Stress and burnout
Understanding stress and burnout
Stress is the body's response to potential threats or demands, and it plays a role in our lives. It can help us grow and develop resilience. However, the effects of stress depend on the dosage: too much at once or prolonged periods without rest and recovery can be damaging.
Stress can manifest in various forms, including emotional, physical, and can result in certain diseases. The way we handle stressors can vary depending on the context of our lives. For example, giving a lecture may be manageable during certain periods, but overwhelming during a divorce, grieving the loss of a loved one, or dealing with excessive workloads or health issues.
Burnout is a state of physical and mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged and excessive stress. Burnout is primarily associated with chronic workplace stress, especially in high-demand professions or environments.
Acupuncture provides a holistic approach to managing stress and recovering from burnout, offering balance and renewal for both body and mind. With its gentle techniques, acupuncture supports natural healing and fosters resilience in navigating life's challenges.
Window of tolerance
Source: NICABM
In neuroscience, there's a concept called the "Window of Tolerance," which helps us understand our best state for handling daily challenges. When situations push us beyond this window, we may experience hyper-arousal or hypo-arousal.
Hyper-arousal triggers the fight or flight response. This can make us feel more anxious, aggressive, angry, easily startled, or on edge. Our muscles may become tense, and we might feel hypervigilant. We may find ourselves overreacting to small things.
Hypo-arousal, on the other hand, leads to the freeze or shutdown response. We may feel depressed, numb, disconnected, or spaced out. It becomes difficult to take action, and we may feel stuck.
When we're on the edge of our window of tolerance, we experience a state of dysregulation. This can manifest as feeling agitated, nervous, or spaced out. While we're not completely out of control, we're also not comfortable. Recognizing these signs is a good indication that it's time for self-care. It's easier to return to a state of comfort when we address these feelings before they become more extreme.
Our window of tolerance can change in size. Factors like stress, illness, traumatic memories, being neurodivergent, or being highly sensitive can narrow our window of tolerance an make us more prone to dysregulation. Therapy and lifestyle changes can help us restore our vitality and improve our capacity to handle life stressors.
How acupuncture can help managing stress and burnout?
Acupuncture is a holistic healing practice that can be beneficial in managing stress and addressing burnout. By understanding the underlying principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we can explore how acupuncture can help in these areas.
1. Balancing Energy: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we understand that stress disrupts the natural flow of our body's energy, known as qi. Through Toyohari acupuncture, we gently stimulate specific points along the body's meridian pathways, helping to restore this harmonious energy flow. By addressing these imbalances, acupuncture can bring a sense of tranquility, relaxation, and overall well-being to your life.
2. Stress Reduction: Acupuncture offers a soothing touch to the nervous system, providing a gentle reset for your body's stress response. By influencing the release of neurotransmitters and hormones involved in stress management, such as cortisol and endorphins, acupuncture helps to regulate your body's stress levels. This can lead to reduced anxiety, improved sleep, and a brighter mood, allowing you to navigate life with greater ease and comfort.
3. Emotional Support: Acupuncture treatments offer more than just physical relief; they can also provide emotional support for those facing stress and burnout. During an acupuncture session, you'll have the opportunity to relax, reflect, and engage in self-care. Emotional distress can be isolating, and feelings of loneliness can amplify stress. By lying on the treatment table and being heard, gently touched, cared for, and supported by an empathetic practitioner, you'll find a safe space to process difficult emotions.
4. Boosting Resilience: Acupuncture isn't just about addressing immediate concerns—it's about building resilience for the long term. By promoting balance and harmony within the body, acupuncture can support the immune system, improve energy levels, and enhance mental clarity. This can help individuals better manage the demands of daily life and reduce the risk of burnout.
It's important to note that acupuncture is not a standalone treatment for severe cases of stress and burnout. It works best as part of a global approach that may include lifestyle modifications, self-care practices, and other therapeutic interventions. Acupuncture it's actually great to help prevent things from getting worse, especially when you start feeling a bit off. Remember the Spanish saying: "It's better to prevent than to cure." So, if you're starting to struggle, don't hesitate to reach out and make an appointment. I'm here to help restore your peace and energy before things get too tough.
Tip for stress: tapping techniques
A quick and easy technique that helps me a lot to self regulate when I'm feeling dysregulated, on the edge of my window of tolerance is tapping. There are several ways to do it but my favourites are the butterfly hug and tapping the acupuncture point SI 3 with mental affirmations.
Butterfly hug
Cross your hands over your chest and gently tap alternatively under your collarbones. Left-right-left-right. Find a rithm comfortable for you. Keep taping for a few minutes until you feel calmer.
SI 3 with affirmations
Identify the uncomfortable sensations you're feeling, for example "heaviness on the chest". While tapping the side of your hand, say mentally "Although I am feeling heaviness on the chest, I accept myself completely". Keep tapping for a few seconds and observate how the sensation changes (softens or turns into something else). Repeat the process as many times you need, describing each time objectively your sensations, until you feel better.
Breathing exercises
As breathing is both automatic and controllable by our will, breathing techniques are very useful for regulating our nervous system and calming us down when necessary. When we are under stress, breath tends to become more shallow, fast and on the upper part of the chest. Slow abdominal breathing is then an easy way to bringh you back to a calmer state. Think of a baby sleeping, how their belly expands and relaxes with each breath. Can you try to do the same for 3 minutes? Let's practice.
I will post a video soon to breathe and relax together :)