Stress Management
Stress is our brain’s natural response to danger; the survival instinct that floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol so we can defend ourselves or run away (‘fight or flight’). Ideally, once the threat passes, the stress is discharged and the body returns to its normal relaxed state (‘rest and digest’)- but often, this isn’t the case.
Most of our modern stressors are psychological in nature (for example: work, finances, relationships) and fighting or fleeing is rarely a solution, causing the stress response to go unreleased. The cumulative result of unresolved stress is that we remain ‘on guard’, with tight muscles, raised blood pressure and nervous tension, which compromises digestive and immune functions (McEwen et al, 2017).
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Recent studies have further shown that chronic stress leads to high levels of inflammation in the body’s tissues, which has been clinically proven to be the link between stress and diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes (Liu et al 2017; Furman et al, 2019).
For these reasons, stress management is essential because prevention is better than a cure; and to prevent stress from becoming toxic, we simply need to do its opposite: learn to relax. According to Dr. Herbert Benson, cardiologist, Harvard professor and author of The Relaxation Response (1975), “the most valuable thing we can do in life, for our ongoing health and wellbeing, is learn how to relax”.
The relaxation response is a state of deep physiological rest, in which the stress response is consciously released and the nervous system returns to balanced equilibrium. This restores homeostasis to our internal environment and allows our natural healing mechanisms to function at their optimum.
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Regular relaxation should therefore be a priority, not a luxury. It’s an investment in your present and future self, with countless benefits including better mood, better sleep, more energy, increased immunity and greater resilience to stress when it arises. Acupuncture and massage are direct routes to deep relaxation, so call us today as part of your stress management plan.