Cooling Down to Become Calm, Focused, and Energized

Solar Term 15 | September 7 – September 22

White Dew

Each morning when I step outside, I wonder what nature will bring me. Sometimes it’s a subtle difference in light and temperature. Other times it is pretty unique – glittery frost, a beautiful sunrise, or a buck running across the field. Last week it was the crickets chirping through the night. This week it is the arrival of morning dew.

Nature is cooling down. The heat of late summer is peaking, ripening cool-weather fruits and vegetables. The cool nights of early autumn concentrate the sugars within these crops to enhance flavor and texture. It is bringing out the best in grapes, apples, chard, kale, and broccoli.

Temperature differences between night and day create morning dew, traditionally called White Dew when it arrives in the fall. Dew is created from the residual heat dissipating into the cool air, leaving moisture to concentrate as droplets on the grass, leaves, and stones.

How does this relate to you?

By the end of summer, each of us has absorbed a lot of heat. All of those long, hot days in the sun have added up. Over time, we absorb this heat into the superficial layers of our bodies. In autumn we want to release this heat just like the grass, leaves, and rocks release heat to create morning dew.

If this heat settles deeper into your system, it can cause residual inflammation that will change the terrain of your system. This means that it changes how your system functions and the quality of your tissue.

How do you know if you have residual heat?

What does it mean to cool down?

Cooling yourself down with some of the following recommendations can prevent residual heat from settling into your system. This does several things: it will calm the nervous system, regulate the immune system, allow for better rest and recovery, and repair joints as we move into the fall.

It also frees up energy. Being hot and bothered, irritable, anxious, and having your mind scattered into a million pieces zaps your energy. When we cool our jets we stop wasting energy. Instead, we have good energy to keep us focused, yet calm and energized.

We are at our best when we are calm, focused, and energized. This is balance, harmony, and health.

How long does it take to cool down?

This is meant to be a reset, or taking a break, or a cleanse of sorts before we transition into winter. The autumn equinox is around the corner which means the energy will start diving deep. We will see this in the trees as they close off nutrients going to the leaves, causing them to turn color and fall. This is the process your body goes through as well. It begins as a subtle turning inward before we, too, send the nutrients deep to repair and restore.

If you can drain or disperse the residual heat from the summer, then you will be able to prevent it from going into the deeper layers of your body.

Mini-cleanse habits

You may be surprised that these small practices are considered a cleanse, but routine is one of the most important aspects of cleansing. Cleansing isn’t just about food choices, but about resetting your system. Consistent minor improvements have the most profound results to better your health because they create ease over time. Using a framework like the one suggested below can reset your system.

“Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound and turn into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.” – James Clear of Atomic Habits

Calm, focused, energized

Being in balance means we move through life with ease. When you have achieved this state, you know you have cleared the residual heat. The trick is to maintain this state, which takes practice and readjustment.

Cultivating awareness about your state of being is the first step. Having and using tools to adjust is next. Note what works best for you at this time of year because it may change in a few weeks time. Then enjoy the sensation while you are there, even if it is for a moment. It can be special and so fleeting, just like the morning dew.