Chinese medicine is in a way a misnomer as its approach is largely preventative. Its focus on subtle factors that combine over time to impact on health (depending on an individual's constitution) gives rise to a wealth of information on how to support health.
In winter this means allowing some quieter, more restorative time, in tune with what is happening in the natural world.
However what this means for an inhabitant of a developed country in the 21st century is likely to be quite different from an agricultural or manual worker in China in previous millennia. Because of the increased use of technology in daily life and the hyper-arousal of the nervous system that this can give rise to[1], allowing some non-demanding time for quiet restoration could mean planning less events into the holiday period, and more time to unwind, relax and in the absence of pre-planned events and routine, to connect with what we feel like doing in the moment. It might also mean reducing levels of stimulation from screen-related activities, perhaps having a family 'technology holiday', or non-screen days, or evenings – if need be holding off all but essential communications (these can be agreed before together). Both of these can be particularly important for children who are more sensitive to external influences and stimuli and whose neural development may be impacted in a lasting way by too much screen time[2].
While the winter months can be a welcome opportunity for physical rest or reduced activity for farmers of former times, for many of us holidays are a time when we are able to exercise, or give time to the kind of exercise we enjoy, and maybe to have more social time with friends and family. But perhaps because we have now less time available to exercise, exercise can mean pushing ourselves to the limit, chasing an adrenaline rush or weight loss. While recent research has highlighted the link between exercise and longevity[3], the approach of Chinese medicine would recommend that exercise is our approach to exercise needs to be more individualised. So rather than trying to live up to healthy ideals, accomplish everything you would like to for the holiday, or spending too much time on screens, a restorative holiday period could mean giving yourself time to wind down a bit and do what you feel like.
[1] See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836000/
[2] See: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2722666
[3] See: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2012/243958/
In winter this means allowing some quieter, more restorative time, in tune with what is happening in the natural world.
However what this means for an inhabitant of a developed country in the 21st century is likely to be quite different from an agricultural or manual worker in China in previous millennia. Because of the increased use of technology in daily life and the hyper-arousal of the nervous system that this can give rise to[1], allowing some non-demanding time for quiet restoration could mean planning less events into the holiday period, and more time to unwind, relax and in the absence of pre-planned events and routine, to connect with what we feel like doing in the moment. It might also mean reducing levels of stimulation from screen-related activities, perhaps having a family 'technology holiday', or non-screen days, or evenings – if need be holding off all but essential communications (these can be agreed before together). Both of these can be particularly important for children who are more sensitive to external influences and stimuli and whose neural development may be impacted in a lasting way by too much screen time[2].
While the winter months can be a welcome opportunity for physical rest or reduced activity for farmers of former times, for many of us holidays are a time when we are able to exercise, or give time to the kind of exercise we enjoy, and maybe to have more social time with friends and family. But perhaps because we have now less time available to exercise, exercise can mean pushing ourselves to the limit, chasing an adrenaline rush or weight loss. While recent research has highlighted the link between exercise and longevity[3], the approach of Chinese medicine would recommend that exercise is our approach to exercise needs to be more individualised. So rather than trying to live up to healthy ideals, accomplish everything you would like to for the holiday, or spending too much time on screens, a restorative holiday period could mean giving yourself time to wind down a bit and do what you feel like.
[1] See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836000/
[2] See: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2722666
[3] See: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2012/243958/
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