Pollyana Posts
We find both the tending and the mending here flow along much easier when we encourage and empower one another. For some Pollyanna positivity, check out this collection of inspirational quotes coupled with Chinese medicine wisdom. It’s our hope you’ll feel the loving support and spread these feel-good vibes as you move through your day!
Who doesn’t like to plop on a couch and have a do-nothing day every now and again? Yet perhaps you’re spending too much time channel surfing or social media hopping. Or maybe you’ve stayed in a stale relationship or dead-end job too long simply because you’re comfortable. In Chinese medicine, if the channels that govern digestion are out of balance, then we can tend to feel stuck with no motivation to make healthy choices. By committing to a clean diet and taking one self-caring action each day – such as a short walk, a hot bath, or writing down three things for which you’re grateful – you may be amazed at how quickly you nurture yourself right into a “take positive action” zone.
A goal is first a vision, a spark of imagination, a hint of what could be before it’s ever a manifested reality. From a Chinese medicine perspective, the liver meridian mediates our hopes and dreams. Known as “the free and easy wanderer”, the liver energy is that part of us that longs to live without agendas and schedules; these restraints of modern life squelch the liver’s ability to move us along our most rewarding life path. If you’re not expecting exciting things for yourself – or if you’ve lost hope of ever creating a life that lights you up – it’s likely your liver energy could use a boost. A daily walk in nature and at least 20 minutes of “do nothing but daydream” time can do wonders to free you to begin living a life you love.
Did you ever angst over a pimple in high school? As teenagers, it’s all too easy to become consumed with worry over what others will think of these volcanoes we see erupting over our faces. Yet the truth is every teen is so anxious about his or her own face that nobody really notices anyone else’s acne! From a Chinese medicine perspective, many of us carry this self-consciousness into adulthood due to an imbalanced lung meridian. When it’s not well aspected, the lung’s natural role of boundary setter and minister of discernment can become harshly self-critical and overly concerned with others’ opinions. Developing deep breathing and self-care habits can bring harmony to the lung – and freedom from caring so much about what others think.
The truth is we only stop ourselves. But why do we do that? Fear is always at the heart of self-sabotage. From a Chinese medicine perspective, fear results from imbalanced kidney and gallbladder meridian energies. Yet the lung is what nurtures the kidney and balances the gallbladder, and in my clinical practice I find two lung imbalances are keeping most patients in fear – shallow breathing and harsh judging of self and others. We can’t actually judge and feel love at the same time, and so fear builds instead. By bringing breath and awareness every time we feel critical of ourselves and others, we can start to heal judgmental tendencies. See for yourself how quickly you move forward on your path once you free yourself from the self-sabotage straitjacket!
