Bandai Choi
Clinical Psychologist | Board-approved supervisor
Breathe-n-Smile Psychology, Essendon North, Footscray and telehealth across Australia
Could an ordinary drink become a small pause in a busy day? This mindful drinking exercise uses tea, coffee, water or another drink as something simple to notice with curiosity. Take one sip, drink as you usually would or leave the practice whenever you choose.
TL;DR
- Mindful drinking is a brief, sensory way to notice an everyday drink with curiosity.
- You can use tea, coffee, water or a decaffeinated drink that suits you, provided it is a safe temperature.
- One sip, a brief pause or a return to ordinary drinking can all be enough.
- The guided video below offers a flexible way to pause, notice and choose your next small action.
Watch the guided mindful drinking practice
Before you begin, choose a drink that feels comfortable for you and put it on a stable surface. Tea, coffee, water and decaffeinated drinks can all work. If you are sensitive to caffeine, use a decaffeinated option or another drink. Check the temperature before every sip and wait if it is too hot.
Watch the mindful drinking practice on YouTube.
Mindful drinking as a flexible practice
Mindfulness is often described as bringing attention to present-moment experience with openness, rather than reacting automatically.[1] With a drink, that might mean noticing its colour, the weight of the cup, the smell, a sound as it moves, the temperature or the first taste.
You can begin before the first sip. Let your eyes settle on the cup, then notice one small feature that catches your attention. It may be the colour of the liquid, steam above it or the way your hand meets the handle. A few seconds of notice are enough to begin.
It can be a one-off pause in an ordinary tea break. The exercise makes space to notice an urge to rush, check your phone or move on, then decide what you want to do next.
Curiosity can be quiet and ordinary. You may notice that this sip tastes the same as the last one, or that it tastes different after you pause. Either observation gives you something concrete to return to while the rest of the day continues around you.
If you are not in the mood for a sensory practice, that is useful information too. You might drink as you normally would, or choose a movement-based practice instead.
Using curiosity with an everyday drink
This practice borrows a simple idea: meet the cup as though you are seeing it for the first time. You do not need to know whether the drink is good, bad, familiar or worth your attention. You might notice steam, reflection, colour or the shape of the mug. Then you can take a sip if and when you want to.
A thought may arrive that the exercise is boring, pleasant, awkward or taking too long. You do not need to argue with that thought. Quietly naming “thinking” and returning to the cup, the chair or a sound in the room is enough. For a guided exercise focused more directly on thoughts, you may prefer Leaves on a Stream.
There is no finish line. You can take one sip, put the cup down, leave some of the drink for later or decide not to continue. The practice is optional and should fit around your sensory, health and caffeine needs.
A few practical tips
- Use a drink you already enjoy or tolerate. Water is a completely valid choice.
- Check the temperature before you sip. You can wait, add water or leave the drink until it is comfortable.
- Pick one sense to notice first, such as the cup’s texture, smell or warmth. You do not need to notice everything.
- When you notice an urge to rush, pause long enough to choose whether another sip, a break or ordinary drinking feels right.
You may also be interested in
- Dropping the Anchor: an ACT-informed grounding exercise for a short practice when you want to reconnect with the present without using a drink.
- Leaves on a Stream: a mindfulness exercise for thoughts if you would like a different way to notice thoughts without needing to act on them.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use tea or coffee?
You can use water, a decaffeinated drink or another drink that feels suitable for you. Choose an option that works with your caffeine needs.
Do I need to finish the drink?
You can take one sip, drink normally, save the rest for later or stop. The exercise is a brief invitation to notice.
What if the sensory details feel uncomfortable?
You can stop, look around the room or choose a different practice. You do not need to keep attending to a smell, taste or body sensation that is not feeling workable.
Get in touch
Breathe-n-Smile Psychology offers clinical psychology services focused on complex trauma and neurodivergent profiles, including ADHD and autism.
Essendon North · Footscray · Telehealth across Australia
0431 828 769reception@breathe-n-smile.comOnline enquiry form
References
- Bishop SR, Lau M, Shapiro S, et al. Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 2004;11(3):230-241. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bph077.