Whether stress is related to the busy holiday season or just to the daily grind, how we react to stress can affect our health, not just in the moment, but in the long term as well.
The holiday season, which begins for most Americans with Thanksgiving and continues through New Year’s Day, often brings unwelcome guests — stress and depression. And it’s no wonder. In an effort to pull off a perfect holiday, you might find yourself facing a dizzying array of demands — parties, shopping, baking, cleaning and entertaining, to name a few. So much for peace and joy, right?
The holiday season can be full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, holiday stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. This particular autumn season seems to be bringing a great deal more stress than usual, and people definitely appear to have higher anxiety levels than in the past. This year, there are the pressures of rising food and gas prices, the mortgage crisis, and now the federal banking bailouts. All of these factors affect people’s general health conditions. This is what people mean when they talk about the “holiday blues.”
You’re already overwhelmed and now you have to contend with the holidays. How do you handle the extra stress? Do you feel as though you can? Instead of trying to avoid stress let’s realize that stress is a fact of life nowadays and it is essential to learn healthy coping techniques for stress. If you don’t, stress will affect your sleep, immune system, and emotions. It speeds up the aging process and can lead to disease. How many of you walk around feeling less vital than you did in the past and believe that it is just part of the aging process?
If you frequently find yourself feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, it’s time to take action to bring your nervous system back into balance. You can protect yourself by learning how to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects.
Here are some common signs and symptoms of stress overload:
| Cognitive Symptoms | Emotional Symptoms |
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| Physical Symptoms | Behavioral Symptoms |
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We now know that effects of chronic stress can lead to depression and anxiety, heart disease, some cancers, weight problems, and more. Because of the widespread damage stress can cause, it’s important to know your own limits and what you can do to alleviate the effects of stress on your body.
Acupuncture and Stress Reduction
The traditional explanation for how acupuncture works is as follows: The flow of “life energy” called “qi” (pronounced “chi”) runs throughout the body in muscle and organ channels (called meridians). Most acupuncture points are located along these meridians. We tap into these points to release channel blockages and to move the energy, thereby balancing and strengthening muscle and organ systems. Acupuncture works whether the patient believes in it or not… often better for the skeptics!
How Does Acupuncture Work to Reduce Stress?
Studies show that acupuncture releases pain-killing endorphins which also play a substantial role in maintaining serotonin and hormonal levels, and decreases damaging stress hormones such as cortisol. This may be why acupuncture benefits back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress disorders. Auricular or ear acupuncture is very safe, and has long been known to relieve stress and anxiety.
Acupuncture has been shown to significantly attenuate the increase in blood pressure during mental stress, which is another bonus. Acupuncture may be an efficacious and acceptable treatment option for PTSD. In studies, stress symptom reductions at the end of acupuncture treatments were maintained for up to 3 months. Even after severely stressful events, such as Hurricane Katrina, acupuncture can be of great help. Ear acupuncture was used to address stress-related issues, including profound anxiety, pain, insomnia and digestive symptoms.
A stress reduction acupuncture treatment is safe, effective, inexpensive and takes just a small amount of your valuable time. It is a great way to de-stress, even during this most anxiety-inducing time of year. It might just be the best holiday gift you can give yourself!
References:
Regu Physiol May 2001 vol. 280 no. 5 R1462-R1468
Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease: June 2007 – Volume 195 – Issue 6 – pp 504-513
Dr. Helene Pulnik ND, Lac, located in Glastonbury, is a nationally board certified and state licensed acupuncturist and Naturopathic Physician with over 25 years’ experience as a healthcare professional. She provides Acupuncture and Naturopathic Medicine for many medical conditions, including stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia. She can be reached at 860-657-4105 or at [email protected].