There’s nothing quite like waking up in December feeling like you never actually slept.
You close your eyes, you lay horizontal, you technically did the thing… and yet you wake up feeling spiritually concussed.
Women tell me this all the time, at clinic, in the grocery store lineup, in my DMs:
“I don’t get it. I sleep. I’m still tired.”
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is classic Spleen fatigue, the part of your body that’s basically the quiet woman in the office who keeps everything functioning while everyone else gets the attention.
Your Spleen is the one:
- turning food into usable energy
- keeping your thoughts from spiraling
- anchoring you when life is windy (which, let’s be honest, is 85% of New Brunswick in winter)
- holding everything up so things don’t… sink (hello, prolapse & bladder control issues)
So when you’re surviving on rushed breakfasts, stress, cold weather, and a December schedule that could break Martha Stewart?
Your Spleen waves a tiny white flag.
This doesn’t mean anything is “wrong.”
It just means your body is whispering:
“Please… real food. Warm food. And five minutes where no one needs me.”
Try this today: one hot, grounding meal.
Soup. Stew. Leftovers warmed up on the stove.
Your Spleen will perk up like someone finally refilled the office coffee pot.
And maybe, just maybe, tomorrow’s tired will feel a little less bone deep.
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.