Spring is in full bloom—the flowers are opening, the birds are singing, and the world feels alive with movement! Last month, we explored how spring’s energy encourages growth, vision, and fresh starts. Spring belongs to the Wood Element in East Asian Medicine, and its energy helps us stretch, imagine, and move toward our dreams.
But as the outer world blossoms, it’s easy to forget that the inner world needs tending too. This month, as we honor Mental Health Awareness, we’re turning inward to care for a different kind of landscape: the mind!
Your Inner Gardener
In East Asian Medicine, the Liver is the organ associated with spring. It’s not just a physical organ, it’s an energetic system that helps yourQi, life energy, move freely through the body and mind. Think of the Liver as your emotional gardener: it clears emotional clutter, softens tension, and makes space for new growth.
When the Liver energy flows well, your thoughts feel clear, your emotions move easily, and you feel grounded and ready to grow. When it gets stuck, as it often does in times of transition, frustration, or irritability, self-doubt can sprout up like weeds. This is where mindfulness comes in, not as a trend, but as an ancient practice of recognizing and tending to what’s growing inside you with care.
The Mind is a Garden
Just like trees need sunlight and soil needs tending, our minds need care too! In East Asian Medicine, emotional and mental health aren’t separate from the body, they’re part of the same ecosystem. The thoughts we think, the emotions we feel, and the energy that moves through us all are all connected.
When that energy flows freely, our minds feel more spacious and clear. When it gets stuck, negative self-talk, worry, and restlessness can take root. The words we choose matter, especially in spring, when everything inside us is trying to grow. Mindfulness can help us weed our gardens of what we don’t need by pausing to notice what’s there, releasing what no longer serves us, and choosing which thoughts to nurture. Our self-talk becomes the water, sunlight, and nourishment that support a healthy inner world.
When we tend to the garden within, we’re not just supporting mental health, we’re helping the whole system thrive! Every time you pause, breathe, and shift your inner dialogue, you help your Qi flow and give yourShen, your spirit, room to shine. This spring, nurture your inner garden in these four simple ways!
4 Ways to Tend to the Garden of Your Mind
1. Plant an Intention Seed
Liver energy supports your ability to see and move forward. Planting an intention each morning is like planting a seed to guide your day!
Try this:Choose one kind, grounding thought to carry with you. That’s your seed! Each time you act in a way that supports your intention (like taking a breath when you feel rushed) you’re watering that seed and helping it grow!
If you feel overwhelmed:
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Seed: “One task at a time.” → Water: Take a deep breath and name the next small step you’re taking.
If you feel self-crictical:
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Seed: “I deserve the kindness I give to others.” → Water: Repeat this mantra when self-criticism creeps in.
2. Weed the Worry Loop
Like weeds in a garden, worry, self-criticism, and comparison can take root when Liver energy gets stuck, clouding your thoughts and draining your energy.
Try this:When a stressful thought pops up, pause and name it: “This is a weed.” Then gently reframe it with something softer and more supportive.
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“I’m so behind.” → “I am moving forward at my own pace. Growth takes time!”
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“I should have handled that better.” → “It’s okay to repair and try again.”
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“I keep messing things up.” → “Mistakes help wire my brain for growth. I’m still learning.”
Each gentle reframe calms your nervous system and waters the garden of your mind with kindness!
3. Speak a Grounding Truth to Your Heart
In East Asian Medicine, the Heart houses the Shen, or spirit. When harsh thoughts or heavy emotions arise, theShen can become unsettled. Speaking a grounding truth can help bring safety and calm.
Try this:Place your hand on your heart, take a breath, and speak something kind and true: something simple, compassionate, and true enough to believe.
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Feeling overwhelmed? → “One small step at a time. I’m moving forward.”
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Feeling inadequate? → “Every brain grows with practice. I am learning as I go.”
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Feeling anxious? → “Even though my body feels scared, I am safe.”
Speaking to yourself like this can help regulate your nervous system, quiet the inner alarm bells, and shift your body back into a state of centered calm.
4. Keep a Garden Journal for Your Mind
The Liver system supports both emotional flow and future vision. Journaling gives your thoughts space to land and patterns room to grow.
Try this:
At the end of each day, write:
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One thought I’m letting go of (weed)
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One intention or self-talk seed I’m planting (seed)
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One small win, shift, or moment of joy (blossom)
You can also add your intention seed from Tip 1 to track your progress!
Try it for a week and watch what begins to grow!
There’s no such thing as a perfect garden. Some days your thoughts and emotions will feel cloudy or tangled, and that’s okay! What matters is that you keep tending to yourself with care. When you meet yourself with kindness, you're planting seeds, growing roots, and letting your spirit shine! This season, may you water your mind with kindness and watch what blooms.
Stay curious, be kind, and keep blooming!
Dr. Britt
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