The summer is ending, COVID-19 cases are increasing, and there is much unknown about what the upcoming year will bring. This might put you on edge.
The last few blogs have focused on ways to reduce anxiety and build resilience. As we wind down our discussion about anxiety, I want to share two more tools that are proven to help reduce anxiety and restore calm.
As we’ve discussed previously bio-chemical imbalances in the body can predispose you to feeling anxious. One of the chemical imbalances that can make people feel anxious and jittery is too much cortisol – one of the hormones secreted in the stress response.
Cortisol elevation is fine as long as it returns to normal. We all experience a heightened state of arousal – known as eustress – which is invigorating and often linked to a tangible goal. In eustress elevated cortisol levels return to normal after the job gets done.
However distress – the free floating feeling of stress – often doesn’t have an outlet for regulation and can remain elevated – until we do something to lower it.
Engaging in practices that lower cortisol is important and can help restore calm in the body and in the mind.
Meditation is being shown to lower cortisol levels (to see an example of a study click here)
That’s amazing! You have a free and easy tool to bring your body and mind back into balance.
Here is a simple meditation you can do at home:
Sit or lie down with your back straight
Place your hands on your belly and begin to notice your breath
Count to 4 inhaling through the nose
Hold the breath for 4
Count to 6 exhaling through the nose
To read more about meditation and how to easily incorporate it into your life click here and here.
Acupuncture has been shown to reduce cortisol levels in the blood. (read more about that here)
In fact, acupuncture is often used as a treatment for reducing anxiety and can deliver noticeable results after just a few visits – sometimes even after just one visit.
How does it work? In addition to the acupuncture’s ability to lower stress induced cortisol elevation, the acupuncture can stimulate the body to produce calm and to regulate the nervous system. Acupuncture has also been shown to increase heart rate variability both immediately after the treatment and over time. Heart rate variability (aka cardiac coherence) is a bio-measure of heart health and of calm in the body.
Most clients report that the acupuncture treatment itself is quite relaxing – you get to lie down and relax in a darkened room with calming music!
To read more about how acupuncture reduces anxiety click here.
To learn more about how acupuncture can help you feel calmer click here to set up a free consultation.
So there you have it.
Both meditation and acupuncture can be helpful for reducing anxiety and restoring calm in the body.
Next week I will share one last technique for lowering cortisol and reducing stress – a technique that can also help you usher in the new year….
