How to Be More Creative by Drinking Tea

 Drinking tea is a long-standing tradition that originated in China thousands of years ago and continues to be enjoyed by millions of people around the world. There are many reasons why people drink tea, whether it is for a boost of energy, soothing a stomach ache, or because it tastes good.

Did you know that drinking tea can also help boost your creativity? In this article, we’ll discuss how tea can help your mind be more creative, and what the best types of tea are for artists who are experiencing artist block.

How Does Tea Boost Creativity?

A research article found on Science Direct claims that tea that has L-theanine and at least 100mg of caffeine can improve concentration as well as speed and accuracy when completing a task.

L-theanine is described as, “a non-protein amino acid mainly found naturally in green tea (Camellia sinensis) and some mushrooms (Boletus badius). Theanine is related to glutamine, and is speculated to increase levels of GABA, serotonin, and dopamine.”

Based on the research, there’s also some evidence that the act of preparing the tea yourself can provide an extra boost to your creativity and focus. It’s not clear on why that may be the case, but it could be a calming activity that helps to refocus and calm your mind before starting or continuing your task.

What are the Best Types of Tea for Your Mind?

If you’re looking to fight artist block and boost your creativity, what are the best types of tea you can drink?

• Green tea: Already mentioned as part of the research article, green tea has both a high level of caffeine and L-theanine to help keep your energy and focus levels up. Having a cup of green tea will also calm your nerves, so you won’t feel as anxious or jittery as drinking coffee. Other benefits of green tea include reducing inflammation and the possibility of reducing the risk of cancer.
• Rhodiola: Not many people have heard of this and rhodiola most commonly is formulated into supplements, but it can also be found as a tea. Rhodiola rosea is a flowering plant that has fatigue and stress fighting properties and can even increase your work performance.
• Ginger tea: Many people might drink ginger tea to help with stomach upset, but it can also help boost your brain function. Ginger tea can improve your memory, increase reaction time, and help prevent mental degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
• Turmeric tea: Unless it’s blended with another type of tea, turmeric tea generally isn’t caffeinated, but it has many other benefits. Turmeric tea reduces inflammation, boosts your immune system, and improves brain function. It also stimulates your brain to help it retain more information, so it can be especially useful right before an exam!

Practice Mindfulness by Preparing and Drinking Tea

Although many people associate mindfulness with activities such as meditation, you can also practice mindfulness by preparing and drinking tea.

From the Mindful website, mindfulness is defined as, “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”

With this definition, it’s possible to practice mindfulness with tea as you can be present and focus on the task of brewing tea, then enjoying the taste, smell, and comfort that tea offers.

Practice Mindfulness to Overcome Artist Block?

When you practice mindfulness, it can help to calm your mind and remove any barriers that might be limiting your creativity, whether it’s fear of judgement or helping you to become more focused.

A research article published on the US National Library of Medicine’s website states that, “Mindfulness is associated with the ability to change perspectives by expanding empathy and open-mindedness. It also increases a person’s capacity to respond to situations in a non-habitual fashion—which is at the crux of creativity.”

How to Practice Mindfulness by Preparing and Drinking tea

How can you practice mindfulness and boost your creativity while drinking tea? Here are some simple steps you can take:

• Begin to boil the water for the tea and pay attention to the sound of the water bubbling and rolling in the kettle.
• Pour the water into your mug, listening to the sound and watching it make contact with the tea bag as the water changes colour.
• With your hand touching the mug, take note of how warm it feels against your palm.
• Take your time adding any sugar or milk that you like, making sure that it’s perfect to your taste.
• Once you finish preparing your tea, pick it up and smell the tea. What does it smell like? Is it floral, minty, earthy?
• Next, take a small sip of the tea, allowing it to reach all parts of your tongue. Think about the flavors that you can taste and where you can feel it on your tongue.
• Take your time to enjoy your tea and not be worried about rushing to get back to your task. If you like to sip your tea while you work, that’s also okay.

The key to using tea to practice mindfulness is to take your time brewing the perfect cup and taking note of how your senses react. As you become more focused in the present and soothed by drinking your tea, your mind will allow the creative juices to flow!

References

https://www.wildlifesustainablelifestyle.com/tea-for-mental-health-memory-focus-clarity-and-creativity-concentration/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329317303051

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/theanine

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-883/rhodiola

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323637#7-potential-health-benefits