When exhaustion becomes inner emptiness

💭 Maybe you know this:

• You don't wake up feeling refreshed - even though you've slept enough.
• You function - but hardly feel yourself.
• You withdraw - not out of defiance, but out of an inner lack.
• You ask yourself: How much longer? - and have no answer.

This is no mystery in traditional Chinese medicine.
It is a sign that your Jing, your essence, is exhausted.

🕯️ Jing - the inner light that carries you

In TCM, Jing (精) is the deepest form of energy in humans.
You receive it at birth - fed by your parents' inheritance.

It is located in the water element, in the functional circle of the kidneys - your origin, your source, your innermost reservoir.

Jing is:

• your life force when nothing else helps
• Your biological rhythm that allows you to age healthily
• Your inner support in times of stress, grief or crisis

But Jing is precious. And not inexhaustible.

📉 What weakens Jing:

• Chronic stress, overwork, constant tension
• Too little sleep, too many stimuli, too many obligations
• Long-term illnesses or emotional injuries
• Irregular meals, too much cold or dryness

⚠️ Signs of Jing deficiency

1. Chronic exhaustion (not improved by sleep)
2. Cold hands & feet, shivering, loss of libido
3. Hair loss, premature graying
4. Back pain, knee problems, weakness in the lower back
5. Emotional emptiness, anxiety, lack of concentration
6. Tinnitus, dizziness, forgetfulness

If you recognize yourself in it, it's time to pause.
Not to do more - but to live differently.

🧭 What you can do - the TCM perspective

1️⃣ Eat for your jing - not for the moment

Nourish your kidneys with deep, cooked food:

• Black beans, walnuts, sesame seeds, quinoa
  
• Chicken soup, lentil stew, power broths
  
• Root vegetables, miso soup, goji berries, dates
  
• Gently spiced dishes with cinnamon, fennel, ginger
  

☝️ Eat regularly, warmly and without distraction - this is food for your center and your Jing.

2️⃣ Warm yourself from the inside

Water and kidney energy need warmth - both physically and emotionally.
Avoid cold (also in food), wet clothing, clothing that is too thin in the evening.

💡 Hot water bottle on the lower back, keep the kidney area warm.
A warm foot bath with salt or lavender is also Jing therapy pure.

3️⃣ Silence is food

Jing does not regenerate through activity - but through stillness.
Consciously withdraw. Without feeling guilty.

• Breathing exercises in the morning
• 10 minutes of quiet sitting
• No screens before sleep
• and: a day without having to

🍂 Allow yourself to be less - to become yourself again.

4️⃣ Acupressure point: Kidney 3 - the spark in the water

📍 The Taixi point is located behind the medial malleolus, between the ankle and Achilles tendon.
It strengthens Jing, warms the kidneys and calms the heart.

Massage gently for 1-2 minutes daily - with your index finger or the AkuPen.
👇 You can find a detailed description here:
www.meine-tcm.com/akupunkturpunkte/akupunkturpunkt-ni-03

🌅 Your Jing protection routine: a day that gives you back

Jing protection is not a theory. It is a practice.
Here is your specific daily routine - not a rigid program, but a framework that gives you back your strength:

MORNING (7:00 - 9:00 a.m.) - Wake up gently
🌤️ Instead of alarm and hectic:

• Lie down for a few minutes longer, breathe consciously
• Before getting up: Place your hands on the kidney area, feel the warmth
• 1 large glass of warm water (gently activates the kidneys)

🍚 The most important ritual: a cooked breakfast
According to TCM: „A hot breakfast is like a fire that burns all day long.“

TIP: Jing-nourishing winter congee with black rice
You can find the link to the recipe below.

Alternative: Oatmeal with cinnamon, walnuts and dates

🚫 Avoid:

• Raw food, cold smoothies, muesli with cold milk
• Coffee on an empty stomach (exhausts the adrenal glands = Jing robbery)
• Emails, news, social media before 9 a.m.

Why: The kidneys regenerate at night. A hectic, cold start immediately burns Jing - the opposite of what you need.

PRE-MAY (9:00 - 12:00) - Working with mindfulness
💧 Every 90 minutes:

• 5-minute break
• Massage kidney 3 (Taixi) - 1 minute per side
• Drink warm ginger tea (2-3 slices of fresh ginger with hot water)

☕ Ginger tip: Ginger warms the core, activates digestion and dispels cold. The morning is the best time for ginger!

