Six ways to Leverage Your Transition into Fall Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine
If you're like me, letting go of summer can be hard. The approach of Fall has always felt like the end of afternoon recess. The shorter days signified the end of short shorts, rooftops, open windows and watermelon. Don't get my wrong, I love Fall. It's my second favorite season. But I could never seem to make the transition without feeling like a was losing something, without feeling just a little bit anxious. Luckily, I've since learned that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, changing with the seasons is like, a thing. Meaning, there are all these wonderful and feel-good ways to flow and transition with time that not only support your physical being, your mental and spiritual well being as well. How cool is that?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), summer is ruled by the element of fire, which is symbolic of vitality, outgoingness, and physical activity. In the summer, you need less sleep, crave lighter foods, and the sun and vitamin D spike people's energy and spirits.
Fall on the other hand is ruled by the element of metal. Metal in TCM represents communication, mental stimulation, organization and structure. As the nights start to get longer than the days, your body turns inward, and naturally you become more introspective, thoughtful, maybe even nostalgic. This can be a beautiful thing. With awareness of how you're feeling and a planning, autumn becomes the perfect time for creativity, inner fulfillment and working on personal projects that you meant to start in summer, but never did because you were at the beach every weekend.
How does one leverage the season to feel and be their best selves? Here are some suggestions for you to pick and choose from. Doing a combination of these things will help you transition with the season, rather than against it, and can also better position you to enjoy winter when the time comes.
Protection from colds: In TCM, every season is associated with an organ, and each organ is connected to specific emotions. The organ most associated with fall are the lungs, which are affected by sadness and grief. Your lungs effect your skin, respiratory system, blood circulation, and immunity. So if your lungs are overworked, either because of the dry, cold weather, or from the natural feeling of grief that comes from the seasonal transition, you will be more susceptible to sinus problems, colds and illness. In addition to eating lubricating foods, avoid dairy and wheat, which often aggravate the respiratory system. Also keep your chest and neck warm in chilly weather and practice deep breathing exercises.
Activities: Answer any cravings you have for creative pursuits. Leverage the season to act on inspired ideas and cultivate inner satisfaction. Read, write, paint, research, produce. If you're feeling introspective, embrace it, and use this time to create a deeper understanding of your inner workings. Some of your most successful and fulfilling projects might come from your ability to get organized and focus on these ideas right now.
Diet: In general, you want to eat foods that will produce a healthy flow of body fluids to combat the increasingly cold and dry air. Shift from eating raw summertime fruits and veggies to seasonal autumn foods which, as mother nature would have it, are the exact foods your body needs to stay in balance. Some lubricating foods you can begin to incorporate into your diet in moderation are nuts, seeds, olive oil, sesame oil, butter, pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, honey and grapes. If you have access to these Asian delights, lotus root and white woodear/ white fungus are great too. These foods will help keep your lungs and skin moist to counter balance the changing atmosphere.
Mindset and emotions: Resisting the flow of what is natural leads to tension and discomfort. This tension can show up internally (anxiety, stress) or externally (illness, body aches and pains)- one way or another, resistance will make itself known to you. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things you love about fall and enjoy them. Walks in park, cooking warm stews, or nights spent indoors playing board games with friends are all things we can take pleasure in. If you find yourself feeling particularly sad, embrace your emotions. Take this time to work out unresolved grief so it doesn't weaken your immune system and show up as a cold two months down the line.
Implement herbs and supplements:
Burdock Root is great for cleansing out the liver and lungs, and also supports skin health. Can be drank as a tea.
Comfrey: Comfrey root, taken as a tea, soothes intestinal linings and helps get rid of toxins in your respiratory system.
Ginger: Great for clearing the lungs and acts as a great stimulant for blood circulation. Can be taken any which way.