Quiz: How Are You Really Managing Coronavirus?
“Try this perspective shift. Instead of seeing ‘social distancing’ and travel bans as panic, try seeing them as acts of mass cooperation intended to protect the collective whole. This plan is not about individuals going into hiding. It’s a global deep breath… an agreement between humans around the planet to be still. Be still, in hopes that the biggest wave can pass without engulfing too many of the vulnerable amongst us.”
— Dr. Lindsay Jernigan
Coronavirus: A Balancing Act for the Water Element.
When I was a kid I loved snow days. Not just because we got to stay home from school, but because something was happening to all of us as a community. I would go outside to play or shovel the snow and everyone would be out doing the same thing. People talked more, brought food to the sick or those who would have trouble getting out in the snow, and in general people took care of each other.
It was a time when I could feel that we were all connected, all vulnerable to the same forces, we were all in it together. There was no separation on a snow day, according to my child-brain. We were all impacted because we were all one.
Right now in this moment, this Coronavirus is like having a giant snow day — but the stakes are much greater.
Some of us are facing very real illness. Some of us are facing deep feelings of scarcity. Some of us are going into survival-mode. Some of us are responding like heroes in the movie Outbreak. Some are celebrating staying home (oh our introverted selves!). And others are collapsing, paralyzed with fear.
Some of us are overwhelmed by the thought of our children being home from school for an indefinite period of time. Some of us are terrified by how much work we might miss or how much our businesses or the economy will suffer. And the list of responses goes on. These are very real concerns that at the moment, have very few answers.
Welcome to the terrain of the Water Element.
Because of the Coronavirus, we are being invited to sit in the unknown, to feel the fear (or run from it), and to assess our resources — both internal and external. This is a very “Watery” time, when considering the Five Elements and the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Water element handles the forces of stress, fear, and anxiety.
How healthy is your Water Element? In Chinese medicine we assess the health of a client’s Water Element in a few ways. First, by listening to their pulses to hear the strength of their kidneys and bladder, the two organs governed by the Water Element. We look at a client’s tongue and assess the movement of water in and out of the body as well as the presence of cortisol, a stress hormone that can build up in our bodies.
In addition to the above diagnostics, we listen to a client’s fears and concerns, hearing stories of struggle and perseverance in order to better understand how our clients manage stress — the physical, mental, and spiritual supports each one of us draws upon to help us in times of need.
Accessing the Power of the Water Element.
In nature, the Water Element is always seeking the lowest point of gravity. If you pour water into a vessel, it will always sink to the bottom. In people, the power of this element gives us the tenacity to seek out our own depth, our own truth and to face big fears like that of scarcity and illness, the two most common fears being highlighted by the Coronavirus.
A healthy and balanced Water Element enables us to regulate how we spend our energy, and to carefully examine how we design our lives. Water invites us into solitude (think: deep winter), encouraging us to carve time out for reflection and contemplation. This virus is now calling us deeper into the Water Element by presenting us with an opportunity to nourish and care for one another and our world.
During this time, I invite you to ask yourself the following questions:
What scares me the most about the state of the world?
Was I moving so fast that I needed this break, this pause on activity?
Have I been spending more energy than I truly have?
Am I caring for and nourishing myself in the ways I most need?
If I could redesign my life when I re-enter society, what would I change?
We are being invited to recalibrate to what is true for each of us.
As we practice social distancing and self-quarantine (or mandatory quarantine), we have an opportunity for a deep check-in with ourselves. It is a time to break free from the patterns of our lives, to develop a more sustainable lifestyle, and to see if we are truly serving ourselves, our families, and our communities in the ways that we most desire. May the fierceness of our response reflect our longing to live a more balanced, authentic life.
Taking this important time for ourselves is how we will balance the Water Element within. And while this is not as simple as a snow day, my hope for us all is that we emerge out of this crisis feeling more connected, not only to our communities but also to ourselves.
Photos: MusicFox, Jeremy Bishop, Aaron Burden, Stijn Dijkstra , T Z P
Mindi Counts is a holistic medical practitioner, herbalist and acupuncturist who integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Five Element Theory to support women in living their best lives. Her first book, launching Spring 2020, Everyday Chinese Medicine , is a healing wisdom guide that demystifies the 2000-year-old practice. By walking the reader through the seasons, elements, and organ systems, the book is easily navigated to pinpoint your unique constitution and to set a plan to achieve energetic and physical balance using simple recipes, self-care practices, and time-tested herbal remedies.