Are You Ready to Thrive?

Wood is our fifth and final element to discuss, so here we go!

Wood is the element that controls our abilities to make decisions, make goals and achieve them.  When Wood is out of balance, we have trouble making decisions.  We are unable to make goals, let alone complete them.  

Wood is associated with the organs Liver and Gall Bladder.  The Liver helps our emotions to flow smoothly, so if Wood is imbalanced, we may have trouble expressing emotions.  Or we may get easily frustrated and irritated.  In extremes, Wood that is way off track may lead to controlling, abusive behaviors, anger or addictive personalities with possible substance abuse.

Some physical signs that your wood is out of balance may be:

• Migraines
• PMS
• Painful cramping during menstruation
• Alternating constipation and diarrhea
• Eye problems

The color associated with Wood is green - the color of spring.  And much like in spring, when new growth is springing forth, the Wood element is all about new ideas and personal growth.  This is typically the cause of frustration for an imbalanced wood element - the inability to grow, change and make a difference in the world.

Try some of these to keep your wood element in balance:

Go hiking through the woods.  Trees are pure wood energy, and they'll help you balance out your wood element.

Make simple plans and follow through with them.  

Wear the color green!  I really like jade for this purpose.  Alternately, you could wear something made from wood.

  I hope you've had a lot of fun talking about the 5 elements and have learned a lot about yourself and your environment!