Chronic Stress and Worry
“I have an endless list of things to worry about! And… even if there’s nothing to be anxious about I will find something!” “I am constantly under stress.” I frequently hear this complaint in my clinic.
When we are chronically stressed or in a state of worry our bodies are in survival mode.
Our nervous system will spend the majority of time in “fight or flight.” Not only is the quality of our life not so good, but the cascade of chemical circulating in our stressed bodies has a negative effect on our health.
Frances came to see me and reported: “I am exhausted all of the time, my periods are painful, my jaw hurts from clenching when sleeping, I feel overwhelmed and emotional all the time. I am a mess! Is there anything that can be done for me?”
Upon further questioning she said she was considering finding another career path and felt an underlying sense of fear all of the time. I told her, “Yes, I think I can help you but we need to give this some time.” She agreed and we began what turned out to be an incredible journey of healing on many levels.
Acupuncture treatments were focused on calming her overly taxed system and building up some of the weaknesses that developed after years of chronic stress.
I also began delving into the patterns of worry and fear that were running her life. From there I taught her techniques to use between acupuncture treatments. These tools began retraining her body from the old habit of being in worry and survival mode all of the time to re-learning how to live in ease. On a recent visit she told me she was not feeling much fear anymore – even if she tried to make herself nervous. Another huge side benefit is her income has skyrocketed in her commission based work and she has a renewed passion for her career.
These are the kind of things possible with a combination of acupuncture and the consistent use of stress relief tools.
It is not necessarily true that just because you have always been a worrier or in a pattern of chronic stress that you have to stay that way. I have seen this time and again with Frances and others like her. Begin to open up to the possibilities for a life filled with renewed energy and an inner calm. Are you ready yet? I sure hope so – experiencing a level of ease, calm and confidence is waiting for you!