A personal essay by Milena Chiari

Growing up, I had always been told to drink tea, especially when I was sick. My mother would give me a cup of green tea, in which I would add spoonfuls of honey to hide the bitter taste. I hated drinking tea. The thought of steeping leaves in a cup of water and drinking it disgusted me.

As I got older, I heard about the benefits of drinking tea through social media, family, and friends. I would hear people say they drank tea every day and felt their lives change. Despite my childhood aversion, I became curious about whether tea could actually make a difference in my health.

I decided that my New Year’s resolution for 2026 would be to drink tea. I had seen online that spearmint tea can aid digestion by relaxing stomach muscles and clears up acne with its anti-androgenic effects which decreases pore-clogging oil production.

I decided to buy a box of spearmint tea. In order to experience the full benefits, it is recommended to have at least two cups a day, but since I was just experimenting, I decided to begin with just one cup a day.

Every night, I would microwave a cup of water and pour it into a cup with a spearmint tea bag, letting it steep for at least ten minutes before finally enjoying the drink. I noticed that this tea wasn’t bitter and was naturally sweet, which helped me drink it every night, especially as someone with a huge sweet tooth. 

After finishing a box of 20 tea bags, I had already noticed a large difference. I typically found myself overly full any time I ate and would go hours without feeling any sense of hunger. After nearly three weeks of drinking spearmint tea every night before bed, I noticed I wasn’t overly full when I ate. I would become hungry again in half the amount of time. My digestion seemed to have improved significantly, thanks to spearmint tea.

My skin was significantly clearer as well. I am someone who has struggled with acne all  my life, and I would use foundation everyday to hide my blemishes. After these three weeks, I found I no longer had active breakouts. My acne scars had started to fade faster than usual, and I didn’t need to use foundation anymore.

In only three weeks, these changes were brought to my life. I never imagined that by simply drinking tea, I could improve my quality of life. Even though spearmint tea worked for me, it might not work for everyone. There are many teas in the world, and there might be another one that works for you!

While these changes came from drinking less than the recommended amount, I do wonder what would happen if I started drinking two cups a day. Would I experience even more benefits, or would I feel the same?

Regardless, drinking tea is a New Year’s resolution that everyone should try. If you are someone who dislikes tea or has never drunk it consistently, I recommend trying it to see what benefits it can bring you.