Winter is the coldest season of the year, a time when all things tend to hide or gather inside.
This completely natural phenomenon reorganizes all things in nature, trees, insect life, including our body that slows down its metabolism.
In winter it is advisable to go to bed early to favour the energy while it is better to get up late to protect also the energy and our internal essence, the life’s battery. Going to sleep early and getting up late in this season helps the energy to descend and deepen as it should in this season, therefore the Essence can then accumulate and maintain the balance of the organism.
Not working before the sun rises, avoiding the cold, getting close to sources of heat helps prevent attacks of cold.
It is also advisable to have devices to maintain the temperature in the rooms. Very low temperatures in the rooms can block the metabolism and expose us to the common cold; temperatures that are too high favour the opening of the pores of the skin so the pathological cold invades the body easily, triggering conditions caused by external agents and other diseases.
It is almost impossible to meet the requirements mentioned above, however this is an explanation based on Chinese Medicine. I personally know Chinese’s doctors who work less hours during winter.
As for clothing, it is advisable to frequently change to more or less clothing depending on the environment in which one finds himself. Cotton clothing is the most suitable, especially in the case of underwear, it is a soft, comfortable fabric that retains heat very well, while outer clothing should be larger. Clothes that are too thin can easily cause an injury to our metabolism, exposing us to colds, numbness or pain in the limbs, joints and hips. It is advisable that the shoes and socks be a little wider in this season to promote the circulation of energy in a light and harmonious way, ensuring comfort and warmth in the legs.
Hands and feet are susceptible to chilblains and should be taken care of.
In Chinese Medicine, winter corresponds to the Kidneys. The Kidney controls the storage of the essence and represents the congenital basis of life and is associated from an emotional point of view with fear and dread. In the case of passing fear and fear excessively or suddenly, it can injure the Kidney and cause pathological changes in the Kidney. Therefore, winter is time of self-awareness where we should stabilize our emotions and cultivate our spirit. We must take care to contain our emotions, try to calm and keep a positive thinking to avoid excessive emotional activity. We should avoid fear trying to preserve ourselves whenever possible from dysphoria (e.g sadness, anxiety, irritability, restlessness); emotions that can break down our balance. Then avoid any known emotional situation to spring next year (e.g changing into a new job, asking for a raise to your manager, changing habits and routines, etc).
Photo by Alex Padurariu
