If you’re an acupuncture student right now, there’s a decent chance you’re running on a suspicious combination of herbal formulas, caffeine, adrenaline, and the kind of holiday spirit that feels less “Hallmark movie” and more “I swear if one more person asks me to bring cookies, I’m dropping out.”
I see you.
All of you.
The middle aged women who are simultaneously studying, parenting, and trying to remember where you hid the presents.
The young mamas who are wrapping gifts at midnight, then waking up at five to memorize point functions.
The fresh out of high school sweethearts who thought December would be cute and now realize… oh no.
And the rest of us, somewhere in the middle, wondering how we’re supposed to learn the entire Liver system when our brains are already full of shopping lists and end of semester meltdowns.
Here’s the thing about acupuncture school in December:
It’s a spiritual test.
Of your patience.
Your capacity.
Your Qi reserves.
Your ability to not burst into tears when someone says, “Are you ready for Christmas?” (No, Brenda. I am not ready. I am barely alive.)
We’re trying to prep for exams while the whole world is demanding festivity.
Finals don’t care that the kids have concerts.
Deadman does not pause his poetic torment just because you need to attend three family gatherings in seventy two hours.
The Gallbladder channel is not going to memorize itself just because you’re feeling sentimental.
And don’t even get me started on the sensory overload.
Cinnamon candles, jingling bells, Mariah Carey, flashing lights, and your brain whispering,
“Remember… the Back Shu points… or perish.”
Meanwhile your house is half wrapped in garland, half buried in textbooks, and fully radiating that woman-who’s-trying energy.
Then there’s the student clinic.
One minute you’re free needling like a winter fairy in her prime.
The next minute someone asks you to explain why their tongue is cracked and you’re like,
“Honestly… same.”
Your lab coat smells like moxa and holiday stress.
Your car is full of grocery bags, point location flashcards, and the half finished gift you promised yourself you’d craft this year.
You’re trying to remember both your diagnosis framework and where you put the Scotch tape.
But here’s the soft, beautiful thing under all this chaos:
We’re still showing up.
We show up for class even when we slept four hours.
We show up for clinic even when our schedules are patched together with hope and leftovers.
We show up for each other with chocolate, hugs, flashcards, and whispered “You’ve got this” in the hallway.
We’re learning ancient medicine while living very real, very modern lives.
Some of us are juggling blended families.
Some are navigating grief or breakups.
Some are working full time jobs.
Some are just trying to keep the heat on, the kids fed, and the essays submitted before midnight.
And in the middle of all that?
We’re growing.
We’re stretching.
We’re becoming practitioners with hearts as wide as the Halifax Harbour and resilience shaped by this wild coastal weather that just cannot make up its mind.
So if today you’re feeling overwhelmed by both Jing depletion and the pressure to create a magical Christmas?
You’re not alone.
You’re not failing.
You’re not behind.
You’re just a woman doing something incredibly brave at the most chaotic time of year.
Breathe.
Take a sip of something warm.
Review one more point.
Wrap one more gift.
And know that this season won’t last forever.
But the woman you’re becoming because of it?
She will.
I see you.
I’m right there with you.
And girl — we’re doing just fine.
A Gentle Note: I’m a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this space reflects my learning as it unfolds. TCM is deep, layered, and complex, and I’m still finding my footing within it. I will refine my understanding over time. I will make mistakes. That’s part of doing this honestly. What I share here is my current perspective, shaped by my teachers, clinical training, lived experience, and my own biases. It’s not absolute, it’s evolving. I welcome thoughtful conversation, shared insight, and respectful correction along the way. I humbly welcome your insight. Let’s learn together. You can always find me over on Instagram to keep the conversation going.