Closing out 2023 and entering what will hopefully be a snowy winter is a perfect time to reflect and think about the final element in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Water. It is almost impossible to reflect on 2023 in Maine without thinking about water. What a wet year! 

Water element in Chinese medicine is symbolized by cold, dark blue/black tones, and the season of winter. Call me crazy, but winter is actually one of my favorite seasons. The calm stillness of a cold winter night is just something that cannot be replicated any other time of the year. Winter also of course means snow and ice, which is just another expression of the water element. 

Wintertime is ruled by the water element and thus by the Kidneys in TCM. Imbalances in kidney qi in Chinese medicine can include symptoms such as low back pain, night sweats, ringing in the ears, cravings for salty foods, fear, and lack of willpower. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar for how you are feeling right about now? The good news is, you are not alone! Sometimes, by honoring and nourishing the areas of imbalance, we can come back to a place of homeostasis. 

Honoring the kidneys and water element in TCM looks like embracing the cold and the dark. By taking a moment to pause, donning your favorite sweater, and eating good for you salty foods, you can help revive the kidneys/water element. 

Water is an incredible element for its ever-changing nature. Water is one of the only common elements that regularly appears in nature in all 3 states of matter– solid, liquid, and gaseous (air). By leaning into the nature of water, we give ourselves permission to be ever-changing too. Just like the snow sparkles with all the colors of the rainbow and ice has a million cracks, water in all of its forms is perfectly imperfect. So maybe instead of shying away from the water that has seemed to rule this year, by leaning in to water, we can all start 2024 off on a healthier, happier note.