#30 - Why You’re Exhausted in July (And What Traditional Chinese Medicine Knows About It)

/

Feeling extra tired this summer? In this episode we explore the summer solstice, yin–yang, and seasonal energy through the lens of traditional Chinese medicine—and why midsummer might actually be a time to do less, not more. We also talk about coping with heat, aging with more grace, and what it looks like to live in harmony with your body instead of trying to dominate it.

Main Topics Covered:

  • Why you might feel unusually tired around the summer solstice (and why that’s not a failure)

  • The real meaning of yin and yang in TCM—and why they’re not opposites

  • How the daily and seasonal energy cycles mirror each other (including that 3 p.m. slump)

  • “When it’s hot, don’t flap your arms”: a deceptively simple teaching about heat and emotion

  • Living with the seasons vs. pushing for the same productivity all year long

  • How hot climates use spicy food and hot tea to actually cool the body

  • A kinder approach to aging, energy, and exercise as your body changes over time

  • Rethinking the “feels like” temperature and collective anxiety about the heat

  • Using the wheel of the year and natural cycles to orient your inner life

  • Why midsummer might be the perfect time to weed, edit, and do less instead of more

Links:

Newsletter Sign Up: