Humans are the only living beings capable of living beyond our means. All other living beings are limited by the resources they have available to them at any given moment. Once they reach that limit, they must eat, or rest, or photosynthesize to replenish their resources before resuming activity.
Humans have the unique ability to use our will to push ourselves to persevere despite needing food or rest. We do this by tapping into our deepest inner reserves to supplement the basic everyday energy that comes from food and rest. In Chinese medicine this is called spending our Jing. We are born with the exact amount of Jing that we need to fulfill our life's purpose. Once we use it all up, we enter into a process of disease and decline. So it's important to spend it wisely.
When we choose to use our Jing to finance things that may not be in alignment with our higher purpose, we are literally wasting our life's energy. We have an innate signaling system to let us know when we reach this point- our mind and body begin to feel tired to notify us that to continue pushing forward without resting is synonymous with living beyond our means.
Sometimes it's easy to forget in modern culture, but it is normal and healthy to feel tired. Feelings of tiredness tell us that our expendable energy has run out, and invite us to make an important decision: Am I willing to shorten my life to keep doing what I'm doing?
Am I willing to shorten my life to wake up in the middle of the night because my dog needs to go out? Yes.
Am I willing to shorten my life to study intensely with my mentors to delve deeper and deeper into Chinese medicine? Maybe.
Am I willing to shorten my life to finish my holiday shopping by Friday? Probably not.
The problem with coffee is that it takes this choice away from us. Caffeine and other stimulants bypass our signaling system to keep us focused, alert, and energized despite reaching the point of depletion of our renewable resources. If we don't allow ourselves to feel tired, we don't realize when we have to make the choice- we just start spending our irreplaceable reserves of Jing automatically. Coffee robs us of the chance to ask, "Am I willing to shorten my life for this, or is it wiser to stop and replenish my resources so I can continue at another time without harming myself?"
This is why my tea company created our Fatigue blend. It uses herbs to restore the adrenals to provide you with sustainable energy without the use of stimulants. It helps you feel energized in a healthy, holistic way and prevents the harm that results from chronically living beyond your means.
Content inspired by Thea Elijah💕
Read more at Perennial Medicine with Thea Elijah