Acupressure for Stress
How to help relieve your stress
Stress damages our health in various ways when sustained for prolonged periods of time; however, effectively managing its accumulated symptoms can be challenging. It can be hard to know how or what to do to alleviate it. Chinese Medical Doctrine is clear that a good balance of breathing deeply, healthy foods, sound sleep, and daily exercise is vital to helping mitigate the body's stress response.
That being said, sometimes stress doesn't allow for one's body to do all those things! So we've created a list of acupuncture points that you can activate on your own, or with the help of a friend, to help down-regulate your stress response.
To begin, lie down on your bed with a pillow under your head and knees. Start with the point Yintang in the middle of your forehead and press gently for a few seconds to 3 minutes. When you feel that point relax, you can move on to the next points and press until the muscles softens.
GB-21 (on the top of the trapezius muscle midway between the back of the neck and your shoulder- press down or pinch)
L.I.-4 (midway between the index finger knuckle and the bones in the hand between the index finger and thumb)
LIV-3 (on the top of the foot, in the hollow between the junction of the big and 2nd toe)
Avoid these points if pregnant. See below for fertility-safe points.
How to help relieve your stress if you are pregnant or working on your fertility:
To begin, lie down on your bed with a pillow under your head and knees or on your side with a pillow between your legs. Please press gently for a few seconds to 3 minutes. When you feel that point relax, you can move on to the next points and press until the muscles soften.
REN-17 (center of the chest on a line drawn between the nipples - this point is located on your sternum and can be quite tender.) Take a few deep breaths almost trying to push your fingers up with your chest as you breathe.
PC6 (in the middle of the inside of your forearm 1/4 way from the wrist towards the elbow between your 2 tendons). Place a magnet here and breathe deeply.
Ear SHENMEN (in the tip of the triangular aspect in the top third of your ear). Place an ear crystal here.
Deep breathing while giving yourself a belly rub. Moving in clockwise circles while deep breathing can help facilitate normal bowel movements, less stress and help you reconnect to your body.
*Leave the magnets and ear crystals until they fall off and take them off if they bother you at all. Sometimes the magnets need an extra piece of tape of bandaid to keep them stuck longer.
References:
ACUPRESSURE EAR SEEDS. (2020). Retrieved from http://www.earseeds.com/
Hmwe, N., Browne, G., Mollart, L., Allanson, V., & Chan, S. W. (2019). An integrative review of acupressure interventions for older people: A focus on sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and agitation. International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 34(3), 381–396.
Deadman, P., Al-Khafaji, M., & Baker, K. (2009). A manual of acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications.
Skelly, A. C., Chou, R., Dettori, J. R., Turner, J. A., Friedly, J. L., Rundell, S. D., Fu, R., Brodt, E. D., Wasson, N., Winter, C., & Ferguson, A. (2018). Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).
Song, H. J., Seo, H. J., Lee, H., Son, H., Choi, S. M., & Lee, S. (2015). Effect of self-acupressure for symptom management: a systematic review. Complementary therapies in medicine, 23(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2014.11.002