Everything You Need to Know About Coping With the Spring Season Change

As winter warms and moves into spring, it’s time to shake off the long hibernation and get back out into the world. We become more energized in the springtime, and we unconsciously mirror the explosion of new life in the natural world. It’s important not to become overwhelmed by this new energy, as that can throw our bodies into imbalance and disharmony. Below, we’ve gone into more depth about how Traditional Chinese Medicine explains spring, the symptoms of imbalance, and what to focus on this season to reach your health and wellness goals. 

Spring is the season of rebirth. This is the ideal time to focus on cleansing your body to improve your overall health and wellbeing. This season is associated with the wood element, which represents movement, new life, and seeking places to create. As our bodies are microcosms of the universe around us, we experience a similar burst of new life in spring. Like trees, energy moves upward and outward from us as we shake off the winter hibernation. This manifests in a need to get out into the world, to start moving, and of course, in spring cleaning. 

The two organs most associated with spring and the wood element are the liver and gallbladder. The liver is believed to be the home of the Hun or ethereal soul. It’s also responsible for the smooth flow of Qi (pronounced “chee”), or vital energy, throughout your body. As the liver stores blood and emotions, it is charged with detoxifying the body to allow for the smooth flow of Qi and balance our emotions. 

The gallbladder is a close partner to the liver. It stores and secretes bile, as well as governs decision making and planning. The gallbladder is also believed to be responsible for our passion for life, inspiration, action, and assertiveness. 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body is viewed as a microcosm of the larger surround universe. Each season corresponds with one of the five natural elements – fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. These elements also exist within us. The abundance of a season’s element can cause imbalance that disrupts our health. To maintain good health, TCM councils that we pay close attention to the bodily system’s most influenced by each season’s element, to nourish our bodies with foods that promote balance, and to engage in activities that harmonize with that season’s energy. 

The abundance of Yang energy in spring can throw our bodies out of balance after the deep calm of winter. This can have a number of negative effects on our health. The most common being seasonal allergies, or hay fever. Irritability, sore or stiff muscles, and headaches are other symptoms of imbalance typical in spring. 

Allergies 

Allergies are your immune system’s reaction to the presence of a foreign substance that it deems harmful. In a lot of cases, allergies develop to relatively benign substances, such as pollen, animal dander, or foods. Allergy symptoms range from minor irritations like sneezing and runny nose to the more life-threatening anaphylaxis. 

Seasonal allergies are the most common type of allergies. This is the allergic reaction to certain types of pollens that trees and flowers release into the air at certain points during the year. Also commonly called hay fever, symptoms tend to be sneezing, congestion, runny nose, and itchy eyes. 

Irritability 

Irritability is characterized by a feeling of agitation and being more prone to getting frustrated or upset. Irritability can be caused by a lot of things, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, or from something as simple as not getting enough sleep. 

Sore or stiff muscles 

Most commonly associated with exercise, muscle soreness or stiffness can feel like an ache or discomfort in the muscles. It’s not uncommon to experience muscle soreness during the damp weather typical in spring. Those with past injuries are more likely to experience this. 

Headaches 

There are three types of chronic headaches: migraines, tension headaches, and cluster headaches. Suffering from chronic headaches can be incredibly disruptive and debilitating. While each type of headache has their own set of symptoms, they all prove tricky to treat with western medicine alone. 

While spring is energizing, it’s important to pay attention to symptoms of imbalance. Since the liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi throughout our bodies, liver imbalance causes emotional and physical dysregulation. Some symptoms include anger, irritability, fatigue, digestive issues, and poor skin health. The following are some things to focus on to support balance and wellness. 

Focus on liver and gallbladder health 

Liver and gallbladder health is integral to the flow of Qi and regulation of emotions. During the spring, your acupuncture treatments will pay special attention to the acupoints associated with those organs. Doing so will clear out any stagnation that is preventing Qi from slowing as it should. It’s also important to protect yourself from the elements, especially strong winds – as tempting as it may be to forgo a jacket altogether once the sun comes out. 

Start moving and stretching 

While in winter it is recommended that we avoid overexerting ourselves, in spring it’s time to get back into motion. This means going outside for walks or runs. If you’ve been thinking about signing up for a gym membership or exercise classes, now is the time to do it. In spring, we experience an abundance of energy and physical activity is the best way to prevent that energy surge from throwing your body into disharmony. 

It’s also important to make sure you stretch your body out. During winter we tend to hunch in on ourselves to protect our bodies from the cold, which impacts our flexibility. The liver is associated with our connective tissue and ligaments, making stretching all the more essential to our health in the springtime. 

Nourish your body 

Green is the colour of spring – and the colour of foods we should be eating. Eating vegetables and fruits packed with nutrients, will nourish the liver and improve its function. You want to focus on incorporating young, fresh leafy greens and sprouts into your diet. Focus on those vegetables that are in season in spring.