Coping with stress
Natural remedies for health
Overwhelmed and stressed
Stress is the bane of the 21st century. It can make if difficult to cope with everyday life and has the unfortunate ability to affect your immunity, your fertility, your sleep, your digestion and your mental health. If you have a ‘weak spot’ such as headaches, or a chronic condition, you can be sure stress will find it.
We can be overwhlemed by all the things we have to do, by the noise and the hurry and the superfluity of choice. We might have to deal with a difficult boss, or unrealistic work targets, we may worry about money, about our children, or ageing, or about an ailing family member.
The sad fact is that most of these external pressures aren’t going away any time soon, so we really need to find simple ways of coping with them.
It’s hard not to have heard about stress relief techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, breathwork and exercise, The trouble is that they can sometimes just seem like something else we have to organise and fit into our lives, and can add to the sense of overwhelm.
Sometimes it’s helpful to have a guide. Someone to take you by the hand and help to construct a simple stable framework. For some people, CBT (Cognitive Behaviousal Therapy) can be helpful.
Stress creates extra nutritional demands, so it’s important to make sure you’re eating well enough to provide your body with what it needs.. Unfortunately, under stress, we have a tendency to eat the wrong things – too much fatty food, too much sugar – and use caffeine or alcohol as coping mechanisms.
It’s less well known that acupuncture, chinese herbs and simple qi gong exercises can really help with stress.
Acupuncture and herbs for stress
Acupuncture is known to regulate stress hormones such as cortisol and to balance the nervous system. It can also help with stress induced symptoms such as tension headaches, digestive problems and disturbed sleep.
It’s also true that an acupuncture session, whilst relaxing in itself, provides a safe space and a slice of time away from all the worries of your life, to reflect or simply let go. Time seems to take on a different dimension and, the needles seem to take you to a different level.
Simple breathing techniques whilst lying with the needles in will further help you shed the fatigue and feelings of tension that accumulate during the day.
Depending on your symptoms, chinese herbal remedies can help ‘take the edge off’, make you feel more in control. pick up your energy and help you get a good night’s sleep. The good thing is that they’re non-addictive.
If your doctor has already prescribed anti-depressants, you should discuss herbal remedies with him before you start taking them, and certainly, don’t suddenly stop taking the tablets.
Stress asks a lot of your body, and you can support it by adjusting your eating habits and improving your diet . I always talk a bit about food whilst I am treating someone – a McDonald’s or a sandwich eaten on the run isn’t really what your body needs, so planning how to get more nutritious meals – even if they’re snacks – can really support your health and help you cope.
Incorporating 5 or 10 minutes of simple qi gong exercises in the morning or evening can really alter the tone of the day or help you sleep.
If you’d like to find out more about how I can support you through periods of stress or help you rebuild the reserves worn away by chronic stress, please get in touch
Qi Gong for stress relief
Movement is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself to control your stress levels and for general health. The ancient Chinese system of exercises called Qi Gong isn’t a martial art, but it’s movements have many similarities with Tai Qi,
Both systems are about finding your own ‘centre’ ánd the stillness that’s within us all when we’re not being pulled in a hundred different directions by daily life. Tai Qi will give you the ‘rootedness’ necessary to defeat an opponent, Qi Gong will give you the ‘rootedness’ to deal with your own internal stresses.
Both systems are about physical stability, about breathing in a natural and healthy way and about movement that springs from your physical and psychological centre. Qi Gong exercises are very gentle and un-demanding. They require no equipment and no more space than the ground you stand on.
It’s well known that when we are stressed we stop breathing properly, and qi gong uses a natural breathing style in harmony with its movements to help you realise this and start breathing again.
There’s been quite a lot of reseaarch into the benefits of qi gong for health and mental wellbeing. Here’s a study from Frontiers in Psychology which looks at the effects of Qi Gong on brain wave activity.. There are loads more articles, many more user friendly than scientific, but if you’re interested in Qi Gong, or sceptical about its benefits, you should have a look around the web.
Alternatively, you could come for a personal qi gong session with me!
