Stressed?

One thing that is for sure is that life is always changing.  Our community clinic began in its usual way this morning. The typical stuff presented: sore knees and hips, inflamed eyes, migraine, IBS, back pain and menstrual problems. But today was a little different. 

One of my regular patients, Lucy, who is usually cheerful and optimistic seemed really quiet and down.  I noticed that her breathing was shallow (Lucy’s not her real name of course).  When the time was right, I asked about her emotional well-being and that is when the floodgates opened.  She risked losing her job with a new merger on the horizon.  She felt vulnerable, afraid and terrified of the future. Lucy was not sleeping even though she felt exhausted all the time.

This is something that I am noticing more each day in practice.  Life at the moment is extremely stressful for many people, and many of us need the tools to be able to just keep up.

As we all know, a little stress is a good thing.  But many of us have too many balls up in the air as we juggle careers, family and the pace of modern life. Chronic stress, however, filters down onto the physical level and has a very negative effect on our organ systems. In fact, I can say that most illness is the result of unmanaged stress. So, what are the things we can do for ourselves when stress levels are spiralling out of control?  The first thing is to remember to breathe. Really. I mean it.

With stress, breathing becomes shallower, sending a signal to the nervous system to gear itself up for action (fight or flight). By slowing down the breathing and pulling the breath deep into the body, we give a message to the nervous system that it can relax and let go of tension.  Individual bodies respond differently to stress but shallow breathing is the only common denominator in common stress – meaning that the first place to start with any tension is your breathing.

Make sure that every hour you take a few moments to notice your breathing pattern, and to make an effort to deepen, slow down and lengthen the breath.

Exercise is also a great stress burner; I find a gentle walk in fresh air is probably the best medicine for me!

If you are under pressure, here is some advice on how to support your body through stressful periods:

If you are nervy, on edge, exhausted but yet your sleep quality is poor – add in 500 mcg Vitamin B12 (liposomal Methylcobalamin).  Vitamin B12 provides the support that the body needs to function at higher stress levels.

If you have a busy mind that cannot switch off, yet concentration is poor - then L-Theanine is for you.  Extracted from Green tea it helps calm the mind while at the same time giving it clarity.

If you hold all your tension muscularly in those very sore shoulders, then a good dose of magnesium salts in the bath will help ease and relax the muscles, giving you a better sleep quality.

And of course, but I am biased; all my patients will tell you that acupuncture is the number one stress buster! Just type stress and acupuncture into the research archive Pubmed and viola! you will see for yourself!

Charmaine Shepherd

By Charmaine Shepherd  B.Sc. Biomed., N.dip. Ac, MBAcC
Charmaine Shepherd is an Acupuncturist, Director of the Centre for Holistic Health and Author of Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to Resolving the Underlying Causes of Anxiety and Depression. Available here.

Charmaine has a sensitive and holistic approach to health-care. She is dedicated to helping individuals take control of their own health."I believe in supporting the innate healing ability of the body through the use of natural remedies, nutrition and lifestyle” Charmaine Shepherd.