This Decaf Tea Is the Most Soothing Nightly Ritual
Target
It's safe to say that my stress levels the past year and half have been higher than average. Since I'm guessing you're in the same boat, I'm here to share a tiny, inexpensive method that's helped me manage it all a bit better.
I was introduced to Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea a few years ago by my brother. At the time, he was in dental school, which we can all agree is a more high-stress environment than the magazine internship I'd just started. After long nights of studying or working in labs and on patients, strung out on too much coffee and not enough sleep, he'd prepare some Sleepytime Tea before bed. If I came home upset (yep, we were roommates for a few years!), he'd always recommend Sleepytime, and it always helped sooth whatever ailed me.
Flash forward to 2020, and my problems were a smidge bigger than when I was a 22-year-old intern. Though I continued to keep a box of Sleepytime in my apartment after my brother moved cities, I had forgotten what a true comfort it was to me. You've heard it said before: For many, "working from home" became "living at work" last year. It was hard to shut things down at the end of the day when my "office" was three feet away.
To attempt a healthy balance between work and home, I turned to several tactics. Setting a true bedtime (like a toddler, I know), writing in a gratitude journal at the end of the day, going on lunchtime walks to get fresh air, and revisiting my old faithful Sleepytime Tea have been instrumental in keeping a little Zen in my life.
Not only is making a cup of Sleepytime a signal to my mind and body that it's time to wind down, it's delicious as well. With a blend of herbs like chamomile, spearmint, and lemongrass, a warm mug of Sleepytime tea is like settling into a plush robe on a spa day-it forecasts good things to come. The comforting aroma of the tea ensures all my senses are involved in the relaxing experience. And I'm not the only Sleepytime fanatic: Fans of the pajama-clad bear on its label have been buying this beloved blend for more than four decades. One reason people keep "adding to cart" is that Celestial Seasonings has kept Sleepytime Tea affordable. An entire box with 20 bags of tea is less than $3 on Target.com. So throwing a box of decaf tea in your buggy is the most low-risk investment you can possibly make in your health.
The last bonus of Sleepytime Tea is that it's good for you. For me, the psychological benefits of my Sleepytime Tea ritual outweigh the nutritional ones, but they shouldn't be overlooked. The decaf formula has zero calories, fat, sodium, and carbs, so it is quite literally a guilt-free pleasure. Many nights when I'm tired and craving a sweet treat or bag of salty chips, I pause and make Sleepytime Tea instead. It forces me to slow down and relax, and often, I find that I wasn't actually hungry for an unhealthy snack; I was just distracted and needed instant gratification. This much is true: I wake up feeling a lot better after a few ounces of Sleepytime Tea than a pint of ice cream. Of course, no blend of tea can fix everything. But for me, the simple act of making and enjoying a mug of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea can end even the most terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day on a cozy note. A cup of this tea feels like a hug after a long day, like getting tucked in by someone you love. If you've Googled, "ways to manage stress" recently, there's no harm in seeing what the Sleepytime bear can do for you.
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea
BUY IT: $2.49; target.com
