How to Manage Holiday Stress

It's the Holiday Season, so it was no surprise when I got a call the other day from a patient that said my Qi’s all backed up, I need to come in to see you pronto!
So, what does this mean exactly? A visual is someone who is seriously stressed
out. The stress has been building for a few days or weeks and they are ready to
blow their stack! Throw a fist through the wall! You get the visual.

The stress ties you up in knots until you’re ready to scream. In chinese medicine this is translated into stagnated qi. Usually stagnated Liver Qi. If you don’t get this soothed out you are not just unpleasant to be around and have little patience for people, but over time this can contribute to muscle tightness, headaches and high blood pressure or worse.

When we do acupuncture, our goal is to release this pent up energy/qi and allow it flow smoothly through the body again. We turn you from a boss who screams at his/her team about a problem into someone who sits with their team to calmly discuss the issues and find the best possible resolutions. Because we all know, screaming gets you nowhere in the boardroom, at home with the kids or in your body.

What most people that have never had acupuncture don’t realize is that it is very relaxing. People think needles and it stresses them out more. In actuality, you rarely feel a needle going in at all. I start all patients face down on the table and I have to be honest, a lot of people are out cold before I finish inserting the needles.

By the time you leave you are very relaxed and it feels as if your “reset button” has been pushed.  You might need to be “reset” every week or two in the beginning, but you will eventually find the right time frame for your body. I usually
recommend once a month, give or take, but everyone is different and stressful
events beyond our control do pop up from time to time.

Make yourself and your body a priority. Come and get your “reset button” activated on a regular basis. You will function better in your job, be a better spouse, parent, child, and friend if you do…& who doesn’t need a little more of that in their life?

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