Life always seems to throw stressful situations in our lives causing us to stress out. We all experience it. Depending on how we react to it will often dictate how it manifests in our bodies sometimes setting the stage for illness.

In the big picture there is good and bad stress. Good stress (called adrenaline) allows us to get through stressful situations. Bad stress on the other hand is the inability to stop and slow down. It manifests in a continuous feed of tension that is constant. For example, staying in your head with a constant stream of thoughts and having a hard time turning it off. It can influence and interrupt your sleep and slow down your ability to focus. Over a period of time, it can also effect digestion and your immune system. The trick is learning how to manage it.

Managing stress isn’t easy but the technique is. It’s a simple exercise in breathing sometimes referred to as Mindfulness. Being mindful of your response to everyday stress. When you’re in the throws of a stressful situation, slow down and focus on breathing in and breathing out until you feel yourself calming down. When you do this you allow your body to reset your biological response back to normal.

It is a technique that has to be repeated over and over again until its automatic. At first, it’s difficult to remember to implement it but once you do it, its like strengthening a new muscle to respond automatically.

At East County Acupuncture, I often prescribe an herbal formula called Calm that helps you bring down your stress levels, anxiety and any restlessness you may be experiencing.