Turning down the volume: the power of a mindful cuppa during pregnancy

From the moment you find out you’re pregnant the to-do list only ever seems to grow. There always seems to be so much to do, plan for and think about.

Your mind may be a busy place as you consider all of the practical ways you’d like to get ready for baby’s arrival. You may also be preparing for birth itself and imagining what that all-important day will look like. You may be sifting through heaps of advice (welcomed and not so much) and information around everything you’ve got in store, as well as dealing with your own unhelpful, anxious thoughts about all of it.

It can be a lot and it can be really easy to get lost in all of that. To get stuck in your own head and caught up in all of the noise within and around you. And as someone who has navigated 3 pregnancies, I’m not here to deny or downplay any of it - I can indeed confirm that there can be a lot going on in our minds during pregnancy. And understandably so – pregnancy is the start of one of the biggest transitions of our lives. Pregnancy is the beginning of our journey to parenthood.

As someone who has a tendency to get lost in her own noisy mind and as someone who supports people as they navigate the ups and downs of pregnancy, I want to give you a super simple way of turning down the noise and getting out of your own head for a few minutes every day.

It might sound super simple, but the benefits of this practice are potentially huge. The practice is this: enjoying a mindful cup of tea at least once a day.

Oftentimes we make ourselves a cup of tea and sit scrolling on our phones or set a freshly brewed cup down somewhere that we can come back to whilst we get on with other things. We aren’t really present in our experience of drinking that cup of tea. We’re still very much preoccupied with other things. And there is no break or recovery from everything going on inside and around us.

This practice offers a way of parking it all for a few minutes. A way of creating some space so that you can just be. It’s a way of getting out of your own head, checking in with yourself and grounding into the moment. A way of turning down the volume on all of the noise. And here’s how it goes:

Pour yourself a cup of tea (my fav at the moment is HotTea Mama Get Up and Glow - I’m a big tea drinker and this offers a caffeine-free alternative which not only provides a much needed boost but also tastes amazing!).

Find somewhere comfy to sit before focusing your attention on the cup of tea – notice the colour and shape of the mug and perhaps how it feels in your hand.

Notice the smell of the tea as you lift the cup to your mouth and the taste of it as you take a sip.

Then, without moving your eyes away from the cup, allow your awareness to slowly expand as you take in more of the space around you. Become aware of the space you’re sitting in – perhaps the walls around you or even the space behind where you’re sitting. Then slowly bring your attention and focus back to the cup.

In doing so, notice the way:

- your breathing becomes slower and deeper
- your shoulders drop
- your body relaxes
- notice and enjoy the feeling

Spend a couple of moments in that feeling before asking yourself: what do I really need right now? You can jot down whatever comes up or just make a mental note of it. This practice works well in the mornings – it can be a very grounding way to start the day. Equally, it can provide a welcome break and powerful check in, mid-way through the day. Or both! Whatever works for you.

There are so many potential benefits to a practice like this. By turning down the noise in this way, you will be better able to tune into how you are really feeling about it all - pregnancy, birth and life beyond.

This practice is also a wonderful way of activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which will help you feel calm, relieve physical tension, lower your blood pressure and increase your capacity for dealing with stress.

Enjoying a mindful cuppa may not make your pre-birth to-do list any shorter, but it will increase your capacity for dealing with it. So go put the kettle on and give yourself permission to let it all go for a bit.

My name is Dr Tuesday, I’m a birth and postpartum coach and mum of 2 (with another on the way!). I help people cut through all of the pre-birth noise so that they can navigate the journey ahead with confidence, calmness and ease. Check out my website or come follow me on Instagram for more.