It's not the scream that's the problem. It's the silence before it.
🌳 The liver - the general who is not allowed to march
In TCM, the liver is not a silent detoxification organ. It is a General. Powerful. Visionary. Pushing forward.
The liver rules over:
- The free flow of Qi throughout the body
- Emotions (especially anger, frustration, annoyance)
- The tendons and flexibility
- The eyes and seeing - also „seeing ahead“ (visions, plans)
- The menstrual cycle in women
The liver wants Movement. Expression. River.
She hates:
→ Suppression
→ Stagnation
→ Narrowness
→ Rules without sense
→ Feelings that are swallowed
And this is precisely where the problem lies.
We live in a world that tells us:
„Get a grip.“
„Be professional.“
„Don't show any weakness.“
„Suck it up.“
Every time you swallow your anger, Qi builds up.
Every time you say „yes“ when you mean „no“, Qi builds up.
Every time you function instead of feel, Qi builds up.
At some point, the congestion is so great that it shows itself. Not as clear anger. But as Liver qi stagnation.
⚠️ The signs - How to recognize the traffic jam
Liver Qi stagnation manifests itself on many levels:
Physical:
- Tension headaches (temples, forehead, crown of head)
- Tense neck and shoulders
- Pressure or feeling of fullness under the ribs (especially on the right)
- Lump in the throat („plum kernel feeling“)
Sighing to release pressure - PMS, irregular or painful periods
- Eye twitching, blurred vision
Emotional:
- Irritability that comes out of nowhere
- Frustration over things that used to be no problem
- The feeling of being stuck - in life, at work, in relationships
- Suppressed anger that suddenly explodes
- Mood swings
- The need to scream, to cry, to flee
Mental:
- A carousel of thoughts that never stops
- Lack of planning or the opposite: obsessive planning
- Decision-making weakness
- The feeling of having no control
Do you recognize yourself? Then it's time to restore the flow.
🌱 Why in February of all months?
February is the most critical month for the liver.
In the TCM calendar:
- The Water element (winter, kidney) is coming to an end
- The Wooden element (spring, liver) begins to stir
The liver is like a tree that wants to go up. The juices rise. The buds are pushing. Everything wants out.
But: the cold is still here. Winter won't let go. The rising Qi meets resistance.
The result: Maximum stagnation.
The tree wants to grow - but the frost is holding it down. You want to live - but something is blocking it.
February is the month in which the liver screams the loudest.
🧠 The western bridge: Stress and the nervous system
Science confirms what TCM has known for thousands of years:
Chronic stress: The sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) remains active during constant tension. The body is in a permanent state of alert. The muscles tense, the jaw clenches and the neck hardens.
Suppressed emotions: Studies show: Unexpressed anger raises blood pressure, weakens the immune system and promotes inflammation. The body „remembers“ every swallowed emotion.
The liver (western): Under stress, the liver produces more glucose, the metabolism changes and detoxification processes are disrupted. Stress and the liver are biochemically linked.
Muscle tension: The trapezius (neck/shoulders) and the masseter muscle (jaw) are the „stress muscles“. They react to every suppressed emotion.
Two worlds. One realization: Repressed feelings make you physically ill.
🌿 The 5 pillars against liver qi stagnation
1. movement that liberates
The liver needs exercise - but the right kind.
Not: dogged training to „let off steam“: Exercise that opens and flows
Ideal:
- Qi Gong (especially exercises for the „free flow“)
- Yoga with twists and side stretches
- Dancing - free, wild, without rules
- Shake - shake the whole body for 3-5 minutes
- A walk in nature - without a destination, without a podcast
📣 Insider tip: The shaking exercise in the morning. Shake your whole body for 3 minutes - arms, legs, torso. Looks silly. Works immediately. The Qi starts to flow again.
🎥 Qi Gong shaking exercise video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQRDfumJyUg&t=9s
2. express emotions - don't swallow them
The liver wants expression. Give it a channel.
Practical:
- Writing (anger diary, letters you don't send)
- Talking (with someone who listens - without judging)
- Screaming (into the pillow, in the car, in the forest)
- Crying (if it comes, leave it)
- Be creative (painting, making music, cooking - without pretensions)
The exercise „The unwritten letter“:
- Take paper and pen
- Write down everything that makes you angry
- Unfiltered - Nobody will read it
- Afterwards: Tear up, burn or put away
What comes out no longer accumulates.
3. sour solves the traffic jam
The sour taste belongs to the liver. It moves the Qi and releases stagnation.
Install:
- Lemon in warm water (in the morning)
- Apple cider vinegar (1 teaspoon in water before eating)
- Sauerkraut, kimchi
- Fermented vegetables
- Green tea (slightly astringent)
Bitter - the insider tip for rising heat:
If the stagnation manifests as heat (headache, irritability, red face), bitter helps even better. It directs the ascending liver yang downwards and clears the head.