⚠️ Important: Do not drink ginger after 3 pm! Ginger is strongly yang-activating and can disturb your sleep in the evening. After 3 p.m.: Switch to fennel tea or simply warm water.

🧥 Preserve warmth:

• Keep the kidney area warm (kidney warmer, thicker shirt, scarf around the hips)
• No draughts, no cold rooms
• Warm socks (even in the office!)

Why: Continuous tension without breaks exhausts Qi and Jing. The kidneys need warmth and rhythm.

WEDNESDAY (12:00 - 13:30) - Nourish without haste
🍲 A hot lunch is mandatory

• Soup, stew, boiled vegetables with rice
• NO quick snacks at your desk
• NO cold salads or sandwiches

🚶 15 minutes digestion break:

• Short walk OR
• Sit quietly, do nothing
• The spleen needs rest in order to transform

Why: The spleen produces Qi from food. Stress while eating = weak spleen = less Qi = more Jing consumption. Everything is connected.

AFTERNOON (15:00 - 17:00) - The critical phase
🫖 3-5 pm = bubble time in the organ clock
The bladder prepares for kidney time (5-7 pm). This is when you decide how much Jing you will consume today.

Your ritual:

• 15:30: Hot water bottle on the lower back (10-15 minutes)
• Warm tea, no cold drinks
• If possible: lie down or sit quietly for 20 minutes

⚠️ NO more ginger tea after 3 pm! (disturbs sleep) - Instead: Fennel tea, chrysanthemum tea or warm water

If you work:

• Withdraw briefly (toilet, kitchenette)
• Close your eyes, breathe deeply into your stomach 10 times
• Massage kidney 3

Why: During this time, the body mobilizes Jing if it has no other source of energy. Support it with warmth and rest to conserve your reserves.

EVENING (18:00 - 22:00) - The regeneration zone
🌙 6:00 pm: Light, warm dinner

• Soup, steamed vegetables, possibly a small portion of rice
• Nothing heavy, nothing raw
• Eaten by 19:00 at the latest

Why: The body needs 3-4 hours to digest before you go to sleep. Late or heavy meals rob Jing.

🛁 20:00: Foot bath ritual (15 minutes)
Warm water (38-40°C) with:

• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 3 drops of lavender oil (optional)

Why: The feet are the end point of the kidney meridians. A foot bath warms the kidneys, lowers cortisol and prepares you for sleep.
After that: Massage kidney 3 - 2 minutes per side, with a warm finger (optionally with sesame oil), in a circular motion.

📵 21:00: Screens off
No cell phone, no laptop, no TV, no cold light.
Instead:

• Warm dimmed light
• Read a book
• Quiet music
• Breathing exercise (4-7-8 breathing: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds)
• Talk to your partner
• Simply do nothing

Why: Blue light inhibits melatonin. Stimuli in the evening prevent your nervous system from switching to rest mode. Jing only regenerates in silence.

😴 22:00 - 22:30: In bed, lights off
At least 7.5 hours sleep (preferably 8).

Optimize your sleep:

• Room dark and cool (18°C)
• Kidney area warm (thicker blanket or hot water bottle at the foot end)
• Don't think about tomorrow - let go

Why: Jing regenerates most strongly between 23:00 and 3:00. Anyone who is still awake at midnight burns essence. Every hour of sleep before midnight counts double.

🧘 Addition: The „do nothing day“ (1x per week)

Jing does not regenerate through activity - but through stillness.
Once a week:

• No dates
• No obligations
• No „I should...“

Only:

• Stand up slowly
• Eat congee
• Going for a walk
• Read
• Snooze
• Go back to bed when you're tired

Allow yourself to be less - to become yourself again.

🍚 Recipe tip: You can find the full recipe for the jing-nourishing winter congee in our detailed article👇 :
www.meine-tcm.com/winter-congee-gegen-erschoepfung

You can also find out there:

• Why black rice is so powerful for the kidneys
• How to pre-cook the congee for the whole week
• Which variations are available for different needs

💛 Conclusion

This is not a perfectionism program.
It is an invitation.
Start with ONE thing:

-The hot breakfast.
-The foot bath in the evening.
-The one break in the afternoon.

Jing does not regenerate overnight.
But it regenerates - layer by layer.

When you hear the call of your kidneys,
you can come back to yourself.