Anxiety is a term describing a state of inner turmoil, which is often accompanied by nervous behaviors, including negative thinking and physical disorder.
Most people with anxiety feel an overwhelming sense of dread, particularly over something that may have already happen or will happen in the future. Although anxiety shares many traits similar to fear, they’re not the same.
People typically don’t understand why they might feel anxiety, but it’s a common occurrence in many people around the world. As a normal response to stress, people experience various forms of anxiety even if their stress isn’t as serious as they’d expect.
Some people have anxiety of most aspects of their life, especially if they worry constantly about the things they may do or might end up doing in the future.
Given the nature of anxiety, it’s pretty normal for people to have it at some point in their lives. Some people, however, have anxiety on a near-regular basis. Due to that, they may need help finding ways to cope with and eventually relieve their anxiety.
Why do people get anxiety?
People get anxious for various reasons. Long term anxiety, in general, is typically believed to develop in people for genetic or traumatic reasons.
Genetics play a role in influencing brain chemistry, the system of neurochemicals like neurotransmitters that help balance emotional state, mood and other mental functions. Any known disruptions in its balance may be passed through familial genetics.
Trauma, especially, mental trauma also alters how the mind responds to stress, changing the mind to overreact and cause ongoing anxiety. People with psychological disorder commonly experience anxiety as a side effect.
Anxiety often appears with disordered thinking, contributing to the disoriented state of mind that people with mental disorders experience.
The symptoms of anxiety
Most people with anxiety feel mental and physical symptoms. In most cases, people with anxiety feel:
- An overwhelming sense of panic or fear.
- An overwhelming sense of losing control over their situation, as if they’re ‘going crazy.’
- Constantly nervous or worried.
They also feel physical symptoms, such as:
- Heart palpitations and/or chest pain.
- Feeling as if they’re about to pass out.
- Trouble breathing properly.
- Muscular tension and/or numbness in limbs, body or face.
Some people also have difficulty with concentration or remembering things. The symptoms of anxiety vary between people, since individuals often manifest long term anxiety in different ways.
Treating anxiety with acupressure?
Acupressure is mainly characterized through its individual treatment process. It involves a practitioner applying physical pressure to specific points used in acupuncture.
The main point of applying pressure to those points is clearing any blockages in its corresponding meridians. Pressure is generally applied by hand or elbow, though there are some cases where a practitioner may use a special device.
Some resources have found that acupressure might be effective at helping people manage various bodily ailments, including nausea or vomiting.
It’s also said to help relieve headaches, stomach ache, tension headaches and even symptoms from anxiety. So, can acupressure really help relieve anxiety? In this article, we’re going to examine whether that’s true and the specific points used in acupressure for anxiety.
How acupressure affects and treats anxiety
Interestingly enough, acupressure is one of many natural anxiety treatments that allow people to treat their anxiety without using prescription drugs. Acupressure actually treats the same meridians that are treated in acupuncture, though some points may vary.
This all natural treatment mainly focuses on specific points of the body located along the ears, the forehead, the foot and wrist to treat anxiety.
The amount of research supporting acupressure as an effective natural treatment is still scarce, at this time. Even though some studies have been conducted to find whether acupressure works, most medical resources need more evidence before appointing acupressure as a ‘proven’ medical treatment.
People have tried acupressure to treat anxiety in the past. Though, according to most experts who have researched the link between acupressure and anxiety, acupressure works best as a supplemental treatment to other anxiety treatments like medication.
Acupressure points for anxiety relief
Acupressure is a supplemental treatment to other anxiety treatments, making it suitable for using alongside anxiety medication and other treatments.
While people can find an acupressure practitioner to get treatment, acupressure can also be self-administered to provide instant relief. We’d like to present a few acupressure points for anxiety anyone can try to help relief their anxiety at home. Let’s take a look at them:
Heavenly Pillar
This point is located on the shoulders, about midway between the neck’s base and the shoulders, and about an inch outward from the spine. This helps relieve nervous tension and a stiff neck; it also helps increase flu and cold resistance.
Heavenly Rejuvenation
This point is also located on the shoulders, about midway between the neck’s base and the shoulders, and about a half-inch below the top of the shoulders. This point also helps relieve nervous tension and a stiff neck; it also helps increase flu and cold resistance.
Crooked March
This point is located on the inside of the arm, near the lower end of the elbow’s crease when the arm bends. It helps relieve common symptoms of anxiety, such as a nervous stomach, arm pain, elbow pain and chest discomfort.
Inner Gate
This point is located in the middle of the forearm’s inner side, about 2 1/2 finger widths from the wrist’s crease. It helps relieve symptoms from anxiety like heart palpitations, wrist pain and nausea.
Spirit Gate
This point is located at the side of the forearm that aligns with the little finger, right at the wrist’s crease. This point helps relieve emotional imbalances, nervousness, fear, forgetfulness and any other symptoms associated with anxiety.
Third Eye Point
This point resides between the eyebrows, within the indentation where the nose’s bridge joins the forehead. It helps calm the body in order to relieve nervousness.
Sea of Tranquility
This point resides at the center of the breastbone, about three thumb-widths from the bone’s base. It mainly helps relieve nervousness, anguish, depression, hysteria, emotional imbalances and anxiety symptoms like chest tension.
