Here in Sydney, the past few weeks have been drenched, rainclouds lingering, damp air clinging to everything. Even if you’re somewhere else in Australia, or in the U.S. preparing for autumn, you’ve probably felt what this kind of weather does to the body.
It’s not just an inconvenience for your washing line, in both modern health and Chinese medicine, prolonged wet and damp conditions can sap your energy, cloud your mind, and slow your motivation.
Why Dampness Outside Affects How You Feel In Chinese medicine, “dampness” isn’t just about getting caught in the rain. It’s a quality, heavy, sticky, sluggish, that can accumulate in the body and interfere with your energy flow.
It’s linked to:
- Fatigue that doesn’t go away with sleep
- Heaviness in the head or limbs
- Foggy thinking and lack of focus
- Bloating or sluggish digestion
- A sense of feeling “stuck” physically or emotionally
From a physiological perspective, prolonged humidity and low-light days can affect mood-regulating neurotransmitters, slow circulation, and even alter digestion and metabolism. On top of that, damp indoor conditions can encourage mold growth, dust mite proliferation, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), all of which can directly affect the brain, leading to fatigue, fogginess, and reduced mental clarity.
Check Your Indoor Air: A Simple, Often Overlooked Step
One small tool that can make a huge difference is a digital hygrometer, a simple device that measures the humidity level inside your home. Why it matters: Ideally, indoor humidity should be between 40–55%.
Above this range, mold spores and dust mites thrive. Below this range, air can become too dry and irritate your respiratory tract.
What to do if it’s high: Improve ventilation (open windows during dry periods, use exhaust fans), run a dehumidifier, and keep wardrobes, storage areas, and corners of rooms well aired.
Extra tip: Air purifiers with HEPA filters can help capture airborne particles, but they won’t remove moisture, that’s where the dehumidifier is essential.
The quality of the air you breathe at home is just as important as the food you eat. Reducing dampness indoors not only helps your lungs, it reduces the “brain fog” that can come from breathing in hidden toxins every day.
Signs Your Body Needs a Damp-Weather Reset
If you’ve been noticing:
- Waking up groggy no matter what time you went to bed
- Feeling unmotivated to exercise or cook
- Craving heavy, carb-rich or sugary comfort foods
- Frequent “mental pauses” or forgetfulness …
These could be your body’s way of saying it needs help clearing internal dampness and reigniting energy flow.
Practical Tips to Lift the Fog and Boost Energy
- Warm Up from the Inside Out: Skip the cold salads and smoothies for now. Choose gently cooked meals, soups, stir-fries, stews, with circulation-boosting spices like ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom. These warm the digestive system and help it process moisture more efficiently.
- Move in a Way That Gets the Qi Flowing: A brisk walk, a few minutes of qigong, or stretching in the morning sun can “open the windows” of your body. Even 10 minutes can help move stagnation and clear heaviness.
- Breathe Deep and Get Daylight: When skies are grey, we instinctively hunch and stay indoors. But just 10–15 minutes of outdoor light, even on cloudy days, can lift serotonin levels, improve alertness, and reset your body clock.
- Support Your Spleen (in TCM terms): The Spleen is the organ system most affected by dampness. It thrives on regular mealtimes, moderate portions, and foods like pumpkin, carrots, lentils, and rice, especially when cooked with digestive spices. Avoid too much cold or greasy food during these periods.
- Declutter Your Space: A surprising tip: in Chinese medicine, your external environment mirrors your internal state. Tidying your home, even a single corner, can help you feel lighter, clearer, and more focused.
The Deeper Reset Seasonal transitions are nature’s invitation to check in with ourselves, not just in terms of food or fitness, but in how our body, mind, and environment are flowing. When you help your body clear dampness and improve the air you breathe, you’re not just regaining energy. You’re protecting brain function, reducing inflammation, and preparing your entire system for the next season, whether that’s the burst of spring here in Australia or the slower, reflective pace of autumn in the U.S.
If you’ve been feeling the heaviness, brain fog, or “stuckness” of late, know that it’s possible to reset in small, doable steps. When your energy starts flowing again, everything including food cravings, becomes easier to manage.
Coming Soon I’ve created new programs designed to help you reset from the inside out, supporting energy, mood, metabolism, and that deep sense of clarity we all need to thrive. They’re launching soon, so keep an eye out here and on my social channels.
