Today is the 21 September and marks Autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere or Mabon. The Celtic celebration of the first day of Autumn.

As a season autumn is the season of shedding + releasing what’s no longer serving us and the life we want to live, or bringing us joy.

Seasonally there are many themes that come up for autumn. If you wish to learn more I recently wrote about seasonal living through autumn.

For many years I struggled through autumn and winter, struggling with the turn in weather + darker days, especially the cold weather. It was only once I found the path of holistic health + living that I found things to appreciate and enjoy in every season. Even in the darkest days, there are little sparks of light + joy that you can find if you take the time to look.

If you are anything like me you may have been finding it tough to adjust to the change in season, the shorter days, reduction in sunlight, and colder, wetter weather?

Sometimes it can be hard to let go of the summer season and mentality, especially if you enjoy the heat and the feeling of expansion and growth Summer brings.

BUT sinking into the cosy vibes, slower and darker days of Autumn and Winter is important too!

The seasons are a cycle, one which repeats each and every year without fail, and, just like the ebb and flow of energy within each of these seasons [the expansion and growth of Spring/Summer, the contraction, withdrawal, and rest of Autumn/Winter] our minds, bodies, emotions, and needs also need to rest and withdraw sometimes.

You cannot heal from a heightened nervous system!!

I’ve spoken a little previously about how stress affects our body + nervous system, and how that can result in cfs/me + burnout

The problem is stress causes an inflamed + heightened nervous system. But we aren’t always aware it’s happening or able to stop it. Our body becomes stuck in the Fight-Flight-Freeze response (this is our 𝗌𝗒𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗌𝗒𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗆).

The sympathetic nervous system is what kicks into action when your body feels unsafe or threatened.

When your stress is consistent this means you have constant adrenaline + cortisol running through your body.

There is so much more to herbalism and the health of the body than purely symptom and root cause treatment. As with everything in our world, humans and plants have their own energetics + energetic frequencies. There are frequencies that can work in harmony to balance and support each other, or, like magnets, repel each other!

You can think of energetics as characteristics. Similar to the energies of the seasons or the four elements; earth, air, fire, and water. We all instinctively know what to expect with each of these substances, even if that is mostly subconscious and not something we can specifically put into words…

These characteristics and elements are present in all of us, but in different combinations and concentrations for each of us. This means that different seasons, different medicinal plants, and different illnesses will affect each of us in a completely unique way.

Seasonal living is something I’ve been advocating a lot recently. It’s something I’ve first hand experience of; seeing how re establishing that natural and innate connection with nature improves both our physical, mental, emotional + spiritual health + wellbeing.

What is Seasonal Living?

Seasonal living is the art of aligning with and embracing the cycles of nature, rather than resisting them. In our modern world, we tend to celebrate “doing” and activity, and resist stillness, introspection, and rest.

The nervous system plays a huge role in not just our everyday health, but our ability to manage stress and stay healthy.

The Vagus nerve (or vagal nerves) is a series of nerves that runs the length of your body (along the spine) from brain to digestive system. And act as the main network of nerves for your Parasympathetic Nervous System. In other words the balancing and opposing system to your Sympathetic Nervous System or ‘fight-flight-freeze’ response.

If the sympathetic nervous system acts to keep you safe from danger, then the parasympathetic nervous system is what makes you feel safe + calm afterwards.

What Does the Vagus Nerve Do?

As well as making up about 80% or the parasympathetic nervous system the vagal nerves also control a range of functions in the body ; This system controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate, immune system + mood.

Are you listening to your body? It’s a question that gets flung around a lot in the health and well-being industry. But what does it even mean? And why is it important?

Have you ever had a morning where you have woken up feeling sluggish, bloated, nauseous? or a day when you haven't drunk enough water and you end up with a headache and feel tired and irritable? These symptoms are your bodies way of trying to tell you something is wrong, in the same way that craving certain foods can often tell you what vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body is lacking.

We have forgotten how to listen to our bodies

We have forgotten how to listen to our bodies, and we have forgotten how to eat to nourish our body!

Have you ever stopped to think about what these signals of fatigue, restlessness and aches and pains actually mean? Or on the other side, the meaning of having extra energy, a skip in your step?