Playful seriousness for our health

Lately, I’ve been thinking about fun and the perceived contrast between seriousness and playfulness.

Along our healing pathways, things can feel really serious.

We know it’s important to eat well and get in bed early. There are many writings and teachings about minimizing screentime and optimizing the body’s natural cycles, and we may work to deepen our meditation practices and engage in self-cultivation.

Along similar lines, if we are struggling with chronic illness, severe conditions, or addictions, the ripple effects of these disease patterns can have dramatic implications on the experience and quality of our day-to-day lives.

We make changes and follow protocols to the best of our ability, and the positive changes we make usually have good outcomes that motivate us to stay the course and continue in healthy routines.

But at what point does life start to feel…too serious?

I’m writing about this because the tendency towards too much seriousness is one of my personal tendencies, and I thought that some of you might be able to relate.

I’ve become increasingly curious about how to prioritize physiological and psychological integrity while simultaneously peppering playfulness into most aspects of life, both for myself and my clients.

A few elements that seem immediately obvious include:

• Flexibility with plans and perspectives

• Humor

• Clarity on exceptional cases (staying up late for an exciting show or event, even when you’re working on sleep cycles)

When there is too much heavy, serious energy, it can be easy to become “holier than thou” in perceptions of self vs community.

I often observe people who incorporate new health routines or habits and begin to perceive themselves as elevated in status because of it. It’s nice to feel good about the efforts we make for our health, but I encourage all of my clients to recognize the individualized nature of this medicine and the different timelines we each are on. A friend or family member might not be in the same place at the same time, and that is ok.

It is also still very important to be able to enjoy life within the health-informed scaffolding we build for ourselves. Maybe you’ve stopped eating chocolate on a daily basis and you’ve acclimated to the absence of this food in your regular life, but you’re traveling to France next month and want to sample chocolate croissants. We can care about our health and also embrace the adventure of the present moment! This is an example of playfulness that can be a welcome bend from the daily norm. (Note: If you struggle with addiction, I am not encouraging you to diverge from working your progam. There certainly are times when more structure is highly beneficial.)

When we embrace Chinese medicine, we are still normal, everyday people doing our best. It can be fun to experiment with congee, porridge, bone broths, and herbal decoctions. It can feel really good to learn different qi gong forms for the water element and do a few minutes of movement when you are in the grocery store parking lot (😅).

I never want to unintentionally prop up the idea that working with Chinese medicine should somehow infuse our lives with rigidity . In fact, it is quite the opposite. The Dao, or “the way” teaches us to live in harmony with the natural order of the world, the universe. It teaches us to embrace what is.

Let me know what you think about this and how you walk the line between taking your health seriously and keeping your life lighthearted. 🧡

Bits & Bops 🪐

I was recently gifted Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls, and as I make my way through the book, I love the blend of honest narrative + DIY graphic storytelling. Throughout the book, Hulls unravels the story of her grandmother, who was a prominent journalist during the Chinese cultural revolution, and the ensuing mental health break that accompanied her risky escape from China. She reflects on the way her grandmother’s mental illness affected her mom, and how she was shaped by her experience growing up in a house with both of them. A good read if you’re interested in a memoir and ready for some art.

You can peruse my Inner Village Health recommended reads on Bookshop for more reading recommendations. (This is not an affiliate link for me, but my local Albuquerque bookshop - Organic Books - may receive proceeds if you order from my list.)

Check out the Upcoming Events section below. By the time you’re reading this newsletter, I may still have a few spots open for pulse and tongue readings tonight at Lost Cultures Tea Bar here in Albuquerque. The next Tea As Medicine class is on November 16th (Saturday) and we’ll be focusing on digestive support for the upcoming holiday times.

Sending my best,

Artemisia

Clinical Herbalist | Chinese Medicine

innervillagehealth.com 

@innervillagehealth