Best Teas to Help You Deal with Stress

WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE ROME | FEATURED ON:

Hello Glow partnered with Traditional Medicinals for this post. I personally have no affiliation with Traditional Medicinals therefore all opinions are my own.

Mid-morning and mid-afternoon can be particularly challenging during the work-day. My clients tell me that these times are usually when they feel tired, bored, fidgety, frustrated, stressed and often get the urge to snack (even when they’re not hungry). One of my go-to suggestions is to get up from your desk and make a cup of tea. It may sound like a small task, but it ticks a bunch of boxes on the holistic health front – it makes you stand up and walk (remember, sitting is the new smoking!), it distracts you from boredom, it satisfies the urge to consume something (without bogging down your digestion with unneeded food) and it provides a few moments to get centered and grounded. By choosing medicinal teas that offer additional benefits, this tea ritual becomes even more productive!

Traditional Medicinals makes a handful of tea blends that are wonderful for reducing stress and promoting calm with each warm and soothing sip. Below are five wonderful teas for helping you cope with stress.

Stress Ease Cinnamon

The major player in this tea is skullcap, which is one of the most powerful herbs to relieve stress/irritability and promote relaxation. Skullcap is known as a nervine, which is an herb that soothes the nervous system. Stress Ease Cinnamon has a subtle sweetness from the addition of cinnamon and licorice. This tea is perfect for when you’re feeling frazzled by your to-do list or annoyed at your boss or spouse! Due to its ability to relieve irritability, this tea is also a great one to sip during PMS.

Tulsi with Ginger

Tulsi, aka Holy Basil, is an adaptogenic herb which enhances the body’s natural response to physical and emotional stress. Drinking tulsi tea can be an effective way to prevent and combat the damaging effects of everyday stressors. It is also known for its ability to boost the immune system, regulate blood sugar and increase cognitive function. With the addition of ginger’s warming and digestive benefits, having a cup of Tulsi with Ginger is my favorite way to get through that mid-afternoon slump without stress, sugar cravings or brain fog.

Chamomile with Lavender

Two quintessential calming and fragrant flowers are combined in this tea for a gentle yet effective herbal medicine for reducing stress. The aromas of chamomile and lavender are well-known for promoting a sense of calm. These herbs ease anxiety while inducing restful sleep. I like drinking a cup of Chamomile with Lavender tea when I get home after a hectic day at work. This can be a great tea to have a cup of before a high-stakes presentation (or other nerve-racking activity) as both chamomile and lavender are soothing for the digestive system and can help relieve that ‘butterflies in your stomach’ feeling.

Cup of Calm

You learned about the calming benefits of chamomile and lavender above. Combine these with passionflower and catnip, and you’ve got yourself a heavy-hitter of stress reduction with Cup of Calm! Passionflower calms and supports the nervous system, making it beneficial for restlessness and nervous tension. It helps to ease anxiousness, helping those with monkey-minds turn off before bed (guilty!). Catnip is a mild sedative and therefore useful for those with insomnia. Due to it’s carminative properties, catnip eases stomach discomfort (gas/bloating) making Cup of Calm a great tea to enjoy after a big dinner.

Nighty Night with Valerian

I must say this one is not at the top of the list on taste (or smell), but it sure does get the job done! This Nighty Night tea combines passionflower, chamomile, lemon balm and valerian for a tea that puts you right to sleep. Passionflower, chamomile and lemon balm are lovely calming herbs, but valerian is the big dog in this blend. Valerian is a well-known for its sedative and anti-anxiety effects and used often in the treatment of insomnia. If it takes you a while (30 minutes or more) to fall asleep, valerian might be just the herb you need. Most people don’t experience side effects such as morning drowsiness the next day after taking valerian which is a big plus over prescription sleep meds. One caveat – valerian can have a paradoxical reaction for a small portion of the population, meaning that it can trigger the opposite effect, causing anxiety and restlessness. For these people, Cup of Calm or Chamomile with Lavender is a better choice.