Author: Traci Levy

This is the time of the year when many people start thinking about how they might develop more consistency in their healthy practices and intentions and, maybe, add some new positive habits. I’ve been working to cultivate a system that motivates me and gives me a sense of accomplishment, without increasing negative feelings for missed goals. I was looking for some accountability without guilt, in other words. (And, aren’t we all, Tea Friends?) So, I ran some habit tracker experiments this year. In this post, I’ll share my reflections with you.

I have been focusing on three main practices: walking, meditating, and engaging mindfully with my tea. These practices have really helped me navigate better through life. My intention is to do each of these things on most days. I was looking for a way to chart my progress. My preference was to find a method that wasn’t digital.

This post is for anyone who keeps thinking they have to “do” or “be” with tea in a certain way. Are you surprised by the direction your journey into tea is taking? Is there anything you could acknowledge and release to better embrace your tea path?

If you follow me on Instagram @teainfusiast or have been reading this blog for a while (and previous posts like this one), you may have already noticed that I credit tea for helping me bring more mindfulness into my life. I don’t want to misrepresent myself. Sometimes, I am quickly splashing tea into a mug and running to a meeting or the next thing. But, most days, at least once a day, I slow down and have a mindful cup of tea.

We all want to be good tea guests, right? Let’s consider why serious tea enthusiasts (and sometimes even intermediate tea lovers) can, despite our good intentions, be intimidating guests. And, let’s try to fix that. This post is Part Two in a two-part series. You may want to read Part One, What Kind of Tea Drinker Are You?, and take the handy quiz in that post, before reading on.

What kind of tea drinker are you? Why is it important to know, you wonder? Serious tea enthusiasts, I’m sorry to report, intimidate the general public. What’s worse, we also make our friends nervous.

This post is Part One in a two-part series. It shares a handy quiz to help you diagnose the extent to which your relationship to tea is likely to intimidate your friends. Part Two, What Kind of Tea Guest Are You?, shares advice on what to do about it.

I have been learning a lot about myself lately–particularly lessons about authenticity. I am a long-time tea lover who has been doing extensive work around personal growth and building a deeper mindfulness practice in 2021. Tea and, now, meditation are daily practices for me. Lately, I have been doing a lot of thinking around issues of authenticity.

Here is one deep lesson that I have learned about myself: while I tend not to do things simply to please people, I realize that too often I stop myself from doing things that I would like to do so I won’t displease others. (That’s why I included that second and third line in my authenticity mantra, in the photo below.) My experience as tea blogger and as a content creator (particularly on Instagram) offer me regular challenges to being authentic.

Afternoon teas are full of sensory delights–delicate porcelain, fragrant tea, fine tablecloths, tasty sandwiches, buttery scones, and dainty desserts. Still–I have a confession. Despite being a tea lover, I have a problem with afternoon tea.