Have you noticed the shift that has occurred?
Maybe you live in an area that experiences the colorful show that fall brings like in western MA where I live. Maybe your lungs experienced the winds of change come and go, as the warm winds of summer have left us and the crisp icy air has arrived with each breath of wind that blows.
Fall is a time of big change, a transitory time. Not just with the weather, but within ourselves as well.
The playful days of summer have left us and we now sit at a time of transition to winter, where all begins to slow, go dormant, and rest within moments of silence.
The transition to winter can stir up hesitation though with many, as often winter is looked upon as the harsher season. That transition can also bring up not only hesitation, but also grief.
In Chinese Medicine each season has an organ that represents it, as that organ is the one that is often known to be impacted the most. Fall is known as the season of the lungs. It’s a time the lungs can use some extra love and care, a bit more protection and nourishment to keep them strong. It’s no surprise then when you think about the winter illnesses that tend to increase this time of year and knowing that the lungs can often be impacted. It’s not just physically however, as each organ in Chinese Medicine also has an emotion connected to it.
For the lungs, it’s grief.
When we experience grief it can often be held in the lungs themselves. That might seem odd to you how organs can hold emotions, but it’s something that happens every day. When you experience something that is pleasant, sad, irritating, or scary, that experience can be stored within a part of your body. I think of it as your body’s way of safe keeping and protecting you. Often our experiences can be too much for us at times, and so we shove that experience, emotion, or sensation, down into our bodies until we’re ready to handle it sometime in the future.
So not only do different organs have corresponding emotions, but each season does as well.
So as Fall is the time of the lungs, it’s also the time of grief.
Which means it’s a season that can bring up old wounds, things you might not have thought of for a long time, or sadness that stirs out of nowhere.
It’s a time one can often need a little extra help and support, especially as uncomfortable emotions stir up.
So how can you bring in some support this time of year?
Expressing yourself through your voice (which uses your lungs) is an amazing way to help release some of the heavy grief. Each sound you make with your vocal cords (whether you physically use them out loud or not) moves some energy that is stuck and can create gentle shifts as grief is released. However, we don’t always get a chance to express how we feel verbally.
So I wanted to ask you. How are you, truly?
It’s a question we get asked a lot. But it’s usually a nicety. A gesture that sadly doesn’t usually have meaning behind it.
Why do I say that?
We often say hi, how are you? But the question is added on as part of the casual greeting, getting tossed in like an afterthought that doesn’t always have any real intention for a response.
How often when someone asks how are you do they actually listen to what you say? If you say often, that’s amazing. You’re lucky. Keep those precious people close.
For the rest of us. It can feel like we’re just walking through life, solo, with our baggage. Our thoughts, emotions, feelings, ideas, just left in our own head to stir amuck.
Modern culture is so connected through technology, but so disconnected from the true reality of personal contact and dare I say, really caring.
If someone stopped you and truly asked how you are doing, maybe, just maybe, your life could shift in some small way by feeling acknowledged, heard, and how you feel truly matters. As you are able to truly release some grief, and also know that you are truly listened to in a space held for you to be able to release.
When you feel you matter, when you feel you can express yourself, some of that grief can shift and be prevented from forming in the first place.
So knowing it’s fall, knowing it’s grief time, and knowing the world is so heavy and static at the current moment, I’m asking you.
How are you doing, really?
Feel free to respond. You can write just one word, or a whole line. Or send me a message directly just letting out whatever you need. Know that I will read what you say, I will hear you, and I will listen, holding space for whatever you need to share. We don’t need to do this thing called life alone. I also encourage you to share how you truly are with someone close to you. Maybe taking them by surprise and asking them first, so they experience the power in being heard and can do the same in exchange.
For me, right now I’m feeling a bit scared for what the future is bringing, but I’m also curious. Things are stirring and changing as is the usual for fall, but there’s hope in the air.
If you’re interested in learning more about supporting the negative emotions, check out my course, The Calming Toolkit, where I take you on a 9 week journey to support stress.
Have a wonderful fall!
