After a relaxing Easter break, raiding the family fridge for food, walking the dog in the rain, and catching up on box set after box set of cheesy TV, the last thing you probably want to do is re-enter the stressful university bubble. With deadlines looming, revision hanging over you like a bad smell, and that threatening whisper of exams in the near future, the next few months do not appear that appealing. And there will be advice guide after advice guide telling you to use coloured pens to revise, go on long walks and cover your walls in post-it notes. But what they will fail to mention is the easiest and most basic thing which will ease the stress of third term, namely, tea.
Tea is useful for dispersing stress and all of the problems that come along with it for numerous reasons. Let’s start with the basics, regular tea. University College London have recently found that drinking black tea can have an effect on the stress hormone levels in the body. Drinking black tea can help a person to de-stress more quickly, and if that person drinks black tea frequently, after only a short period of time it was found that they had lower level of the stress hormone Cortisol in the body, even after a stressful event!
Across the internet, on blogs and health pages, numerous teas are listed for helping with aspects of stress and other implications of student lifestyle. Yogi tea was noted as a brilliant tea to have before bedtime, especially for those suffering with sleeping problems or insomnia. The typical, but reliable, chamomile tea was recommended because of its soothing and calming effects, perfect for the night before an exam! Chai tea was also suggested as particularly good for reducing anxiety.
Of course when studying, we tend to indulge ourselves, allowing ourselves to eat and drink whatever we please, consuming muffins and caffeine to power through. And there is nothing wrong with that! But teas can help here too! Peppermint tea is perfect to help the body detox, getting rid of all those toxins in your system and making you feel great the next day. Green tea is also brilliant for beautifying the skin by tackling blemish-causing hormones, so all those stress spots can be obliterated.
After all the hard work is done, all the essays are written and the exam stress is starting to subdue, then will come the celebrations. And tea will be there for you once again. Allow yourself to sip at Dandelion tea, which holds liver-cleansing properties; it will help the hangover tremendously.
Of course, if you don’t have tons of tea on hand, perhaps look into participating in some of the Tea Appreciation Society events. You can find them on Facebook by searching for ‘Lancaster University Tea Appreciation Society’ – and they always have a fresh stock of tea! Last term, they had a variety of events, ranging from laid-back tea tasting sessions to a fancy, end-of-term full afternoon tea (complete with tea sandwiches). With exams coming up, sometimes you just need to kick back with a cup of tea, and they are certainly willing to help out!
