For as long as I can remember, I have been a lowkey-highkey caffeine addict. Don't let them fool you, caffeine is most definitely a drug. While some might argue that it is healthier to consume coffee versus beverages like energy drinks or sodas, there is a thin line between its pros and cons. Starting my day with coffee has become a bit of a ritual as much as it has become a necessity.
Without it, the caffeine withdrawal would lead to a splitting headache, a decrease in energy, and that infamous midday slump. It hardly seemed worth it to switch my habit to something healthier. However, after doing some research, I decided to make the switch (at least part-time) to drinking matcha.
The Benefits of Drinking Matcha
You've probably seen the aesthetically pleasing pics of the pale green beverage with ice cubes or cream art in your feed, but what exactly is matcha? In short, matcha is a fine powder ground from specialty green tea leaves. Because it is ground from the entire leaf, matcha has more caffeine and antioxidants than green tea. It's one of the reasons matcha has become so popular in recent years and can be found in everything from matcha tea to lattes to ice cream and more.
What's really beautiful about drinking matcha green tea versus coffee is the type of caffeine high it provides. When it comes to caffeine content, matcha has 50% less caffeine than coffee. But, due to the amazing nutrients that matcha contains, the body is able to absorb caffeine in matcha much more slowly. So instead of a buzz, it is a steady hum.
Keep reading to discover more of the benefits of drinking matcha:
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1. Matcha detoxifies the body.
If you are looking for a natural way to cleanse the body, drinking matcha might be where it is at. Drinking matcha can effectively and gently cleanse the body due to its being rich in chlorophyll compounds. Matcha has been shown to remove the body of toxins by supporting natural detoxification in the liver as well as the kidneys.
2. Drinking matcha has antioxidants galore.
Just like its less potent counterpart green tea, matcha is rich in antioxidants known as catechins. Catechins are a type of flavonoid that helps the body fight disease. Additionally, this results in reducing damage cells might incur from oxidation. The EGCG in matcha helps prevent brain disease and inflammation. It can also lower your cholesterol.
3. Matcha gives you more energy with less jitters.
As previously mentioned, one of the benefits of drinking matcha is it gives you more energy than other teas. The reason for this is, that a single cup of matcha has more caffiene than green tea. While you don't have the benefit of getting as much caffeine as you would from coffee, having a cup or two of matcha throughout your day is a great alternative to coffee if you are trying to cut back on how many cups of joe you drink in a day. The L-theanine matcha contains not only reduces stress, but it also makes you more alert. The "high" so to speak is cleaner than the one you experience from a cup of coffee.
4. Drinking matcha is a powerful source of nutrients and vitamins.
Another one of the benefits of drinking matcha is how nutrient-rich it is. In addition to the antioxidants, matcha is full of other nutrients as well. In addition to the previously mentioned chlorophyll, matcha is also rich in fiber, magnesium, vitamin C, zinc, and selenium.
5. Matcha helps with focus and concentration.
Drinking matcha also comes with the added benefit of helping you be more productive. Thanks to the caffeine, EGCG, and L-theanine matcha contains, it is believed that those three power players assist with focus. According to a 2017 study, participants noticed a marked difference in their ability to both process information and pay attention an hour after drinking matcha.
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Sooner than later, you may feel drained, depleted, and resentful due to unmet needs and boundary violations.
When your needs aren’t met, you will serve someone else's standards while neglecting your own. This is why it is so vital that we take inventory of our relationships and assess if they are relationships that honor our needs, our boundaries, and our truth.
1. You allow yourself to build more intimacy in your relationships.
Im Free Stephen Colbert GIF by The Late Show With Stephen ColbertGiphyIntimacy is the heart of a healthy relationship. When we understand our partners, we build intimacy with them. Vulnerability is a conduit for emotional intimacy in safe relationships. Our relationships thrive when we feel emotionally connected and supported by our loved ones.
Nevertheless, a healthy relationship does not mean a perfect relationship, and sometimes we need to assess and address what's working in our relationships and what may need some fine-tuning. When we are open to learning, growing, and developing deeper bonds with our loved ones, we invite them to preserve our relationship through open dialogue centered around honesty, love, respect, and safety.
2. You are choosing yourself and are being honest with yourself.
When you consider spring cleaning your relationships, you offer yourself a token of love. You are communicating that YOU matter, and your feelings, energy, and the overall health of your relationships matter. Spring cleaning your relationships allows you to be there for yourself.
When we choose ourselves, we advocate for ourselves.
So many of us are starting to realize that we have every right to advocate for ourselves, even if the environment we grew up in did not support our emotional or physical well-being.
Now that we can advocate for ourselves as adults, we get to choose our relationships, not from a place of obligation or fear but from a place of reciprocity, love, and respect.
3. It can help you to get clear on things you may have suppressed.
Michelle GIF by The BacheloretteGiphySuppression happens when we actively push uncomfortable thoughts and feelings out of our minds. When something painful happens, and we are left with no resolve, we can suppress how we truly feel as an act of self-preservation for the relationship.
Nevertheless, with honesty also comes vulnerability with yourself. Maybe you have been unhappy in certain relationships for a while, but it was too painful to address, or maybe you have been suppressing how you feel because that is what is expected of you in your relationships.
Although concealing your feelings may protect you from experiencing them, keep in mind that the body stores all of our emotions. There can be serious long-term side effects of emotional suppression, such as physical ailments linked to autoimmune disease.
Our mind, body, and heart are all interconnected, so assessing your relationships through spring cleaning not only improves your overall wellness but can also prevent anxiety, depression, and other chronic illnesses.
4. You can reflect on how you’re showing up in your relationships.
This one is my favorite! Spring cleaning your relationships gives you an opportunity to see yourself more clearly. If you are going through an imaginary checklist of what everyone in your life is doing wrong, you may be a part of the problem. Spring cleaning your relationships is not about what everyone else is doing wrong; it’s about accountability.
Take this time to reflect on how you show up in your relationships.
Are you kind and respectful to your loved ones? Do you honor their boundaries? What can you do to improve? How can you become a better listener? A better communicator?
Use this time to put a flashlight on your heart and take inventory of the places you love people from. Relationships are co-created, meaning both people play a role in the dynamic. Assess your role in your relationships and be the change you want to see.
5. Setting boundaries will reveal the health of your relationships.
Family Vacation Fox GIF by GrandfatheredGiphyNedra Tawwab, the author of Setting Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, defines boundaries as a "verbal or an action that you communicate to someone to feel safe, secure, and supported in a relationship." As we are spring-cleaning our relationships, it’s imperative that we check in with our boundaries.
As humans, we are forever evolving, growing, and changing. As we grow, the boundaries that worked for us ten years ago may no longer serve us today. This is why it is important that we communicate our boundaries as they change. People cannot read our minds, and it is unfair to expect them to, no matter how much you think they should just “know” you.
All relationships need boundaries because people need to know how we want to be treated. In healthy relationships, boundaries are honored, and differences are respected. In unhealthy relationships, boundaries are constantly violated and not taken seriously.
When you learn to set healthy boundaries and you start communicating them through your season of spring cleaning, allow your boundaries to reveal the health of your relationships. This may come with a sigh of relief, or this may come with immense grief, but I once heard someone say, “Struggling with the truth is much better than being comforted by a lie.”
Let your relationships reveal themselves to you so you can form healthier bonds, repair broken bonds, or release connections that no longer serve you.
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Originally published on March 24, 2023