Feeling Stressed?
Pressure and Stress
Stress affects us all at some point in our lives and in various ways.
Whether internally or externally, stress can often affect us daily, sometimes lasting for weeks, months or even years. We may notice internal pressures arising from everyday encounters, such as conflict, to juggling workload and family life, expectations of measuring up to coping with ill health.
Externally we may experience stress, such as moving home to delivering a big project at work, a family crisis to planning your wedding day. These are infrequent events, usually with a deadline.
Either way stress is pain and suffering and causes many imbalances in mind-body health and wellbeing.
Effects of Stress
Generally, we are all too aware of the nature and the side effects of stress from either our own experience or someone close to us.
For some however, the sensation of stress becomes a daily norm and if left untreated for long enough can cause lasting ill health to mind and body.
Low immune function - Regular colds, infections and viral illnesses
Cardiovascular strain - Palpitations, chest pain, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath
Muscular skeletal tension - Headaches, stiff neck, shoulders, low back and hip pain, clenching and grinding of jaw
Digestive disorders - Stomach cramps, IBS, constipation, nausea, and acid reflux
Mental emotional conditions - Insomnia, anxiety, depression or low mood, panic attacks
Recognising Stress
Stress is pressure to succeed or to survive. The question we can ask ourselves is what is it we need to succeed or survive from?
Stress is a label, for feelings overwhelm, anxiousness or a fearing the future failing. We may not recognise the feelings straight away but our bodies will alert us to them.
Listen To Your Body
We may notice we are overthinking, obsessing, anxiety affecting sleep and eating, we may have an awareness of a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, perhaps irritable, snapping and a feeling of being burnt out.
Or you may find you suffer with tension headaches or migraines, constant tightness in neck and shoulders, TMJ, grinding of teeth, clenching the jaw and low back ache.
Perhaps you hold it in your belly with IBS symptoms, craving sweet foods, bloating or tiredness after eating.
Maybe also your menstrual cycle is irregular, changed dramatically or stronger effects of peri menopausal symptoms, or your fertility is effected with difficulty in conceiving.
Listen to your body, does it feel at ease, flowing and open or are you caught in loops of physical distress, tension and unease?
What Can You Do To Relieve Stress?
Any experience can be stressful and everyone reacts differently depending on their experience and conditioning. Our awareness is key to how we respond to stress that will make the biggest difference.
The easiest and most effective relief to stress is simply by breathing. Stress operates only in the control tower of our minds, which effects our bodies with various symptoms.
Play With Easy Breathing Techniques
Seated, or lying down, with hands resting on your lower abdomen. Deep breath into the lower belly
Open the mouth and fully empty your exhale, until all air is fully expelled
This makes more room for another deep breath into the bowels of the pelvis, continue this breath into the side ribs, back ribs and chest, until you are full,
Repeat again, the full emptying of your breath.
Try this three or four times. Was it easy or tricky? Were you fully able to let go of the breath? Were you able to breathe into the lower belly?
Keep playing, daily if you can. Deep breathing into your body is incredibly effective, stabilising and calming.
Our heads are often separated from our bodies with its various stress inducing thoughts. The breath connects mind and body and is key to creating space and relieving stress.
Supportive self care is also hugely underrated but essential for us to reconnect to our bodies and away from the dysfunctional thinking mind.
Regular daily, monthly and seasonal routines are vital. Such as walking, yoga, running, dancing, swimming, walking barefoot on grass, seasonal breath and movement, acupuncture, massage, reflexology, painting, gardening, crafting, pottery, baking, cooking. Anything that draws attention away from your mind and into the body.
The more space you can create the less pressure, the less stress.
How Sarah Elcome Can Help Relieve The Pressure
Sarah’s influenced by her continued studies into Five Element Theory in Chinese Medicine and its connection to nature and mind-body behaviour and energetic imbalance.
She uses a variety of skills, from acupuncture, coaching, breathwork and movement to help people relieve pain and suffering, to feel well and to reach their potential.
Sarah practices five element acupuncture in her clinic in Lancaster. She also offers online five element coaching and online weekly seasonal breath and movement class too.