medicinal properties that can be truly uplifting when life calls for them. I’ll explain a few of these below.
For Day to Day Anxiety:
When anxiety takes hold, a soothing cup of tea can help calm your nerves and restore balance. Chamomile offers a delicate, yet effective way to gently ease tension and promote a sense of calm. It contains an antioxidant named Apigenin that binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain, helping to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Chamomile blends don’t vary wildly in quality, so there is a wide world of options out there.
In order to make chamomile truly effective for anxiety, I recommend you brew TWICE the recommended amount of leaves, for the same amount of water and steeping time (do not lengthen the time, as this can make it bitter).
Teas I recommend:
- TeaBloom Lemon Mint Chamomile: https://shrsl.com/4vum0 (use code Honeyfortea10 for a discount)
- Art of Tea: Egyptian Chamomile https://shrsl.com/4vum2
For Grief:
Grief can be isolating and intense. Although tea can never resolve grief, it can support you and lift you up to ease the physical symptoms of grief. Blooming teas (specifically rose jasmine blooming teas) are a beautiful visual reminder that beauty can come from the most unexpected places.
Rose has long been used for comfort and to calm the heart, as its gentle antidepressant and sedative properties provide a sense of ease while lifting you up. Hawthorn, which is a member of the rose family, and Linden, used as a supplement to rose, can also play a role to ease the physical symptoms cause by grief. Blends that include some combination of these will be your best support.
Teas I recommend:
- Rose Blooming Tea: https://shrsl.com/4vulh (Use Code HoneyforTea10 for a discount)
- “Tend the Heart” (Recipe Below)
“Tend the Heart” Tea (for Grief Support)
Ingredients
- 1 tsp dried rose petals https://amzn.to/4cMIppl
- 1 tsp hawthorn berries https://amzn.to/3EIDA3D
- 1 tsp linden flowers https://amzn.to/4ipOuJD
- 1/2 tsp marshmallow root https://amzn.to/4jljJXh
Instructions
- Add all herbs to a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. (Or, alternatively, pour boiling water over your herbs into a cup).
- Simmer gently (or steep) for 15–20 minutes, covered. (Especially for hawthorn and marshmallow which love slow heat.)
- Strain and sip warm. Optional: add a little honey or rosewater if you like.
For Sleepless Nights:
We’ve all had those nights where sleep feels elusive and our minds race with thoughts. Lavender has been used for centuries for its calming and sedative properties – largely due to a compound called linalool, which helps reduce cortisol levels, the stress hormone. This, in conjunction with valerian root’s sedative properties, helps to relax your muscles and calm your mind. Valerian root can promote sleep by increasing the gamma aminobutyric acid in the brain, which reduces anxiety and helps you drift off to sleep. You’ll want to drink your tea about an hour before you go to bed for the best effect.
Teas I recommend:
- Art of Tea Sleep Blend: https://shrsl.com/4vuma
- DavidsTea “Mother’s Little Helper” Blend
- “Deep Sleep” (Blend Recipe Below)
Deep Sleep Tea (to Help You Sleep)
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp Valerian Root https://amzn.to/3EBPLPL
- 1/2 tsp Lavender buds https://amzn.to/44AmRtO
- 1/2 tsp Chamomile flowers https://amzn.to/4lWgM1k
- 1/2 tsp Passionflower https://amzn.to/44Igchc
- 1/4 tsp rose petals https://amzn.to/42VPj8g
- 1/4 tsp Fennel seed, lightly crushed (Optional)
Instructions
- Combine herbs in a tea infuser or sachet.
- Pour just-under-boiling water (around200°F / 93°C) over the herbs
- Steep covered for 8-10 minutes.
For High Stress Times:
Gentle, but powerful, linden flowers have been long treasured for their ability ease the nervous system, offering relief when tension runs high and thoughts feel tangled. Their calming power comes from natural compounds like flavonoids and volatile oils, which help relax the nervous system, ease muscle tension, and even support restful sleep. Linden works gently, encouraging the body to slow down, the breath to deepen, and the mind to settle. It’s has been used for generations to soothe anxiety, soften stress, and invite both body and mind into a state of rest.
Teas I recommend:
- Linden Flowers: https://amzn.to/4cHrIf3
For Mental Clarity:
If you’re having one of those days where your mind won’t stop racing and your to-do list feels like a mountain, peppermint might be just what you need. It’s calming to the nervous system but also clears mental fog and boosts focus. Mint also pairs beautifully with so many other flavors, so you can get creative and turn it into a refreshing, fun drink. You can mix it with other teas, like jasmine, for a pick-me-up, or even make a mint lemonade.
Teas I recommend:
- Peppermint leaves: https://amzn.to/4cHrIf3
A Few Calming Spring Activities
Find the most fragrant fruit you can and …make jam!
I love to make a little game out of finding the most fragrant fruit of the season – around this time, it’s usually strawberries for me! It not only makes for a fun activity, but it gives you WONDERFUL jam for the rest of the year (my recipe is below).
Find a BEAUTIFUL coloring book, and spend some time on it.
I love a good coloring book. I just started this one from Southern Lotus, and it is so adorable. They also have a paperback version, but I love the bound one. There’s nothing quite like working on something beautiful to ease your thoughts.
An ADORABLE 3D Puzzle
Rose Garden Cottage Puzzle…need I say more? No, really, these adorable 3D Building kits are so fun. They are a mixture of craft and puzzle, and leave with you something so beautiful to display at the end! Here’s the puzzle I have: https://amzn.to/4lHqmVD
Take a Flower Walk
It doesn’t sound complicated, but how often do you give yourself enough time to do something so simple? Leave your phone behind, if you can, and head out to anywhere you can find flowers. Take a journal, and go for a walk. Focus explicitly on the world around you. Stop occasionally and pick a flower or two. Place them gently between the pages of your journal. You can dry these, illustrate them, or even laminate them later on. Spend some time identifying what flowers they are.
Return to the Garden
When grief hits hardest, there is nothing like tending to a garden to help the healing process. This is where I feel closest to God. In the faith of the slow sprouting from the seeds buried underground, in the gentle tending and sunlight making these tiny, wondrous plants grow. It is one small reminder that healing can be like this, too. One little sprouting leaf at a time.
Thanks for being here, friend. What are your favorite teas to help you find calm? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear your personal favorites!
Perfect Strawberry Jam (No Pectin Necessary)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Strawberries, washed
- 1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar (we prefer 1/2 cup, while most regular recipes call for 1 1/2 cups of sugar – taste the sweetness to suit your preference!)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Remove strawberry hulls, and slice. Add them to a small saucepan, and mix the sugar in well.
- Preheat your oven to 400 deg F (204 deg C). Thoroughly wash and dry your glass jars and lids. Set the jars on an oven safe tray (NOT the lids, just the glass jars).
- Set the stove to medium heat, bringing the strawberries to a boil, stirring every minute or so to make sure they don't stick or burn at the bottom.
- Add the lemon juice and zest, and stir in well.
- Meanwhile, "bake" your glass jars in your oven for 20 min to sanitize. I like for these to still be hot when I pour in my jam because it will help them seal. When they are done, use metal tongs to handle the jars – please be careful not to touch them.
- Boil until the jam reaches 220 deg F (104 deg C). This can take anywhere from 15-30 min depending on your stove, pan, and the water content of your strawberries. Stay with it! Don't be tempted to raise the heat. 🙂 Once it reaches temperature, remove from heat.
- Use clean instruments to pour it into your hot glass jars, and quickly and tightly seal their lids on. Let them cool at room temperature – the metal lids should indent down to indicate they are sealed. My jam lasts months this way (this has been our method for years).
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