by Sonic Searle, Doctor of Chinese Medicine
Hello and Happy New Year to you all. As we begin this new year, I want to share with you some healthy habits from the perspective of Chinese medicine to help you set yourself up for a fantastic and healthy 2025.
Modern-day life, but especially this time of year is very Yang in nature – it’s summer time, so it’s hot and life is busy. Coming back from the holiday season, we return to work and need to get back into routine while also wanting to still take advantage of the warm weather and the callings to be social. To balance the Yang, welcoming and creating a little bit more Yin is the perfect solution. When Yin and Yang are balanced, we have better health.
So here are some of the things I do to create a little more Yin and healthy habits in my life.
Start by NOT looking at your phone as soon as you wake up in the morning. Morning is the time when we get to set ourselves up for the day ahead – looking at your phone to check work emails or socials is going to switch your nervous system into sympathetic drive right away. You’ll start to immediately think “I need to do this”, “I want this” and the calm you created overnight disappears immediately. Try to leave your phone to the side and create a nice morning practice. For me, it’s a yoga class or some form of movement. For you it could be movement, journaling and writing your intentions for the day or maybe it’s just making a nice warm cup of tea sitting in a comfortable spot and enjoying a few more moments of stillness.
We have all heard the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. From the perspective of Chinese medicine – I agree! Our Qi (life energy) flows through the body and at different times in the day is strongest in different organs. In the mornings between 7am-11am our Qi is strongest in the digestive system. This means it’s good to have a nice nourishing breakfast during that time, so our digestive system can do its work and give us the energy we need for the day. When it comes to meal selection, Chinese medicine suggests going for foods that are cooked and warm. This way your body needs to spend less energy breaking down the food and warming the contents of the stomach back up to 37 ° and you can extract more energy out of your meal. Don’t forget digestion is a process where we want to spend minimal energy and gain maximum energy. Think porridge, congee or eggs as a nice starting point.
Having set aside your phone, enjoyed a mindful morning practice and enjoyed a nourishing warm breakfast, you’re off to a good start. When you eat lunch, step away from your desk or at least close your laptop. You want to digest your lunch not the information on your screen and it’s hard to do both at once. If you can, go for a little walk after your meal, just to get a little movement in the body.
When you come home from work or your daily activities it’s time for some movement. I use the word movement because I want to emphasise that exercise can come in all different styles. Sometimes I go to the park and fire twirl. Not conventional exercise but it still counts as healthy moment. Do what you enjoy.
When it comes to dinner think warm and cooked again – but this time the meal can be lighter. You’ve had your day, what’s left is sleeping. You don’t need a stomach full of heavy food to go to bed. So things like soups and stews are nice options here. As you prepare for bed, I once again suggest putting the phone away about 30 minutes before bed. Let’s not have the light of the screen activating the brain and disrupting the release of melatonin. Hop into bed and have a cosy peaceful sleep.
“Slowly slowly”: that’s what the monk of the temple told me while I was studying in China in 2018. Changing habits and creating new routines take time, but try and introduce these habits, be gentle with yourself and see how much better you feel.
Wishing you a wonderful, happy and healthy 2025.
Sonic Searle is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, with a passion for providing patient-centred, holistic care that empowers individuals to achieve their health goals. With a broad range of special interests including digestive health, fertility care and mental health, Sonic is eager to support you on your journey to better health. Sonic consults on Fridays at NIIM. Click here to learn more.
