I don’t know about you, but I love a nice cup of tea, and I’m a big fan of different types of tea too, so when PG Tips asked me to write about their new Green Tea and the enormous monkey floating on the Thames to promote it, I thought “hey, why not?”. They’ve conducted a survey which has shown some surprising results about stress and relaxation, which you can read about after this video:

The survey was conducted with over 2000 people and 7 in ten of them described feeling stressed and overworked, with a distinct lack of ‘me time’ in their day to day life. Although I’m not out there in the workplace, this is something I can really identify with; even during ‘downtime’, there’s usually a kid attached to me or the feeling that I should be doing something more productive than just sitting down and it can leave you feeling pretty frazzled.

Having said that, we’re luckier than some given the fact that we’re surrounded by green space where we are, as the report shows that this can be massively beneficial:

Highlighted among the untapped properties of the colour green are the benefits of proximity to open spaces; numerous studies have reported the impact of so-called ‘eco-therapy’, with numerous studies reporting improved feelings of positivity and wellbeing as a result of spending time outdoors.

But the green paper report reveals it isn’t only the ‘green outdoors’ that has this affect; our primal association with the colour extends to many forms, with workplaces citing improved productivity among workers when the walls are painted green. In fact, even consuming ‘green’ food and drink – from leafy vegetables to green tea – has also been shown to produce feelings of energy and invigoration simply by association.

This fresh perspective on the ‘power of green’ could hold the key to maximizing our ‘me-time’ to boost feelings of positivity and reinvigoration; further insights reveal that even when people do manage a five minute break at work, it’s rarely beneficial – just one in five said they feel refreshed after stopping.

I completely agree with these findings, as I know how much I love the feeling of getting out into the open. Walking the dog in the massive open fields behind our house often gives me the feeling that I can breathe again after a long, stressful day – now I’m thinking that maybe I should be taking my travel mug full of PG Tips Green Tea to really maximise the effect!

What do you think? Does being in the outdoors help you to unwind? Are you a fan of a nice, warm cuppa to aid your relaxation? Leave me a comment below.