Ah, the new year party, the bottomless ice cream, chocolate, and the indulgence of cocktails. And don’t forget the staying up late into the night to count down. How do you feel now? Did you do anything to get back on track?
Don’t worry. I am not here to nag you.
If you are reading this blog post, you are probably looking for ways to get back on track. And you have my applause!
After all, what’s better than leaving all (or most) of the lousy habits, mindsets, and feelings behind by starting the new year with a clean slate?
Well, why don’t we start with mindfulness?
If you don’t know yet, mindfulness is an essential part of traditional Chinese medicine.
Have you walked on a balance beam? Did you notice that you need to pay more attention when walking and trying not to fall off the beam simultaneously?
Being mindful is to keep yourself in a balanced state. This is the top priority for a healthy life.
I practice mindfulness as much as I can. (I fall off the wagons too, you know!)
My philosophy as a practitioner is also asking my patients and myself this question first:
How do you picture yourself when you reach a state of balance? Or what does a balanced life look like to you? Because it might mean different things to different people.
If you ask me, my ultimate goal is to be able to take care of patients and myself in a way that can mutually benefit all of us. That could mean cooking plant-based, colorful meals with organic natural ingredients, having regular and restful sleep, keeping a good rhythm, and stopping before I get overwhelmed. To achieve that goal, I constantly ask myself what I need and don’t need.
Mindfulness is a process, not an end.
One of the ways to achieve mindfulness is to eliminate. Eliminate the thoughts that don’t serve you. Eliminate the food that doesn’t nourish you. Eliminate the relationship that is harmful to you.
Mindfulness requires focus and energy. It’s to draw the attention inward and use the energy wisely. In traditional Chinese medicine, practicing mindfulness is a big part of medicine. It’s the medicine of the soul. Without it, we can’t reach the state of wellness.
That’s why a lot of the philosophy in Chinese medicine is to live with the rhythm of nature. Nature constantly nourishes, cleanses, and heals.Being mindful is also to connect with the power of nature. Living with the natural rhythm, eating food in its original form, and cleansing the mind when it’s too much.
Being mindful is also finding the healing power within you. I always like to use acupuncture as a good example. Acupuncture promotes the Qi flow in your body to heal from the imbalance state. The concept of illness is a state of imbalance, regardless of the cause. I always think that acupuncture is not just a treatment. It’s a way of helping us to become mindful. You need to focus on breathing during acupuncture to achieve a calm state. And this can help to draw the energy inward. In modern society, the focus is always outward. But to heal, the energy has to be drawn inward.
So what can we do now?
You might have that one extra piece of chocolate in the party and regret it now. Start drinking more water, exercising more regularly, and eliminating those stressful thoughts.
If you want to lose weight, start with sleep.
Go to bed at the same time every day with no compromise.
Sleep is so essential in our life.
Let’s start to make it a priority.
If you are interested in kick starting your health recovery journey, book your free consultation below!
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