A Cup of Comfort

           Most days throughout the fall and winter you will find me with a mug or to go cup of coffee or tea in my hands. Warm beverages always seem to be a comfort to me and help me to get through the day. Sometimes the warm mug of coffee is to energize me and keep me moving through my day. Other times a warm mug of tea is there to calm me down and help me decompress from a busy day or stressful situation. Often times following an anxiety attack you will find me with a warm mug of chamomile tea. I remember the first time I realized that warm tea was a coping skill for me. It has become such an important coping mechanism for me that even my best friend knows when I have just experienced an anxiety episode to remind me to make tea or on some occasions she makes it for me. I will never forget a moment last year when I was really working through things with my anxiety. At the time I really was having difficulties being left alone and felt abandoned as soon as she had something she needed to leave and go do. I had just walked into the room from a stressful day of classes and she told me that she was leaving for a large portion of the night to go do something. I immediately started having an anxiety attack and was overwhelmed by the thought of being left alone for a few hours. When she realized what was going on the first thing she said to me was sit down, I'm making you tea. Within minutes I was calmed to the point that I could be rational about the fact that she was leaving and that it had nothing to do with her abandoning me but rather it was something she needed to do for herself. I am at such a different place now and realize at the time it was completely irrational to be so upset about that but it was the place I was at in my journey at the time. At that moment in time I didn't trust myself enough to be able to cope on my own for a few hours. Now I trust myself to cope for many hours on my own and sometimes even crave that time and space to cope in my own way on my own time without the intervention of others. It's amazing how one year can change how you perceive things and handle them.
         Warm coffee and tea helps me to relax, center myself, and step back for a moment from the world we live in. Each morning this semester I have started my day with a warm cup of coffee with that same friend that knows me so well and makes me tea in times of stress. I look forward to our short 20 minutes together each morning. Our schedules this semester have been rather busy and opposite of each other so on many days this 20 minutes was the only time we had to check in with each other and share time. Its amazing how a warm cup of comfort can be an avenue to so many simple and enjoyable things in life. Over the coming weeks I am sure I will drink many cups of comfort and enjoy the warmth, comfort, and simplicity that provide me.

Today's Picture: A Starbucks cup filled with a warm Carmel Brûlée Latte, one of my favorite holiday drinks. 

Happy Tuesday and December!