With the above lines, W.H. Davies concluded his poem, Leisure. The above lines are timeless; they continue to resonate in our minds even today. The current times are more frantic than ever with work, domestic and social responsibilities taking a toll on our health and peace of mind. In such a scenario, how many of us ponder and consider me-time a priority too?
Most of the individuals despite understanding the significance of taking out time for themselves from their busier than ever schedules, never actually do so. Here are some of the common reasons that people cite:
Perhaps, generally, people consider me-time as an activity that requires long passages of time, or an immersion into idyllic settings for deep introspection. Let’s bust the myth and understand the benefits of me-time in our life.
Let’s consider a simple scenario. You have a small garden outside your home, and your family has entrusted you with the responsibility of watering the plants every day. Let us suppose that owing to your busy lifestyle; you miss watering the plants as per the schedule. What do you think will happen next? Of course, the plants will de-flower, and their growth will be stunted. Well, you are aware of this result, and so, you will ensure that come what may you will take out time to water them regularly. You are well-informed about the consequences of not attending to your plants!
Here’s the analogy – Our minds too need this self-regulated care and attention. The only missing link here is that strangely when it comes to personal attention and care, most of us fail to pay attention to it. Scheduling some me-time is akin to recharge our batteries. As per studies, me-time is important for our health, well-being, and creativity. And so, it is no longer a matter of luxury but an absolute necessity. Neither it is an act of selfishness. Further, it is the quality that counts rather than the amount of time spent. So, you don’t need to invest hours, simply 5 minutes could suffice.
Use your me-time to focus on activities that matter to you the most. Devote 5-10 minutes per day to meditation, or engage in your favourite activity regularly, be it painting, writing, cycling. Time spent in any activity that can be therapeutic to you and make you feel better could be defined as me-time, as explained in a health blog published by Harvard Medical School. Of course, bingeing on Netflix or making conversations on social media cannot qualify for me-time, as these serve to only entertain you without making any real, healthy contribution to your mind – Remember the ‘watering plants’ analogy raised above!
Meet Shashi Nautiyal, a mother of a 5-year old and a working mother.
Being part of an advertising agency, her work life is tremendously hectic. Her day begins at 5 in the morning and ends at 10 in the evening. With endless meetings and round-the-clock assignments, she works for as many as 55 hours every week. Back home, she ensures that her family’s needs are attended to promptly. She is a caring mother, a dutiful daughter-in-law and a doting wife. She’s the life of her family and an asset at workplace. She epitomises the quintessential modern woman. What’s her idea of me-time? A 30-minute jog in the morning.
Meet Arun Gosavi, a father of twins and a painter by profession.
His work life doesn’t follow a regular pattern. He may get his creative spurts even at 3 in the morning. So, how does he schedule his me-time regularly? “I step out of my studio every afternoon for an hour’s swim irrespective of the deadlines. It is not easy to follow this regime. Most of the times, I’m so pre-occupied with my assignments or engaged in meetings that skipping swimming is the only option feasible. But swimming to me is as much necessary as air to a human. It declutters my mind and helps me think straight, which is necessary for my art. So, come what may, this is one activity that I just can’t miss.” says Arun.
Meet Radhika Rao, a Vice President in an MNC and an avid solo motorcycle enthusiast. In a life span of 39 years, she has travelled nearly a quarter of the world. She belongs to the tribe of people who are best described as ‘Been there, done that.’ What constitutes her me-time? “A cup of tea,” quips Radhika.
“To me, tea is more than a daily dose of beverage. It not only helps me focus on my work better, but it also affirms my positive outlook on life. Anytime I get hassled I take a 5-minute break to deep dive into a cuppa of herbal tea. These teas are devoid of caffeine. So, there’s absolutely no risk to my health. It’s easier to prepare them too!
In fact, on many Sundays, I have ridden to the nearby hill station with my kettle only to enjoy my tea in the serenity of the hills. I love slipping into the Boketto and gaze at the clear skies, the raging clouds, and towering cliffs. I love these moments. If not for these, I would have never reached the heights in my career. So many times, that I have been to picnics with my girlfriends, to beaches and mountains, my kettle has been my constant companion. Wherever I go, my me-time enjoys unparalleled attention. My tea is my mojo, clearly.”, says Radhika.
So, what would you like to focus on to refuel your mind? Painting, writing, reading, Tai Chi, yoga – pursuits are endless. Be it any activity; the benefit is the same – greater contentment and better living. And, while you engage in it, a cup of freshly-prepared, warm tea accompanying it may heighten your experience. Wondering how?
A notable study published in the scientific journal Food Quality and Preference examines the relation between drinking tea and divergent creativity and lays down a new path to investigate the relation between beverage consumption and human cognition improvement.
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Divergent creativity
Convergent creativity |
Previous research established that tea directly contributes to improved performance on convergent creativity tasks by inducing a positive mood. However, no inferences were available on the effect of tea on divergent creativity.
