Drink chamomile and be calm all day long (despite the tanks)
This blog post is about using the herb chamomile to stay calm and peaceful despite stressful circumstances.
There are some things that we never forget.
For me, one of those, was seeing for the first time a camp of 150,000 people who had fled a violent civil war in South Sudan. The camp looked orderly from the plane (below is a picture I took before we landed). But, that changed the closer I got. As the plane descended, I could see the hordes of people trapped in tattered white tents with little food or water.
UN tanks protected the camp from the enemy army that roamed outside the perimeter fence, trying to get in to kill everyone. I learnt a lot about the world, and myself, there in the sweltering desert.
I was in South Sudan because of my work for the charity Concern Worldwide. I enjoyed the work because all my energy and effort went into helping people.
But, it was stressful. There was pressure and a lot of responsibility.
Obviously, I couldn't spend all day doing breathing exercises to stay calm. I had a job to do. I had to find other ways to deal with the stress. So, I did.
When my colleagues were spooning coffee into their cups, I was spooning dried chamomile flowers into mine. When they sipped their coffee, I sipped strong chamomile tea. When they felt the rush and crash of caffeine, I felt the smooth calmness of this amazing plant as it soothed my nervous system.
People often said to me in surprise: "you're so calm." I just kept sipping my strong chamomile tea.
Would you like to feel a little calmer? Less stressed? Less anxious? This will help.
We're not talking about normal tea here: this is a special approach that gets the best results.
Right now, you're probably locked down. So, you might not be able to get to a health shop to buy dried chamomile. But, you might be able to order it online. Here's a picture of my stash.
If not, most supermarkets sell chamomile tea in teabags. They'll work too.
Here's what you do:
Put three teaspoons of dried chamomile (or four teabags) into a teapot
Add boiling water
Let it cool
Drink throughout the day
Repeat as much as you need it
It is simple. It is effective. It will help us deal with the stress and uncertainty we face.
Combine this with a little bit of conscious breathing and we can face this pressure.
I sent you a three minute long video a few days ago. It is a great introduction. It is a great quick fix.
But, sometimes we need more than that. Sometimes we need to go deeper with our breathing.
So, I'm going to send you a selection of guided breathing videos in a couple of days. They will take us deeper.
In the meantime though, enjoy your cup of calm tea.