It is a sunny day with fresh snow on the ground. Outside, birds are eating the seed I spread on the porch because the bird feeder was frozen this morning. Inside, I go between working, answering stressful texts, and hyperfocus on news about one of the many existential threats that surround us.

There are many things I could do to feel happier during my day—I could take a walk with the dogs, make a French press of tulsi and damiana tea, warm up some lentil soup instead of eating chocolate cereal. Why is it that I especially struggle to do pleasurable, nurturing things when I need to the most?

When I started going to herb school, I struggled with a simultaneous suspicion and embarrassment of the profession. To pursue a healthy life seemed like a shameful luxury that one should keep to themselves. I had worked in healthcare for many years before, but usually we were struggling to just make sure people's very basic survival needs were met. It hardened me against concepts like eating organic and meditating—I came to believe that there was a dichotomy: living a hard, real life or a soft, fake one, even if had you pressed me I would have acknowledged there is nothing liberatory about ignoring the physical needs of the body.

In herbal medicine, one is taught to consider balance. Most systems—Chinese, Ayurveda, Western, and many Indigenous American traditional herbal medicines—look at illness as a manifestation of an excess or deficiency of something that, in the right amount, is healthful. We look at patterns like heat and cold, wet and dry. This view of wellness also extends to much of what we know about cellular biology. For example: An overpopulation of E. coli can cause UTIs and sepsis, but most of the time it’s helping us digest food and process vitamin K.

What is your gut feeling about finding balance in your own life? What are the most important parts of your life? What are you doing to protect your ability to do them for as long as you can?

This is something I talk about with a lot of clients. I hear them balk at the idea of reducing their smoking or trying to have a consistent bedtime—because there is jail support to do, or because they work in nightlife. There will be times when priorities are going to take us away from "healthful" activities, but that doesn't mean that you can't find balance in tending to your body. You can make a big pot of soup and eat it the nights you get home late. You can take milky oats tincture or tea to nuture your adrenal system during stresssful times. You can even go to bed at 10pm sometimes!

When I was in school I came home every day spilling information to those surrounding me about the way bodies work, information we should all have access to help us understand how to take care of ourselves and the broader world. Here, I will try to give you some of those tools so that you can make informed decision of where you can find some balance.

How do I get this Thing Started?