How To Sync Your Self-Care Practice With The Moon Cycle, From A Psychologist

But it's easy to forget to rest. Fortunately, nature has it mapped out for us. The moon, in her 28-day cycles, can become your natural rhythm, helping you to remember to periodically take that necessary breather. 

"Taoism patterns itself after nature," Deng writes, and "asks us to look in the world around us for the answers to our spiritual questions." By meditating with the moon, we follow nature's cycles and wisdom.

This is an "echo of our evolutionary past," Cambridge researcher Michael Hastings tells Scientific American. "If you were a hunter-gatherer on the African savanna, you may want to be out hunting at the full moon." But lunar phases definitely affect animal behavior, from lion prey to dung beetle navigation to birdsong.

Whether or not you subscribe to astrology, the moon is always in the sky, and attuning yourself to the moon's cycle can guide self-care. 

Here's what aligning with the moon cycle might look like across different areas of your life:

Conversely, moving toward the dark moon, you might wish to wind down your sprint and begin reflecting on what's worked and what hasn't. I reflect and journal on lessons and refine my game plan for the month ahead during the dark moon.

The new moon is a great time for beautifying and powering up your interiors, whether via a new scent or feng shui. I use the dark moon to declutter, deep clean, and replace linens. This is also a useful time to cleanse your space of negative energy, or you can take it as a metaphorical cleanse where you visualize boundaries between then and now.

During the waxing phase, you might engage in more intensive workouts or run longer distances. Meanwhile, resting my liver, scheduling in massages and facials, and doing longer stretches feature in my waning phase. Massages are especially healing if you store tension in your body.

I love forming new connections and being more of a social butterfly during the waxing moon. But during the nourishing waning phase, I am more selective about who I give my energy to. I also use this time to audit my social sphere, for instance, honestly considering whom I'd like to keep in my life and culling my phone book.

To me, the moon is the easiest way to master our time, cycling between the yin-yang of rejuvenation and acceleration. We cannot have one without the other.