When the World Feels Like Too Much

It seems like every time you turn on the TV or open social media, there is another shocking piece of information…

🔥 Fires

🌎 Earthquakes

🌊 Floods

📰 Political back-and-forth

💔 Heartbreaking stories from around the world

It can leave us feeling shocked, overwhelmed, or as though we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.

While we can't control everything happening around us, we can support ourselves when our energy feels overloaded.

And perhaps the timing is particularly appropriate.

We are now in late summer, a transitional time connected with the Earth Element in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The Earth Element — Our Centre

In TCM, there are five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each has its own qualities, seasons, meridians, and emotions.

Earth belongs to late summer and the transition between the seasons.

It is the centre—the place of grounding, nourishment, stability, and support.

As we move from the warmth and expansiveness of summer toward the cooler, windier days of fall, Earth gives us an opportunity to slow down and transition.

The Earth Element is associated with the Spleen and Stomach meridians, which TCM considers foundational to our ability to receive nourishment and transform it into energy.

But nourishment isn't only about food.

Just as our bodies digest what we eat, we are constantly taking in and attempting to digest experiences, emotions, thoughts, information, and everything else around us.

And sometimes, there is simply too much to digest.

When Earth Feels Out of Balance

The emotion traditionally associated with the Earth Element is worry.

We may recognize this as overthinking, or thoughts that seem to circle around and around without resolution.

When we're continually taking in more and more without taking the time to process, we can begin to feel mentally scattered, heavy, worried, or depleted.

We may find ourselves checking the news repeatedly, scrolling through social media, thinking about things we cannot change, or carrying the emotions of other people and situations with us throughout the day.

An 'out of balance Earth' can tip us toward either end of the compassion spectrum:

We may experience over-compassion, where everyone else's needs and emotions come before our own, leaving little energy for ourselves.

Or we may experience under-compassion, where we become overwhelmed by what we are feeling and instead bury or disconnect from our emotions.

Our bodies need time to digest and integrate. Self-care is essential. When we take care of ourselves and support our own wellbeing, we are better able to take in information, process it clearly, and have the energy and capacity to care for others when needed.

An Eden Energy Medicine Connection

This is where energy work can offer a simple way to come back to ourselves.

In Eden Energy Medicine, the Stomach Meridian is considered a very grounding energy pathway. It begins at the face, travels down through the body, and ends at the feet.

Working with this meridian can support digestive energy while also helping us feel more grounded, centred, and stable.

Try This Simple Grounding Practice

Using your fingertips, gently tap your cheekbones, in line with your eyes.

Take 3–4 slow, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling gently through your mouth.

As you breathe, imagine the energy moving down through your body toward your feet.

Then pause.

Feel your feet. Notice the support beneath you.

You might even say quietly to yourself:

“I am here. I am supported. I am safe.”

This simple practice can be especially helpful when you feel scattered, overwhelmed, or caught in a cycle of worry.

Supporting the Spleen Meridian

When we're taking in so much - food, thoughts, emotions, experiences, and information, it can be helpful to give the Spleen Meridian some extra support.

Bring your thumb, index, and middle fingers together and place them in the centre of your chest, approximately a hand width from the bottom of the sternum.

Place your other hand flat on the side of your body, approximately a hand's width below the armpit.

Hold for several deep breaths, then switch sides.

This simple energy hold can help ease feelings of emotional heaviness, calm and balance the mind, and activate Radiant Circuit energy, which is associated with joy, connection, and vitality.

Be Mindful of What You Are Taking In

Just as we think about what foods nourish our bodies, it can be helpful to consider what else we are consuming.

Ask yourself:

What am I feeding my mind?

Do you need to check the news one more time?

Do you need to scroll through another round of social media?

Or would your body benefit more from stepping outside, taking a walk, making a cup of tea, or simply sitting quietly for a few minutes?

Stress in any form can affect our energy and leave us feeling depleted.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, another meridian, Triple Warmer, is associated with the body's fight, flight, and freeze response. When we are continually exposed to stress, Triple Warmer can become highly activated, leaving Spleen depleted. Spleen is Triple Warmer's partner in the 24 hr meridian cycle. Triple Warmer can call on Spleen for support when it requires more energy to help you through stressful times.

This can contribute to that familiar feeling of being tired but wired—where your body is exhausted, but your mind is still going.

One of my favourite ways to help calm and balance Triple Warmer, which, in turn, helps balance Spleen, is the Triple Warmer Smoothie.

🌿 Triple Warmer Smoothie

Place your fingertips at your temples and take a couple of deep breaths.

Then gently trace your fingers back and around the ears, behind the ears, and down the sides of the neck.

Place your hands over your shoulders at the base of the neck.

Take another deep breath, then slowly slide your hands down toward your heart centre.

Repeat several times, moving slowly and breathing comfortably.

Pause afterward and notice how you feel.

Nourishing Your Earth Element

Late summer is a wonderful time to take advantage of the abundance around us.

Enjoy local seasonal foods such as:

🍎 Apples

🫐 Berries

🍑 Plums and peaches

🥕 Root vegetables

🎃 Squash and beets

The Spleen and Stomach energies are traditionally supported by warm, cooked foods, so as the evenings become cooler, soups, stews, roasted vegetables, and baked meals can feel especially soothing and nourishing.

Sip warm drinks throughout the day.

And whenever possible, slow down and enjoy your meal.

Take a breath. Notice the flavours. Allow your body to receive the nourishment you are giving it.

You Don't Have to Carry the World

There will always be another headline, difficult story, or situation asking for our attention. We can care deeply without taking it all into our bodies.

Perhaps Earth offers us a simple reminder:

Come back to centre.

Nourish yourself.

Digest what you can.

Release what isn't yours to carry.

Allow yourself to be supported.

As we move into fall, give yourself permission to create moments of quiet in a noisy world, permission to pause, breathe, and come back to yourself.