Haley The Tea Witch

Tea Time Is Me Time. This mug is such a great reminder to take time for me this holiday season. Time to sit. Time to relax. Time to be still.... And time to breathe. Just breathe. For the last few years, I have struggled with this concept. Taking time for me meant neglecting tasks on the daily "to do list" that already felt too long to complete. I wore myself down to the point where I felt like my daily life was eroding away who I am, as I abandoned hobbies and interests for the sake of "getting stuff done" and "being productive". I would push push push until eventually I crashed and was left unable to do much of anything for days while I recovered. In short, I was forcing myself to never enjoy life because I felt like I needed to be "useful". The irony: treating myself so horribly was lessening my ability to help others. It took a trip to the mental health ward and some honest words from another patient on the ward for me to finally wake up and realise that I needed to start putting my wellbeing first. "You know when you're on a plane, and they're giving you the safety speech? Even if you don't travel, I'm sure you've seen videos of it, right?" She began. I nodded my head yes. "Well one of the things they tell you is that if the oxygen masks are deployed you have to put it on yourself first before you help anyone else- even your children. You'll be no good to them if you've passed out." And for some reason, that really struck me. We've all heard "you can't pour from an empty cup" and similar adages, but somehow those seem too symbolic and removed from the reality of the issue. The plane metaphor hit home more for me. I think it's because the visual is more straight forward. You literally can't help anyone if you can't breathe. You have to keep yourself breathing first. So here I am, putting my oxygen mask on, by taking time to enjoy my tea and a book, and get back to who I am. What does your "Me Time" look like today? #teatime #book #raymondefeist #riftwar #riftwarsaga #tea #mentalhealthadvocates. #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalhealthadvocate #mentalhealthadvocacy #metime #selfcare #reading #tea #teaaddicts #bibliophile #justbreathe

#priorities #YouMatter #mentalhealthadvocates #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalhealthadvocate #mentalhealthadvocacy #mentalhealth #selfcare #takecareofyourself #takecare #takecareofyou

I HATE The Holidays! #sorrynotsorry This time of the year has never been easy on me. December always triggers my trauma response, and add my depression, anxiety, and and ASD, and frankly- the whole season is just a nightmare. I get sluggish, anxious, weepy, and irritable. There's too many noises, too many lights, too many people. Everyone rushing in pursuit of "The Perfect ___" for the holidays and getting hung up on out-doing each other, or even themselves from the year pr...ior. I hate it. I just do. I hate the small talk, and the once/year calls and messages. I hate the pressure and anxiety to follow a tradition that has never felt right to me. That's why I switched to celebrating Yule (the Winter Solstice) the moment I had my own place, and why my family has new traditions that take place around the 20th-22nd of December, and why we don't normally do Christmas Day at all in our home. Now, we'll still do Tim's family Christmas (though not in 2020), and we always leave space for friends and family, but this is one of the ways we look out for our own well being in our family, and how we minimise our stress at home. Not everyone sees this season as "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year", for some of us. Advent Calendars are more like a "Countdown To Meltdown". So it's important to mot over pressure yourself and others, especially in 2020. I'm just really glad I have my Sipology "Stay Calm" tea this time of year. Tea has always been a form of Self Care for me, so it's only natural that I turn to St. John's Wort and Valerian Root in my cup- and of course, A good book!) to help take the edge off my holidays. Are the holidays stressful for you too? How do you get through the holidays? #mentalhealthadvocates #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalhealth #holidays #holidayssuck #bahumbug #thegrinch #staycalm #sipology #sipologybysteepedtea #selfcare #trauma #traumarecovery #traumacare #holidaywoes #holidayseason #christmas #yule #wintersolstice #witchesofinstagram #witchyholidays #tea #valerianroot #stjohnswort

24 Sips Advent Calendar AND an amazingly luxurious Pu'erh!

When was the last time you got flowers!? When was the last time the founder of your company bought you flowers? I am so deeply grateful to @toniajahshan at @sipology for the oportuniTEA to make so many of my dreams and goals come to fruition! As if the friendships, sense of purpose, and confidence I've developed through this company were not enough... As if working and making money on something that's always been my refuge through hard times (TEA) isn't enough...... As if the family outings, nice meals, financial security during these tough times, and even my wedding- all payed for with my business- were not enough... As if the incredible support provided by not just other consultants like @amandasparteaplace , but people like @_kim_dickson and @meganhbrewster isn't enough... Today I received flowers from the founder of Sipology to congratulate me on reaching not one- but TWO rank promotions in a single month. Today we're looking at a Senior Group Leader, but in reality, it's all thanks to the amazing people who keep this company running smoothly! Congratulations Tonia on creating such amazing products, and most importantly, on creating such an amazing, caring, and supportive, accepting community of people supporting other people. Colour me one very happy Non-Binary Tea Witch! #sipology #sipologybysteepedtea #success #recognition #acceptanceSpeech #Tea #Teamgoals #teaAddicts #teatimeismetime #TeaWitch #TeaShopsInOntario #OntarioTea #ontarioteaparties #highteaparties #canadianteablends #canadiantea #OhCanada #ontariolife #ontariocanada #ohcanada #plattsville #plattsvilleontario #plattsvilleon #oxfordcountyontario #blandfordblenheim