Are you as hard as metal on yourself?

This was originally posted in September on my old website. It is especially relevant for autumn. (I'm posting in January to get all my old site's blog articles transferred to the new site's blog.):I've been thinking about metal, hence the slick slinky coil. Why metal? Because I've worked with three separate skin picking clients who had been waking up in the middle of the night close to 3 AM. Huh? What does that have to do with metal? According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) 3 AM is when the energy in the lung meridian, one of the organs of the metal element in the five-element system of TCM, is peaking.  Waking up then suggests an imbalance in metal. Note, I am not talking about actual physical metal, but more the qualities that metal represents.Sometimes, we can bring balance into an energy meridian without acupuncture needles, and without even touching the person. That is what Touch for Health Metaphors is all about. That was the case with these three clients - I simply asked them a few questions pertaining to issues of the metal element and the lung meridian. Just reflecting on the questions balanced them so they were able to sleep after that (and also released asthma symptoms in one case).It was only when talking to client 3 that I realized how imbalance in the metal element is likely a commonality among skin pickers and hair pullers. Consider the main question pertaining to metal: "Are you too hard or not hard enough on yourself and others?"  Do you relate?  Chances are, if you are a skin picker or hair puller you are too hard on yourself. That implies an over-energy in metal/lung, which may lead to waking up in the middle of the night. Reflect on that.Metal also fortifies skin and hair, while the other elements fortify muscles, bones, ligaments and arteries. There are many questions to consider relating to metal. Here's another good one to consider, because half the work in stopping picking or hair pulling is getting your body, mind and life in balance: "What aspects of your life are out of balance?"Finally, keep this in mind now and in the next few months (if you're in the northern hemisphere), because autumn is the metal season, and it is just about here now!I'd love to hear from you to get an idea how common this is, and how much you relate to this idea of over-energy in metal.  Feel free to comment below.Love and support,Annettep.s. Have you downloaded my free "Freedom Kit"? It comes with a written and audio report, "Why you pick your skin and how to finally stop," a video on "how to stop skin picking urges in two minutes flat," and my "Live Free" newsletter in your inbox each month. Learn more here.