The Pandemic: A Five Element Approach of past, present, and future.

In this first of hopefully many more interviews, my friend and business ally Andrea Hutter interviews me about life during the pandemic, in the eyes of Classical Chinese Medicine. In this interview, I discuss how the pandemic affected us in our body, mind, and spirit through the year.

Last Year’s Pandemic: A Five Element Approach

During each season, the emotions we felt were way off of what is normal. Instead of hope in the spring of 2020, we had fear and grief. And instead of the joy of summer, we had more fear. Then in the fall, instead of the awe of autumn, we had a huge dose of more fear and loss. And the winter, instead of being a time to rest, was, yes… more fear and loss.

The End of the Pandemic

I also describe how we are affected even as the pandemic appears to be waning and restrictions are being lifted. The spring of 2021 wasn’t anything like what we expected. Instead of feeling inspired to start fresh, lots of us are tired. The can-do attitude is not quite as can-do-ish. Many of us are off to a slower start than usual. And now that we’re heading toward summer, we’re still just not feeling the bounce in our step that we’d like.

What’s Next?

Finally, I address what to expect in the coming year as we recover. Don’t expect that everything will go back to the way it was. It will take time to recover from the most difficult year in living memory. I also discuss things we can do to help. The main take-away is this: don’t expect too much from yourself. And self-care is always the best answer. Healthy eating, generous amounts of sleep, and gentle exercise are all critical.

The Pandemic: A Five Element Approach is a must-see! Also viewable on Facebook.