Stress Has An Impact On Your Physical Health

The 4 Pillars of Health

1. Adequate Rest/Sleep
2. Appropriate Exercise
3. Good Quality Nutrition
***4. STRESS MANAGEMENT***

Overwhelming to-do lists, traffic, work, staying informed of politics, and relationship maintenance are just some of the ways we experience stress on a daily basis. Chinese Medicine describes the impact this has on our health in two ways:

1. as a depletion of Yin - the nutritive aspect of our physical form that cools and lubricates
2. as a stagnation of Qi - the smoothly flowing energy that circulates through our bodies to spark and perform our physical metabolic processes

The lack of coolant plus the stagnated energy circulation creates a state of extra heat in the body, which causes poor sleep, difficult emotional regulation, and a disruption in cellular repair.  

Ways to Manage Daily and Long-Term Stress

  • Acupuncture and herbal medicine enhance your reserves of Yin and allow the circulation of Qi to flow freely.
  • Developing Meditation and/or Qi Gong practices are two of the best ways to create space and a greater capacity in your body and mind to hold and manage the stresses of daily life.
  • Take on less in general - we have a tendency to feel ashamed of ourselves when we are not in constant activity/production mode. There is no shame in taking a break! Rest is the Yin to our productive Yang, and we need a balance to be healthy.
  • Limit your news consumption - the news/social media is a constant barrage of information, and much of it is not only stressful, but also nonessential.
  • Practice time management. Putting yourself in a perpetual state of rushing to get things done is unnecessary and very difficult on your physical body.
  • Exercise - You can relieve the stagnant Qi circulation in your body by getting active. Work out, dance, run, do yoga, play with your friends or your kids or your dog outside, or go for a hike.
  • Sing, play music, create art - bringing joy into your life can sometimes override the stagnation of Qi - getting your creative juices flowing literally gets your Qi flow going!
  • Go into Nature - being outside in nature (the forest, mountains, beaches, the desert, your backyard, the park) reconnects us to an essential part of being human. Take your shoes off, feel the ground. Root yourself in the earth. This is real medicine.