Fear Not! Let’s Talk Kidneys — What the Winter Season Means for Your Kidney & Bladder Health
This page contains affiliate links. Meaning, I get commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here. This blog post is for entertainment and educational purposes only.
Fair use disclosure
Hey y'all! — I hope this message finds you well and Happy Winter Solstice.
Winter arrives quietly.
It doesn’t ask for urgency or performance. It shortens the days, nips the air, and gently nudges us inward. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), winter is not a season to conquer—it’s a season to conserve. To slow your breath, soften your pace, and listen more closely to what your body has been holding.
This season is ruled by the Water element, and with it comes the emotion of fear. Not fear as in panic, but fear as in instinct—the subtle undercurrent that shows up as restlessness, exhaustion, or uncertainty about what's to come. When left unattended, this fear can quietly drain us. When honored, it can guide us back to safety, trust, and deep resilience.
Winter governs the Kidneys (yin) and Urinary Bladder (yang)—the organs responsible for our vitality, endurance, and ability to move through life without depletion. They remind us that strength isn’t always loud, and survival doesn’t require constant motion.
So this is your invitation to fear not—not by ignoring what you feel, but by tending to it gently. By resting where you’ve been bracing. By allowing winter to hold you, instead of resisting its stillness.
From Breath to Bones: Continuing the Organ Harmony Conversation
In my Good Grief blog, autumn asked us to release grief by way of the lungs and colon. Now, winter asks us to settle into safety through the kidneys. This seasonal shift moves us from letting go to holding steady, from outward processing to deep internal preservation. Organ harmony is about honoring these rhythms instead of fighting them.
The Water Element: Where Fear Lives—and Softens
Image: Taiflow
In TCM, the Water element represents depth, stillness, and ancestral wisdom. It governs what lies beneath the surface—our reserves, our intuition, and our ability to adapt without force.
The emotion tied to Water is fear, but not the kind that screams. This is the quiet fear that whispers:
- Am I safe?
- Do I have enough energy (money, mental, etc.) to keep going?
- What happens if I stop?
When Water energy is balanced, fear transforms into calm courage—a steady trust in self and timing. When depleted, it can show up as anxiety, hypervigilance, or chronic fatigue.
Winter doesn’t ask us to erase fear. It asks us to make room for it without letting it run the show.
A GENTLE GIFT FOR YOU-
If you'd like to join me and intentionally slow down and reflect this winter season, I'd love to offer you a gentle resource.
I created a FREE Winter Reflection Workbook to help you gently explore fear, rest, and energy conservation through the lens of the Water element. It’s a quiet companion you can return to throughout the season—no fixing, just listening and being present.
→ Download the FREE Winter Reflection Workbook here
The Kidneys (Yin): Your Root, Your Resilience
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys are considered the root of life. They store Jing, your essential energy, which influences:
- Growth and aging
- Bone and teeth health
- Hormonal and reproductive balance
- Willpower, stamina, and endurance
Unlike other forms of energy, Jing is finite. This is why winter is a season of protection—not overextension. When Kidney yin is nourished, we feel grounded, emotionally steady, and connected to our inner knowing.
Signs your Kidney energy may be asking for care include:
- Deep or chronic fatigue
- Lower back or knee discomfort
- Sensitivity to cold
- Burnout that rest doesn't seem to fix
- Feeling disconnected from purpose or direction
Winter reminds us: rest is maintenance, not failure.
The Urinary Bladder (Yang): Flow, Release & Boundaries
The Urinary Bladder is the yang partner to the Kidneys, responsible for movement, elimination, and release. Physically, it regulates fluid balance. Emotionally, it reflects how well we:
- Release stress
- Let go of emotional buildup
- Maintain energetic boundaries
When this system is out of balance, we often hold tension—especially in the neck, shoulders, and lower back. Winter teaches us that resilience isn’t about bracing ourselves constantly. It’s about knowing when to soften and let go.
Fear tightens the body. Flow restores it.
Winter Rest & Black Women’s Survival Wisdom
Excerpt from With Love Keesh- A Love Note for When You’re Tired of Becoming
Free Reflective Workbook
Many of us—especially Black women—were raised to believe rest is earned, not deserved. That slowing down means falling behind. That survival requires constant motion. But winter medicine tells us a different story— a gentle, more aligned one. It invites us to stop leaking energy, to stop over explaining our need for rest, and to trust that stillness is not stagnation—it’s preparation.
Rest is not quitting. Slowness is not weakness. Conservation is wisdom.
Simple Ways to Support Kidney & Bladder Harmony This Winter
You don’t need perfection—just presence.
Physically support Water energy by:
- Keeping your lower back, feet, and abdomen warm
- Drinking warm or room-temperature fluids
- Choosing soups, stews, beans, bone broth, and mineral-rich foods
- Prioritizing sleep and consistent rest
Emotionally support Kidney health by:
- Journaling about what you’re afraid to release—and why
- Reducing overstimulation and noise
- Allowing yourself quiet without guilt
Winter care is slow care—and slow care lasts.
💌A Love Note for the Season
Winter isn’t asking you to do more. It’s asking you to trust more. To trust your body. To trust rest. To trust that you don’t need to prove your worth through exhaustion. Your kidneys are holding your foundation. Your bladder is asking you to release what’s heavy.
Fear not—not because fear doesn’t exist, but because you're supported through it. This season is not empty. It is fertile, quiet ground. Let yourself rest here.
Until next time.
💌Other love notes from keesh you might love
