🌿 Folk Prescriptions

The renowned Song dynasty health expert Chen Zhi said: "In autumn, bleak winds and drizzling rains make elders prone to sadness. If their mood is gloomy, one must employ various methods to divert their attention, engaging their minds so they forget autumn melancholy." "Bleak winds and drizzling rains" describes the feeling after autumn winds scatter leaves—when people encounter scenes of withering grass, fallen leaves, and dying flowers at night. With frost already arrived, autumn winds and rains often evoke feelings of autumn sorrow. Especially for the elderly, such scenes easily stir up feelings of desolation, loneliness, and twilight melancholy, triggering depressive moods. China’s literary masterpiece *Dream of the Red Chamber* includes Cao Xueqin’s touching lines: "Already feeling sorrowful in the autumn window, how much worse with autumn rain adding to the chill." And "autumn wind and rain, truly heart-breaking." Why do autumn winds and rains cause such sorrow?
Medical research proves that the pineal gland in the human brain secretes a hormone called "melatonin." This hormone induces sleep and can also cause depression. Sunlight reduces melatonin secretion. Conversely, after autumn cooling, skies are often overcast and sunny days are fewer and weaker, leading to relatively increased melatonin secretion. Furthermore, melatonin regulates other hormones in the body (such as thyroid hormone and adrenaline). This suppresses thyroid hormone and adrenaline, lowering their physiological concentration. Since thyroid hormone and adrenaline are hormones that stimulate cellular activity, their reduction causes cells to "paralyze and slacken," leading to low mood and emotional sensitivity.
From above, autumn's "wind and rain" easily cause emotional lows. How to overcome this? First, surround yourself with sunlight—ensure adequate lighting at work. Second, when feeling down, the best method is distraction: engage in physical exercise like tai chi or walking, or participate in moderate labor. Muscle tension alleviates mental tension—because exercise improves mood and brings joy. Ideally, travel to scenic spots—mountains and rivers. Being near water opens the mind; climbing mountains brings tranquility; sailing brings ease; young people climbing rocks and mountains cultivate willpower. Additionally, use music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to alter emotions. As Wu Shiji wrote in *Li Yue Pian Wen*: "For emotional disorders, reading books relieves boredom, listening to music eases sorrow—far better than medicine." Thus, during "autumn wind, rain, and sorrow," listen to music, enjoy drama, or watch humorous crosstalk—your gloom will dissipate.
Based on the TCM theory of "harmony between man and heaven," *The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon* explicitly outlined specific principles for mental regulation in autumn. *Su Wen: The Great Treatise on Regulating the Four Seasons* says: "Keep the will tranquil to mitigate autumn’s severity; gather and conserve spirit to match autumn’s calmness; do not let the will wander outward to preserve the lung’s clarity—this is the correct way to nourish and gather in autumn." Meaning: in autumn, one must maintain mental tranquility to reduce the impact of harsh seasonal forces; continuously gather and conserve spirit to adapt to autumn’s balanced state; refrain from letting the mind stray outward to preserve the lung’s purity—this is the mental approach to nourishing and gathering in accordance with autumn’s nature. In short, the principle of mental regulation in autumn is "calmness and spiritual nourishment." Achieving this requires minimizing distractions to attain a serene mental state.
As the saying goes: "Ordinary people cannot lack desire, nor can they lack competition"—this is human nature. But desires should not be excessive or unrealistic. Laozi in *Dao De Jing* proposed: "Embrace simplicity, hold fast to innocence, reduce selfishness and desires"—this is the essence of "tranquility and emptiness," and a concrete measure for maintaining mental serenity. Selfishness and cravings stem from the heart; excessive selfishness and unending desires disturb the spirit, destroying its clarity. Thus, *The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon* also advocates: "When the will is burdened, reduce desires; when the heart is at peace, fear disappears." Reducing selfishness and lowering desires lighten unnecessary mental burdens, aiding spiritual clarity. Ancient wisdom says: "Four walls of wine, women, wealth, and power—everyone hides within. Step outside the walls, and even if not a immortal, one lives long." This clearly warns against obsessing over wealth and status, advocating inner calm and frugality.
In real life, channel energy into career—not "vying for fame in court, competing for profit in market." Take fame and fortune lightly, do more good, contribute more. If selfishness runs deep and desires are too high, failing to achieve goals leads to sorrow, grief, and distress. Excessive rumination harms the spirit and causes illness.