Mental Well-Being in Summer Humidity
Often my patients tell me that whenever the weather is humid and hot, they feel depressed and pessimistic. These feelings are worse on rainy days. Sometimes they can feel heavy in their body, tired and have digestive problems.
Why does the humidity affect us?
- Nature’s effect
Nature is the big universe, and the body is the small universe therefore we are part of nature. When the weather is humid and damp, the dampness from the external environment will cause dampness inside our body. Healthy people have enough Qi (vital energy) to eliminate and adjust the heavy dampness inside their body. But for those whose Qi is deficient or for those who may already have some fluid stored in their bodies, the dampness cannot be eliminated easily. When too much dampness stays in the body, it will make feel people tired and sometimes generate phlegm. When dampness is trapped in the stomach, it can block Qi movement, which may make you feel depressed or anxious.
- Too much cold drink and food
Human bodies are supposed to decrease dampness and reduce heat by sweating. In our modern society people prefer to stay in an air-conditioned room or have icy cold drinks but this will keep heat and dampness in the body. With all the heat and dampness kept inside the body it can lead to fatigue, indigestion, and feelings of depression and anxiety. Also, we may catch a cold easily. (Special attention should be given to children)
- External dampness plus internal dampness
Women’s health Special attention should be paid during menstrual period. The external dampness may cause abnormal menstruation, period pain and PMT with feeling more depressed and anxious.
Catching chill at night
In the hot weather, we enjoy having icy cold drinks during the day and keeping the air-conditioning on while we sleep at night. When we are asleep, it’s easy to catch a night chill. It can cause fatigue, headaches, make us feel tired, nauseous, and mentally disturbed.
How to look after ourselves in the summer days:
- Appropriate amount of sweat every day is necessary. But too much sweat can damage Qi (vital energy)
- Exercise properly and gently. Exercise accelerates blood circulation and sweat, which will benefit Qi (vital energy)
- Try to cut back on icy drinks and food
- Make sure to have a bowel movement every day. It helps with the elimination of waste and dampness.
- Drink a lot of water. Urinate frequently.
- Fresh ginger has the effect of dispelling cold, clearing damp, eliminating phlegm, and warming the stomach. Drinking ginger tea or using ginger in cooking helps achieve these effects.
- Barley has the effect of clearing damp and eliminating phlegm. Put some barley together with rice when cooking rice or put some in when cooking soup.
- Watermelon has the effect of removing heat and clearing damp, it accelerates urination.
- Mung beans have the effect of clearing dampness and heat. Mung bean soup and mung bean sprouts are perfect food for summer.
- Tofu has the effect of clearing heat.
Preserving health in humid summer days has a direct effect on our health in autumn. It also helps our mental and physical health.
Written by Angela Tian Zhu
Third Generation of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Tai Chi &Qi Gong Instructor
Copyright 25 November 2020
Copyright 25 November 2020
Three generations.