6 Time Tested Ways to Dissolve Stress

Meditation Photo c/o HckySo on Flickr.

Most of us can attest to the fact that stress is reaching epidemic proportions in modern society. Balancing work, family, health, money, church, etc. is a challenge that many of us feel ill equipped to face. Eighty percent of the doctor visits in our country are stress related. Our quality of life and health is largely determined by how we adapt and relate to daily stressors. Excessive stress not only takes its toll on our bodies, it strips the joy out of life, and suppresses our creative instincts. Without physical health, joy, and creativity, life is scarcely worth living. Dissolving stress is certainly possible but takes a commitment to making lifestyle choices that creates balance throughout our lives.

Here are a few ancient techniques for eliminating stress, increasing energy, and creating emotional balance. These are some of the most powerful tools we have for achieving optimal health and preventing future disease.

1. Meditation: Practiced for thousand of years in many Asian cultures, mediation has been recognized as one of the most powerful tools we have for cultivating peace of mind and balance. If you want help getting started, I recommend Kevin Doherty’s (L.Ac, MS) guided meditation CD, Meditation: Mindfulness practice for beginners available from Lotus Spring Acupuncture and Wellness.
2. Massage Therapy: Massage Therapy is one of the best antidotes for stress. Massage therapy has been around for thousands of years to promote relaxation, relieve muscle tensions, increase circulation, and boost the body’s immune system which may have been compromised by stress.
3. Acupuncture: One of the pillars of traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture has been practiced for at least 2,500 years. Perhaps one of the last truly holistic forms of healthcare remaining on the planet, acupuncture works with the Qi (chee, or life force) of the body in order to induce a variety of therapeutic effects.
4. Herbal medicine: There are a variety of both Chinese and Western herbal formulas that have been clinically proven to reduce stress and created emotional balance.
5. Nutrition: Eating a diet high in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and low glycemic carbohydrates can go a long way toward healing stress.
6. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress. Find several different type of exercises that you enjoy doing and try to fit in at least 30 minutes a day into your daily schedule.