- Dandelion tea or root
- Chicory, radicchio
- Artichoke
- Turmeric in warm water
📣 Insider tip: A glass of warm water with lemon and a handful of fresh mint in the morning - moves the Qi and refreshes. For headaches and heat: dandelion tea instead of lemon.
Avoid in case of stagnation:
- Alcohol (also heats up the liver)
- Greasy, fried food
- Too much coffee
- Sugar in large quantities
4. setting boundaries - practicing saying no
Every „yes“ that should have been a „no“ accumulates Qi.
The liver is the general - it needs clear boundaries. Not to exclude others. But to protect itself.
Practical:
- Practice small „no's“ in everyday life
- Ask yourself before every commitment: „Do I want this - or do I think I have to?“
- Allow yourself not to answer (immediately)
- Allow yourself to have opinions - and say them
Every real no is an act of self-love.
5. create space - dissolve confinement
The liver suffocates in confinement. Physically and emotionally.
Physical:
- Loosen tight clothing (especially around the stomach and ribs)
- Upright posture (chest out, shoulders back)
- Ventilate rooms, create order
- Out into nature
- Feel the vastness
Emotional:
- Avoid people who drain your energy
- Leave situations that make you small
- Give yourself space - be allowed to be alone
📣 Insider tip:
🎥 Qi Gong exercise waving the rainbow:
www.meine-tcm.com/qi-gong-uebung-regenbogen-schwenken
📍 Acupressure points against stagnation
Le 3 (Tài Chōng) - „Highest devotion“
- Location: Back of the foot, between the big toe and second toe, 2 fingers' width toward the ankle
- Effect: THE main point for liver qi stagnation - relieves frustration, headache, inner tension
- Application: Application: Press vigorously in a circular motion for 60-90 seconds, both sides
👉 Detailed instructions:
www.meine-tcm.com/akupunkturpunkte/akupunkturpunkt-le-03
Gb 20 (Fēng Chí) - „Wind Pond“
- Location: In the neck, in the hollows to the right and left of the spine, at the hairline
- Effect: Relieves neck tension, helps with headaches due to rising liver yang, clears the head
- Application: Press with thumb or fingers in a circular motion, 60 seconds per side
👇 Detailed instructions:
www.meine-tcm.com/akupunkturpunkte/akupunkturpunkt-gb-20
Gb 21 (Jiān Jǐng) - „Shoulder Well“
- Position: Highest point of the shoulder, on the trapezius muscle
- Effect: Relieves neck and shoulder tension, lowers Qi
- Application: Press firmly with thumb or fingers, 60 seconds per side
👇 Detailed instructions:
www.meine-tcm.com/akupunkturpunkte/akupunkturpunkt-gb-21
Gb 34 (Yáng Líng Quán) - „Spring on Yang Hill“
- Location: Outside of the lower leg, in the hollow in front of and below the head of the fibula
- Effect: Master point of the tendons, relaxes the whole body, harmonizes the liver and gall bladder
- Application: Massage in circular motions for 60 seconds on both sides.
👇 Detailed instructions:
www.meine-tcm.com/akupunkturpunkte/akupunkturpunkt-gb-34
🖊️ Want to go deeper? The AkuPen
Acupressure works wonderfully with the fingers.
But if you want to work more precisely:
The AkuPen - our acupuncture pen for at home.
What you get:
- The AkuPen for pinpoint stimulation
- Access to the complete video library with over 80 acupressure points
- Every point explained in the highest video quality: Where exactly, how long, what for
- Your tool for years of self-help
👇 Learn more:
www.meine-tcm.com/produkt/akupen-der-geniale-akupunkturstift-mit-videoanleitung
🌿 Trusted companions from our practice
For your gut - and therefore your liver: The liver and intestines are closely connected. An overloaded intestine puts additional strain on the liver.
Dietary fiber relieves both.
👉 www.meine-tcm.com/produkt/bs-ballaststoffe-plus
For those moments when everything is too much: When frustration cries out for comfort, give it something good.
👉 www.meine-tcm.com/produkt/xocola
💫 The deeper message
Anger is not your enemy.
It is a message.
She says: „Something is wrong here.“
She says: „A line has been crossed here.“
She says: „Life wants to flow here - and can't.“
The problem is not anger.
The problem is when she can't find an exit.
The liver doesn't want you to explode.
She doesn't want you to implode either.
She wants flow.
Expression.
Movement.
Life.
February is the month when everything pushes upwards.
Let it out - your way.
Not as an explosion.
But as liberation.
🌳 How freely does your Qi flow?
👉 Free TCM analysis: www.meine-tcm.com/tcm-analyse
📜 Would you like some monthly TCM wisdom?
The Yellow Emperor, Qi Bo and Dr. Weber in dialog - plus product of the month.
👉 Newsletter: www.meine-tcm.com/newsletter-anmeldung
The wise man does not suppress his feelings.
He gives them a channel.
Author: Unknown
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