Can acupuncture relieve your Christmas stress?
According to the old song, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But most of us know that the build-up to Christmas can also be one of the most stressful times of the year, as well. So, can acupuncture help to relieve your Christmas stress? Absolutely.
We’re all probably a bit guilty of thinking of the festive period as a real-life Christmas card. In our minds, it’s a time that’s full of snow, twinkling lights, roaring log fires, laughter, gifts and more Andy Williams than you can shake a stick at.
We conveniently forget that the reality is often a lot darker. There’s the financial pressure that comes with gift-buying, followed by the emotional pressure to get those gifts right. Then you have days when you’re forced to spend time in the company of people you may have spent all year avoiding.
And on top of that, there’s the turkey to order and collect, the cooking to do, the wrapping to take care of, the parties you feel obliged to show your face at even though you’d rather curl up on the sofa in front of a warm-hearted Christmas movie and the bad-tempered game of Monopoly to navigate.
Christmas can be hard work. It’s hard work emotionally and it’s hard work physically. Many people feel drained by it long before they get to Christmas Eve and then, in the space of 48 lightning-quick hours, it’s all over and all you have to show for it is a lot of mess to clear up and a severely depleted bank balance.
Hopefully, the fun and laughter during those two days goes some way to making up for the stress, and certainly, a great many of us experience a real sense of peace and joy at this time of the year – but it’s really important to find the time to look after yourself, too.
Acupuncture is a fantastic way of preparing yourself for situations that come with a high chance of stress and for dealing with the stress itself, whether that’s at Christmas or any other time or occasion in the year.
Acupuncture for stress works because the treatment takes a whole-body approach to resolving the issues you’re dealing with, which means that although you may want to deal with one particular aspect of your physical or mental health, acupuncture treats the things you aren’t aware of.
Stress is the emotional (and often physical) manifestation of an imbalance in your body’s natural energy levels. This happens when the energy – or qi (pronounced chee) – meets resistance or blockage.
Acupuncture has been around for at least two millennia and uses the insertion of ultra-thin needles into the skin at specific points on the body to stimulate that energy and break down the blockages.
The result is that your qi rebalances throughout your body, restoring natural energy flow and creating a sense of peace and wellness.
I’ve talked in the past of the importance of acupuncture in prevention, and as with all things, being proactive about your health is important.
Just as you should be giving your body a helping hand by ensuring you’re taking in enough vitamins so it can fight off illness, so regular acupuncture can build up your body’s natural defences to stress and other psychological conditions that prevent you from being truly well and happy.
People often ask me if acupuncture hurts and the short answer is that it doesn’t. In fact, many people find the ‘needling’ to be very relaxing – in fact, most of my patients fall asleep during treatment (I always take this as a compliment, by the way).
Stress is highly debilitating, and its effects can be magnified at this time of the year because there are so many potential triggers for it.
So why not do yourself and your mind a favour and book in for a triple treatment – one before Christmas and another couple after the festivities have ended and the decorations have been packed away for another year?
You’ll be amazed at the difference you’ll feel after your treatment – and it might just help you to relax and enjoy what should genuinely be a wonderful time of the year. Get in touch for an informal and confidential chat today.