Mentally resetting the ✨chinese✨ way how to start your day on YOUR terms
Alice Sun (@alicecsun) shares a unique view into her life through the ways she uses food to nurture wellness, cross cultural divides, and bring people together, all through the medium of storytelling.
Alice Sun•
February 2, 2026
Being a Chinese baddie isn’t just about having hot water in the mornings and making apple tea with goji berries, especially because all those “rules” are an extension of chinese medicine. An age old system built around keeping the body regulated, including the nervous system.
Stress is understood as a disruption of qi, the body’s vital energy. When qi is flowing smoothly, the body feels calm, focused, and resilient. When qi becomes stagnant or overheated, that’s when the body starts to show signs like tension, digestive issues, anxiety and a restless nervous system.
But instead of treating stress as something to eliminate, Chinese medicine focuses on helping qi move, soften, and rebalance. Which is where tea rituals come in!
Yes the idea of just boiling water, steeping herbs, and sipping slowly doesn’t sound like a big deal…but that’s sort of the point. It becomes a form of moving meditation that gently guides qi downward, cools excess heat, and signals safety to the body. Pair that with healing ingredients and you’ve got an at home spa day to reset those racing thoughts and bring you into the present moment.
Here’s how to make your own at home! But first, here are some tools you may choose to use to really build out your ritual:
Place the licorice root (2 pieces), lavender tea (2 tsp), chrysanthemum tea (2 tsp), and dried longan (2 pieces) into a cup and give everything an initial “rinse” with hot water.
Let the ingredients sit for one min, then pour out the first “wash” — this step helps to clean the ingredients and allow the flavors come through better in the final steep.
Add enough water to submerge all the ingredients and let it brew for at least 5 mins, taking care to breathe and focus on each step of the process.
Enjoy the first few cups with deep breaths at each step.
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