Regulate Stress With This Simple Tip

In addition to the anxieties of the last two years, our achievement-oriented culture demands that

we push ourselves in service to being productive. Along the way, we’ve lost a sense of trust in

our bodies and our built-in stress-regulating capabilities.

Too many of us are stuck in a stress response, primed to take on life’s challenges like we would

a physical threat. Signs you may be stuck in a stress response include:

● Anxiety, fear, worry, or feeling overwhelmed

● Chronic pain or body aches

● Food cravings or loss of appetite

● Daily crashes in energy or constant fatigue

● Brain fog or inability to focus

● Digestive dysfunction

● Lack of libido

● Weight gain

● Trouble sleeping

● Hormonal and reproductive imbalances

● Hypertension

It is possible to counter these effects by strengthening your own innate ability to move out of a

chronic stress response. By working WITH your parasympathetic nervous system, you can

have:

● Less pain

● Improved mental health

● Better concentration, focus, and decision making

● Better sleep

● Better digestion

● Improved libido

● Increased energy

● Increased PRESENCE, the feeling of being fully alive!

One simple way to induce your natural, bio-physical stress-relief response is by a technique

called “box breathing”:

1. Take a deep breath in while counting to 4.

2. Hold the inhale and count to 4.

3. Breathe out while counting to 4.

4. Hold the exhale and count to 4.

Repeat this for a total of 3 times.

Singing, humming, walking for at least 30 minutes in nature, and cold exposure therapy are

other methods you can try to strengthen your body’s ability to counter the effects of stress.

Regular acupuncture therapy is also a highly effective way to regulate the body’s stress

response. Unlike other methods, which are more of a “top-down” approach that requires

conscious thought to activate the stress-relief response, acupuncture is a “bottom-up” approach

in that it directly influences the body itself to induce a parasympathetic state. This requires no

active thinking, and the changes take place almost automatically. Because of this, acupuncture

is one of the most effective treatments to regulate the nervous system and improve the state of

both body and mind. Many patients report feeling decreased pain, decreased anxiety, better

energy, and say they’ve gotten the best sleep in years after receiving acupuncture treatment.

If you are struggling with any chronic stress symptoms, try the methods above. My hope is that

we have a community of happy, healthy people with well-regulated stress responses so that we

can create a more peaceful, beautiful world.