Supporting Your System into Spring When Winter Never Fully Arrived
This year, winter didn’t quite land the way we’re used to. Talking with my husband James, he shared, “I feel like I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, except it was a whole season of missed rest.” What a perfect way to describe our lack of a cold hard winter’s reset.
Here along the Front Range, it’s been warmer, drier, and windier than usual. Fewer stretches of deep cold. Less snowpack. More invitation to go out and enjoy the weirdly nice weather when winter typically asks us to slow, store, and go inward.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, winter is our most yin time of year—associated with stillness, depth, rest, and conservation. It’s when the body naturally gathers resources, nourishes the Kidneys, and prepares the foundation for spring’s growth.
But what happens when that deep, cold reset doesn’t fully happen?
Many people are feeling it:
A subtle sense of restlessness, unease or depletion
Energy that feels scattered rather than rooted
Difficulty transitioning into spring motivation
Lingering dryness, tension, or irritability
Instead of forcing yourself into a picture-perfect “spring reset,” this is a moment to meet your body where it actually is.
Let’s talk about how to support that transition—through food, movement, and mindset.
Food: Rebuilding Yin While Gently Inviting Spring
Even though the calendar says spring, your body may still be catching up on the nourishment winter typically provides.
Rather than jumping straight into raw salads and cleansing protocols, focus on rebuilding fluids while gently encouraging movement.
Lean toward:
Lightly cooked greens (bok choy, chard, spinach, etc)
Soups and broths with spring vegetables
Congee or simple grain bowls
Eggs, chicken, and moderate protein
Ample Fat, avoiding greasy fired foods that can burden the liver/gall bladder
Stewed fruit
Use with intention:
Pungent foods (ginger, scallions) to gently move yang qi
Sour flavors (lemon, vinegar, fermented foods) to support spring’s upward movement
Go easy on:
Excess raw or cold foods (regardless the season, warm cooked food is prioritized in Chinese medicine)
Over-cleansing or fasting
Extreme yang foods that increase heat in the body- alcohol, coffee, onions, garlic, sugar, coffee, processed foods
Think of this as a bridge diet—not winter, not fully spring, but supportive of both.
Movement: Unstick Without Depleting
Spring is associated with the Liver and the energy of growth, expansion, and movement.
But if your winter didn’t provide enough stillness, your system may not have the reserves to support sudden intensity.
Instead of going from 0 to 100, focus on gradual, rhythmic movement.
Supportive practices:
Walking outdoors (especially with varied terrain)
Light strength training
Stretching along the sides of the body
Qi Gong, dancing or gentle yoga
Arm swinging exercises- make soft fists, allow them to swing and gently tap your sides where the liver/gall bladder and spleen is in the front and kidneys are in the back
Watch for signs you’re overdoing it:
Feeling wired but tired
Increased irritability or tension
Sleep disruption
Tightness in the neck, shoulders, or ribcage
Mindset: Working with the Season You Actually Had
We often enter spring with expectations:
“I should feel energized.”
“I should be motivated.”
“I should be ready to start something new.”
But your body doesn’t respond to the calendar—it responds to what actually happened.
If winter was:
Windy instead of still
Mild instead of deeply restorative
Busy instead of quiet
Then part of your work now is to create small pockets of yin, even as the world speeds up.
This might look like:
Going to bed earlier than the light suggests
Taking quiet time without input- blocks of time without a screen
Saying no to one extra commitment each week
Letting your pace be slightly slower than those around you
Practicing forgiveness and kindness to yourself and others
Contemplating what you are interested in growing in both the plant world and in yourself
A Different Kind of Spring
Spring is still coming.
Growth is still happening.
But this year, it may be less about bursting forward and more about consolidating, rehydrating, and re-rooting before you expand.
If you’re feeling a little behind, a little off, or not quite ready—there’s nothing wrong with you.
Your system is wise! It’s simply asking for a bit more support before it fully opens.
Support for the Seasonal Transition
Acupuncture can help regulate the nervous system, support fluid balance, smooth qi (mood support anyone?) as we dance into spring.
If you’re feeling off this season, you’re not alone. I would be honored to assist in balancing the transition..