The aim of this research was to test the hypothesis: Tea consumption promotes divergent creativity, and this association is mediated by mood, i.e., tea drinking can lead to a positive mood which is beneficial for divergent creativity. The research team conducted two experiments, wherein participants were randomly assigned to two groups and implicitly manipulated to drink tea or water. The results depicted that the participants who drank tea performed better in the spatial creativity task and semantic creativity task in comparison to those who drank water. This research was the first to demonstrate that tea drinking can improve creative performance with divergent thinking.
Another study published in the scientific journal Food Quality and Preference accentuates the fact that tea is associated with mood, relaxation and increased performance.
As you stay invested in your daily me-time, remain invested in the habit of drinking tea. The aforementioned research studies indicate that tea has elements that help boost focus. Nicole Bianchi (@NicoleJBianchi), a writer, copywriter, and storyteller, in one of her articles, elucidates the wonders of tea, making it part of her daily routine.
You need not bother about having a particular time slot to fit tea into your pursuit. Tea is an anytime beverage. You could sip tisanes throughout the day. Or, a chamomile tea could be blissful company while refreshing and rewinding to Jazz in the evening. What matters is that you take upon yourself the onus of being healthy, happy and productive by taking some time off work. And, once you are up with it, leave the rest to tea.
Ono Teas could be an excellent partner in your me-time. Keep your cup of signature Ono Teas products right beside you while you engage in fulfilling your endeavours. Want to meditate daily? Take a sip of our Pure Chamomile after your session. Want to take a break from work? Sip our Kashmiri Kahwa and take a plunge into the pleasant memories. The world of teas is diverse and huge. Awaken your senses with our Earl Grey, discover the divine taste of our Darjeeling Second Flush, embrace the benefits of our tisanes and invigorate your mind with the ravaging, full-bodied black teas. In life’s moments bright and grey, your cup of tea could be a constant companion. As simple as it sounds, if someone asks you what’s your reason for me-time, let the answer simply be tea.
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Ono Teas handcrafts full leaf teas suiting every moment you want to cherish, whether it is solitude or conversations with friends or just a leisurely health drink to counter lifestyle disorders. You can shop from our range of green teas, black teas, blends or tisanes based on the moment you want to celebrate.
To buy Ono Teas online, visit our website.
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7 Science-Backed Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone
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Drinking tea improves the performance of divergent creativity
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Ono Teas is a health and wellness tea brand that provides handcrafted, full-leaf premium teas co-created in consultation with our associate health experts, dieticians, nutritionists, mental wellness coaches, women wellness experts, Ayurvedic doctors etc. While our associate health experts suggest the right ingredients for various wellness teas, our tea sommeliers ensure that the resultant blend mesmerises your senses of smell and taste.
Teas play an important role in every micro-moment of your life, whether it is tête-à-tête with loved ones or being a constant companion in your moments of solitude. Therefore, we have taken extra care to craft teas that prove to be a reliable partner for your various moods. Whether it’s solitude, conversations or just expressing your feelings. We have a range of White Teas, Oolong Teas, Green teas, Black teas, blends, or tisanes based on the moment you want to celebrate.
We strive to bring you the healthiest and freshest teas right at your doorstep. Our wide range of products caters to all of your health-based needs. We cover broad categories like Women’s Wellness, Skin Wellness, Weight Management, Heart Wellness, Mental Wellness and Body Detox. We consult health experts, dietitians, nutritionists, and ayurvedic doctors to bring you the best results. Ono Teas makes sure that each and every ingredient used offers several health benefits to you. To find out more, you can check out our blogs to find out a detailed explanation backed up by a lot of research.
While we source our teas directly from various tea estates in different parts of India, we try to tie up with small farmers for our herbs. Our partner nutritionists, dietitians, yoga instructors, ayurvedic and Unani doctors, mental health, heart health, skincare, women’s wellness and other experts suggest the ingredients that are used. These are then passed on to your master blenders who create the magic known to you as Ono Teas.
We believe that you deserve the best. That is exactly why we procure our tea in small batches. This helps us ensure that the ingredients retain the health benefits and maintain their freshness. Our intensive research and brewing methods are the efforts to bring you the freshest teas.
Yes, all our teas, tisane and blends are tasty, flavorful, vegetarian, and completely vegan. We love animals! All of our ingredients are, and will always be, completely plant-based.
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When shopping from Ono Teas, you’re shopping for the best and healthiest fresh loose-leaf teas. Our teas are specially crafted based on your disorders and moods. When you order from us, you aren’t simply buying tea, you are knowing them. You understand its History, Origins and culture of that tea (it’s a great conversation starter for parties!). You can read our blogs that dive deeper into each ingredient, telling you how and why you should opt for them. Once you become an expert on it, you try it yourself by adding it to your cart and checking out the tea of your choice.
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