Stress is something that we all encounter on a daily basis. There is good stress (eustress) that promotes us to grow and change and bad stress (distress) which is counterproductive and wears us down in the long-term.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is not so concerned with ‘stress’ as such, but more about exactly how it affects you. Does it involve:
- Busy, anxious mind (maybe panic attacks) with disrupted sleep?
- Dwelling on thoughts, obsessing and then loss of appetite or change in bowel function? Often accompanied by bingeing on sweet foods.
- Sadness and grief. Perhaps a decline in your immune function as you pick up every bug going around.
- Fearful of the future. Often this type of stress is centered around job loss, financial concerns or fertility problems. This stress can trigger intense fatigue, premature ageing and reproductive disorders.
- Frustration and feeling stuck in a situation. Your stress goes straight to your neck and shoulders, with the tension resulting in headaches and grumpiness.
Your exact type of stress helps us to discern an appropriate treatment for you, and each of these types of stress will have considerably different treatment plans.
So what can you do to manage stress – here’s a general stress buster plan:
- Get good sleep – if you don’t already sleep well, get help to make this happen
- Eat a healthy diet – no processed or high sugar foods, focus on whole foods (colourful vegies, good quality protein, good fats and whole grains)
- Exercise – it’s an excellent stress buster – do a form of exercise that you like. Where possible do it in a green space (outside in nature) – studies show it will make you happier. By just adding exercise to your routine, you’ll find you’ll automatically improve other factors in your life, so it’s a nice place to start.
- Lose bad habits – quit smoking and recreational drugs, quit or at least reduce alcohol consumption (if you don’t know what the healthy range is click here).
- Find pleasure daily – do something that you really enjoy every day. This can be a creative pursuit (e.g. dancing, dreaming, painting, writing, baking, playing or appreciating music) or other nice things (e.g. massage, acupuncture, take a bath, give yourself a facial, inhale your favourite essential oil, give someone a hug, laugh, cook for someone).
- Enhance your relationships – a support network is your safety net and your source of giving and receiving which has shown to add to your happiness. Actively develop your relationships with family, friends and/or people within your community.
- Meditation – People who meditate as little as twice per week have been shown to have a better state of mental health than the general population. Find a teacher, read a book, find a site on the net like this or this, get a CD or download an app – but whatever you do, get started on reducing your mind chatter now. In fact why not meditate in one moment like this:
A study on acupuncture side effects discovered that major side effects were extremely uncommon from the therapy but one of the most common ‘minor’ side effects was relaxation!
Herbal medicine also has a lot to offer people who are stressed. It’s best to see a herbalist who can make up an individualised formula for you that can help to shift the way you deal with stress. Some herbal medicines interact with medications so getting professional advice is recommended.
If you are really not coping and need help immediately then please contact Lifeline.
So, if you need some additional stress management help, you know what to do, pick one of the above mentioned tips and start now – seize the moment and release that pressure valve!
For further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture). Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health at her Broadbeach clinic and is the Chinese Medicine Senior Lecturer at the Endeavour College of Natural Health Gold Coast campus.
