Stress is something that is almost incessant in today’s busy world. Most of us wake up in the morning wishing we didn’t have to. The desire to go back to bed or simply avoid the upcoming work day can trigger the first round of negative emotions, which research has shown actually causes a chemical reaction in the brain and body that is detrimental to the body. you in large doses. No problem, you just woke up, definitely not enough to start harmonizing your body. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning.
Then comes the morning trip. Dealing with work pressures, colleagues, maybe even an irrational boss, or difficult clients continue to trigger those chemical reactions in your brain and body. Cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine flood your bloodstream preparing your body for its standard “fight or flight” needs.
In case you didn’t know, the ‘fight or flight’ response is our genetically programmed response to danger. It was important to us, in physically dangerous environments in our past, when we had to fight or run from a predator. In order for us to have all our energy for fight or flight, our bodies are designed to release a set of chemicals that will do exactly that. In our modern environment, when fighting or fleeing a work situation is rarely an option, these chemicals are not only unnecessary but also dangerous.
Apply the following method and you can get immediate stress relief and if done regularly it can become a powerful technique in your stress management and relief toolbox for almost any stressful situation.
The first step in learning this stress relief method is to learn a simple breathing pattern. When you are stressed, your breathing will become shallow and centered in your chest. By altering your breathing pattern, you are taking conscious control over a stress symptom and beginning to add oxygen to your body, which immediately begins to reverse the effects of stress. To do this correctly, simply take slow, deep inhalations followed by slow, full exhalations until you feel you have released most of the air from your lungs, with a short pause. My breathing pattern is generally the following; I inhale for 5 seconds, pause for 1 second, exhale for 5 seconds, pause again for 1 second, and repeat. You can adjust the breathing pattern to suit your lung capacity, but always take a slow AND deep breath in, followed by a slow, almost full exhalation.
The second step is to place the index finger and thumb on two points located on the forehead. He called the ‘neurovascular’ points in acupressure, they are located on the two points at the top of the forehead that feel a bit rounded. If you draw a line across the forehead from the nose, you can place these points about halfway and one inch from the center of this line on each side. By gently holding these pressure points and taking deep breaths, you bring blood back to your forebrain that drains in times of stress.
Since this particular part of the brain aids you in your creative thinking, it is not considered necessary when your body decides that you need to fight or flee. That’s why your capacity for clear and reasoned thinking is the first thing to go when you’re under stress, and that’s also why “sleep” is a common rule of thumb for dealing with important decisions. Sleeping gives your body a chance to relax and resume blood flow to your forebrain. When you don’t have time for sleep to de-stress, hold the above pressure points and breathe as directed above to activate your body’s relaxation response.
The third step, which enhances the effects of the previous two steps, is to place the index finger and thumb of the other hand on the ‘K-27’ acupressure points.. These points are located where the throat meets the chest, find two small depressions that are just below the tips of the clavicle and massage them vigorously. Doing this will also reverse some of the effects of stress by balancing two important energy flows in your body. Yes, I know this may sound a bit strange, but the benefits and effectiveness of acupressure are well documented. Just type ‘acupressure’ into Google to find out more about it.
The fourth and final step is to imagine a relaxing activity or image. You can choose a scene where you are relaxing on a warm beach or looking at a beautiful pond. Choose an image that makes you feel good when you vividly imagine it. Imagining something relaxing helps to relax the mind.
When you have practiced each step separately, combine them. Hold both acupressure points in the proper way (described above), while taking a deep breath and imagining a relaxing scene. You will feel refreshed in less than 30 seconds. Go ahead, do it right now. (as you have probably already experienced some stress today) and you may be surprised with the results. Practicing this technique regularly throughout the day will drastically reduce the effects of stress on the body and brain.