Recession? Forget about it!

Recession got you bummed? You’re not alone. Please don’t head to your neighborhood bar or bother investing in a bottle of liquor – relief may be as simple as a pot of tea. It comes without the headache, the hangover, the guilt and the dirty looks from the dog. Above all, it’s actually good for you. Perhaps you need some way to unwind after a day of job hunting. It’s a tough hunt, especially when you know the jobs just aren’t out there right now. Step away from the liquor cabinet! While alcohol may make you forget your problems (and possibly more), it will not solve your problem. In fact, alcohol may aggravate matters. Alcohol is a depressant, so by the time you sober up you may be even more bummed. Sure you can enjoy an occasional social drink, but please don’t expect it to be your salvation. Very few find salvation at the bottom of a bottle.

Did you ever achieve your dreams while you were drunk or hungover? Me neither.

First choose the tea. If you need something to help with relaxation, choose something with chamomile or lavender, or at least something low in caffeine. Even our Immortal Nectar Pu Erh is a tea known to decrease physical stress, lower cholesterol and assist with weight loss.
Heat the water. Sometimes just listening to the water heat up can be therapeutic.
Steep the tea. If possible, steep it in a see-through vessel so you can see what is called ``the agony of the leaves’’. See … even your tea empathizes with you.
Create a relaxing environment. Softer lighting, pleasing music, a cozy blanket.
Now, as you enjoy that cup of tea, let’s take a couple moments to be logical.
1) You know that you have survived tough conditions in the past.
2) You know others who have survived tough conditions in the past and are currently surviving tough conditions.
3) Understand and embrace that ALL CONDITIONS ARE TEMPORARY. THE ONLY THING CONSTANT IS CHANGE.

When I was a Girl Scout Leader, I challenged my girls to make a index card with a list of 5-10 things that made them feel worried or stressed. I had them put the cards in envelopes and seal them and give them to me. At the end of the year (8 months later) I returned their envelopes. I asked them to tell me how many things they worried about actually happened. They were all quite surprised to find that almost none of the things they worried about happened. When you look back on your past, isn’t that also true for you? It’s a little trick I learned from reading works of Dale Carnegie. ``You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.’’ Don’t remember who said it, but never forgot it.

More about tea and tough times later this week. In the meantime, stop worrying, enjoy your tea and for goodness sake, smile. It’s hard to be bummed when you're smiling. Don't worry, be happy.