In today’s fast-paced world, where everything happens too swiftly to comprehend what is going on, and where the economic conditions are usually doubtful, and keeping up with everything leads to increased levels of stress and anxiety, methods like acupuncture that trigger the nervous system can be vital in restoring the body to a good condition.
Anxiety As an Illness
People often use the word anxiety to describe themselves as being worried, but anxiety is not such a simple condition. It is a serious mental health condition and should be treated seriously. It occurs as a result of past events and chronic stress from various aspects of your life, such as work and relationships. It unsettles hormones in your body and can cause many physical issues such as sweating, tension in the muscles, restlessness when sleeping, and stomach issues, and physiologically, it causes you to have intrusive thoughts, worry excessively, and have trouble concentrating.
Acupuncture and the Nervous System
Acupuncture is a technique that helps heal the body by adding balance to it and it also works against mental health issues like anxiety
What is acupuncture?
According to ancient Chinese tradition, energy called Qi flows through the body, and environmental factors cause this energy to become disbalanced and make the body weaker. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice, according to which acupuncturists poke very slim needles into acupoints, which are specific points in your body, and this restores balance in the body as it causes energy to flow. Physiologically, you can think of it as acupuncture shifting the body from a hyperarousal mode to a ‘rest and digest mode’.
Acupuncture Benefits
Acupuncture has several benefits as it can assist with mental health issues like stress and anxiety because it raises serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that promote overall wellness, reduces cortisol levels, and improves endorphin synthesis. Acupuncture therapy also has scientific backing because studies have shown that it reduces anxiety in patients.
Massage Therapy
There must have been many instances where your body was hurting, and you desperately wished that you could get a massage done. Or you must have planned spa days to get a massage and let your body relax. Getting a massage lets your body relax via the reduction of cortisol, a stress hormone that the body releases, and the elevation of blood glucose, as well as the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, the “happy chemical” that rapidly improves your mood and wards off depressive and anxious thoughts. Additionally, you naturally feel more confident when your stress and anxiety levels are reduced.
Movement of the Body
Movement can literally change your brain because regularly exercising reduces anxiety by calming down the brain’s acute stress response mode, and more rigorous exercises like cycling or swimming regularly can pull your body out of depression and elevate your mood. Basically, never sit still for too long. Keep on moving around, and incorporating some level of exercise as physical activity is a direct catalyst for good mental health.
Building a Personalized Routine
Build yourself a weekly routine of your favorite techniques. For example, you can book yourself a 30-minute massage session on one day and do some gentle yoga or tai chi on some other days. You can keep one day of the week for an acupuncture session and do mindful walks and breathing practice daily. You can also go to functional medicine doctors who help you understand what is wrong with your body and provide you with personalized services for your body, such as in Seattle functional medicine, where you can find services that your body needs.
Conclusion
If you want to have a long and happy life, you will have to take care of your mental health. When mental health gets bad, it can destroy you in ways you cannot even imagine. And you will not even realize it because it won’t let you recognize the fact that you are ill and need help. Simple procedures like regularly exercising, getting a massage, or acupuncture are good ways to battle anxiety and to keep your body in good shape and stay in a good state of mind.
