Easy as One, Two, Tea!

"Life is not merely being alive, but being well."  -Teavana

When people talk to me about my blog, I often hear "I'm so glad you're doing better.  Things really seem to have turned around for you."  This is a bit of a misconception that I cannot ignore.  My situation isn't what has changed.  It's me.  My thoughts and attitudes are now geared around what will keep me healthy.  I take every day, one day at a time.  It's easy to do that when you've spent a year never knowing if you would be here tomorrow.  I think to myself everyday, "what do I need right now, to ensure that I feel healthy right now?"  Stability is a process...it is also a daily decision.  When that decision becomes hard to make, sometimes we need a break.

Finding a healthy habit is about as important to mental stability as having a counselor.  Finding something that's interesting to you, relaxes you, is affordable and healthy can often be a challenge.  Lots of people work out.  Working out definitely helps keep me healthy, but when I'm already depressed, I'm not motivated (at all!) to go to the gym.  Some people like to clean...that doesn't do anything for me.  My healthy habit is tea.  I love it.  I love looking at tea, shopping for tea, finding new teas to try, learning about tea, learning about ways to combine teas, the list goes on!  I love tea!  Tea for me, is relaxing and interesting.  I can go to the store and explore new flavors if I need a distraction.  I can sip some tea if I need relaxation.  If I'm feeling drained, I can brew some caffeinated tea.  If I can't sleep, I'll make a calming tea.  Tea is healthy and has lots of natural benefits for you mind and body.  Tea is also inexpensive (generally).  You can find it for around $2.  You can also "splurge" and buy a more expensive tea.  You can start small with just one mug and one type of tea to brew with just regular sugar to sweeten it.  You can work your way up to entire tea sets.  There's so much to love about tea!

Tea may not be for you.  But a distraction is.  This sounds like "avoidance" which sounds unhealthy.  That's not the case at all.  Distraction is actually a technique that you learn in therapy and it's really useful!  Sometimes, we need a break from our depression.  Sometimes, after feeling good for a while, you start to feel worn down from the burden of staying healthy...a distraction allows us to enjoy ourselves without precedent.

Healthy people are hopeful people and hope is key in dealing with depression.