Whether we like it or not, stress is part of our everyday life. Meeting a deadline, getting the kids to school, exams, arguments – these things happen to everyone but it is good that they are usually manageable.
Different people have different levels of stress but chronic stress is dangerous to the health of anyone and this is precisely why stress management and relief is very important.
Every cell of the organism is affected by chronic stress and this can cause serious issues. Regular, increasing stress can be hazardous to the health and quality of life. The physical benefits of stress relief are many and strong.
Easy and simple methods of anxiety reduction and stress relief can include: yoga, massage, aromatic baths, spending time with loved ones, in nature, sport, listening or playing music, gardening etc.
Natural Ways of Stress Relief
Of course, natural stress relief is always better that pharmaceuticals, smoking or alcohol, because unlike these it is an agent of well-being.
Our hands have pressure points, and if massaged these can release tension as well as stress and pain relief. This is actually the center of acupuncture, massage and reflexology.
The energy of stress in it various forms can be accessed through the hand, according to Japanese tradition. Every emotion can be responded by a certain finger. These self-relaxation reflexology method can battle the negative energies one by one and release them completely from the organism.
The best thing is that it can be done anywhere at any time, as often as you like.
- Thumb: worry and anxiety reduction
- Index: overcome fear
- Middle: anger and frustration control
- Ring: sadness and depression relief
- Pinky: stimulation of self-esteem and general outlook
Japanese Self-Massage of the Hand Technique
Focus for a couple minutes on each finger, and then:
- Open your hand with fingers spread but relaxed. Starting with the thumb, grasp the sides of the tip on either side of the nail and pinch with slight pressure. Slowly go down the thumb, in direction of the palm while gently pressuring the sides until you can feel the pulse. Have a break in every posture, giving a chance to your mind to concentrate on releasing only before moving to the other fingers. Finish the massage with a bit of pressure to the center of the palm, with the other thumb, staying in the position for a minute or longer.
- In the middle of the area between the index finger and the thumb there is a pressure point in the muscle just on top of the base of the thumb where the bones from the two fingers meet. There are many nerves passing through the muscle which connect the hand and the rest of the organism. Tension relief in this spot can be felt in the head, neck, back and many other parts and you will generally feel better. Squeeze this muscle with the thumb and the forefinger of the other hand and massage it.
- The wrist on the inside, has a pressure point too where the bones of the hand and the arm join. Pressuring this spot a bit is thought as help to relief of negative emotions and energies. You might feel tingling sensation of slight numbness when applying the pressure.
- The other side of the hand, where the outer wrist is a small indentation. Pressuring this point a bit, stimulates relaxation as well as clarity of the mind.
