I talked a little about self-care in my post-election cookie post, but I’d like to speak about this idea a bit more. It’s exhausting to have to constantly explain that you exist and why you deserve to be alive. (Including in supposedly liberal spaces–thanks, White (Cis) Feminism!) It wears you down, and it’s easy to get burnt out.

Self-care is critical to be able to stand and fight another day, and for me, the easiest self-care is making myself a cup of fancy tea. When I have time, I like to make fresh herbal tea. I had a turmeric and ginger tea on a trip recently and decided to recreate it with fresh turmeric at home. Perfect for a rainy Seattle winter day at home after a week of meetings.

This tea is unfiltered, so you still get a nice bit of ginger and turmeric to warm you and stave off those colds. It’s a bit spicy, which I love, but if you don’t like the spice of ginger, you can decrease the amount of ginger or increase the amount of water. Like beets, the turmeric will stain your fingers, so you may want to use vinyl or nitrile gloves.

More ideas for self care:

“4 Self-Care Resources for Days When the World is Terrible” from Colorlines, links to for other articles discussing self-care after racial trauma, self-care tips from Black queer and trans women, basic emergency self-care for when you want to give up, and for when you’re dealing with unaware people in learning environments

“A Guide for Self-Care for People with Anxiety” by Sam Dylan Finch on Let’s Queer Things Up!

Going to the farmers’ marker is also part of my self-care routine, and this weekend, nettles were back! For a spring-themed tea, try this nettle and mint tea.

Fresh Ginger-Turmeric Tea

Adapted from My Persian Kitchen‘s “Turmeric, Cinnamon, & Ginger Tea”

Yield: 3 cups tea (~720 mL)
Prep time: ~15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients

4 TBSP freshly grated ginger (~a “swollen thumb” size piece)
3 TBSP freshly grated turmeric (~1 in. piece of fresh tumeric)
1 stick of cinnamon
3 TBSP lemon juice
3 cups water
slices of lemon for serving

Equipment

1 medium pot with lid
1 ginger grater (or a zester/grater)
cups for serving

Procedure

1. Clean and peel the ginger and turmeric. Grate.
2. Mix the ginger, turmeric, water, and lemon juice in the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve hot with lemon.