The classic texts of traditional Chinese medicine reiterate that one should not think of things that cannot be solved by oneself. Today, anxiety is the prevailing state of mind. We are constantly thinking about things that have already happened or will happen instead of focusing on seeing and enjoying the present. We burden our minds with these thoughts, as if it were a backpack that fills up and becomes heavier to carry.

Up to what point can we plan for the future without planning becoming pathological?

Like many others, I believe that the body does not function as a separate part, but the human being as a whole: the mind affects the body and the body affects the mind, blood needs life energy (= QI in Chinese medicine) and QI needs blood (more on this later ..)

Excessive anxiety affects the spleen, according to traditional Chinese medicine, and if we think of the body as a whole, this also has a detrimental effect on other organs, and so on. Thus, prevention is important to avoid a chain reaction.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, Perna’s duties are:

• To regulate the transport and transformation of foodstuffs: the spleen is the primary organ for digestion. It secretes nutrients from the food in the stomach that form the basis of QI and also transports and converts body fluids.
• Control blood: ensures that blood circulation is controlled within blood vessels.
• Control muscles and limbs: The spleen ensures that they have the right kind of strength, tone and shape.
• The spleen opens its mouth.
• Act as the host of thought: its job is to send pure energy to the head and brain. This in turn creates room for a clear idea. The ability to think clearly and focus are dependent on the spleen.

If the spleen is affected, it is difficult to make decisions and make progress. Likewise, excessive concentration (e.g., during the exam period) can have a detrimental effect on the spleen. That is, loading the spleen with excessive care or intellectual stimulation can affect its function in many different ways.

For this reason, excessive thinking can affect our appetite or digestion (constipation or diarrhea). On the other hand, during the exam period, for example, we are more prone to muscle injuries because excessive stimulation may impair spleen function.

The spleen is also responsible for converting food into QI, so this explains why we have little energy and suffer from fatigue when we are very worried.

On the other hand, if we look at this from the opposite perspective, excessive food intake can affect our ability to think. Similarly, an abnormality in a state of health that affects the organ and thus its function as a regulator of thought, in the same way that it can affect the ability of the spleen to process food.

So let’s try not to fill our minds with worries. It’s not easy, but there are many ways to help: exercise, meditation, social life… An active life can help us put aside too many thoughts before they become pathological and affect our health.

Let us remember, “why think about problems we can’t solve?”