Stress in the Modern Age

“Just Relax"

Healthcare professionals often recommend that patients decrease the amount of stress in their life to improve health. The part that can get left out is how exactly one should go about doing this. Many folks realize that the daily stress they endure isn’t benefiting them, but are at a loss on how to implement long term change. What seems as simple as “relaxing” or “taking a break” has proven to be an ongoing battle with internal and external structures that have been pervasively built over time. Stress reduction has become stressful.

Systemic Stress

Work culture is often centered around productivity, profits and competition and in many cases, at the expense of our health. Many folks work long hours and then bring work home with them, allowing little time for rest. Perhaps one reason for this is the perception that slowing down or taking a break equates to someone who is lazy, unmotivated or unsuccessful. This judgement would certainly be undesirable if you’re trying to remain in good standing at your job or get a promotion. Stigmas like this can lead to people avoiding taking breaks at work, working when they’re sick or not utilizing vacation time.

These capitalist structures in place extend far beyond work culture and disproportionately affect folks of low income and people of color, reflecting further the societal underpinnings around stress.

We live in a system rooted in patriarchy and white supremacy that puts profit over people, and then blames people for not taking care of themselves. It’s no wonder folks don’t know where to begin when told to “just relax”.

Revealing Clarity

So what do you do when you live in a system that values profit more than human life? You fight to change the system. With COVID-19, we saw how easily existing structures could change and it revealed the inherent uncertainty that is apart of life. In Chinese medicine, the Liver is associated with planning and looking head to the future— something our culture does excessively. COVID-19 put a halt to this Liver energy, forcing us to be in the present and live with the unknown. For many, this new norm led to feelings of anxiety, grief and fear.

As time passed, we eventually gained creativity. We found new ways to connect with our social groups, move our bodies and enjoy the small things like a cup of coffee in the morning or going for a walk in our neighborhood. Time, which was normally spent consumed with work, began to yield clarity. With clarity came awareness of our values, what is truly important, and what we don’t want to “go back to.”

With the Black Lives Matter movement, we see a call to action. A demand for different structures and systems that have long held racist, discriminatory and dangerous conditions for Black, Indigenous People of Color and created a harmful disconnect in our communities.

While we continue to fight for systemic change, we must practice the radical act of communal and self care. In a system that profits off your overwork, struggle and health, we can contribute to the fight by caring for ourselves. It is crucial we rest, and recharge in order to keep moving forward.

Impacts of Stress on the Body

Though many of us can agree that stress doesn’t necessarily feel good, we often aren't fully aware of the impact that long term stress has on the body. Understanding some of the responses our bodies have can not only help us identify when we are chronically stressed, but also help us see the importance of carving out time in our day for stress reduction strategies.

Immune Function

Long term stress has been shown to weaken our immune response. Studies show that the stress hormone cortisol can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system by decreasing the body’s lymphocytes — the white blood cells that help fight off infection.

Digestion

When we are stressed, our nervous system enters what is known as a fight or flight response. This response signals to the body that its energy and resources are better utilized in areas that will help us evade harm. Digestive secretions that help digest food are decreased and more blood flow is directed to parts of the body like our muscles, heart and lungs. If our body is consistently in fight or flight mode, this can lead to irregular bowel movements and exacerbate chronic gut conditions like IBS.

Sleep

A study by the American Psychological Association found that 43 percent of Americans report that stress has caused them to lie awake at night. When we sleep, our body undergoes muscle repair and memory consolidation. If we don’t get enough of it, it can affect everything from memory to judgment and mood.

Menstrual Cycle

Some studies have found a link to perceived levels of stress and irregular and painful menses.

Body Pain

Muscle tension is one of the most obvious (and yet not so obvious) aspects of stress. Whether its clenching the jaw or tensing shoulders, many folks don't notice tension until the pain of these long held patterns sets in months or even years later.

Acupuncture + Herbal Medicine for Stress

Kecia inserting acupuncture needle into patients ankle region

Acupuncture is widely known for promoting feelings of calm and relaxation. This occurs because it aids in regulation of the autonomic nervous system. During a treatment, the sympathetic nervous system that is responsible for much of our stress response (fight or flight), is able to regulate to a parasympathetic state, or what is known as rest and digest. Whenever you feel relaxed, that is your parasympathetic system taking over. Acupuncture has also been shown to have an impact on mood boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin and endorphins.

Herbal Medicine is another addition to treatments that help regulate stress response throughout the week. Not only do herbs have measurable chemical constituents that can aid in calming the nervous system, but taking the herbs is also a reminder to the body to take a pause.

*Functions of the Autonomic Nervous System*

A Little Bit, Every Day

Acupuncturists can facilitate a state of relaxation, helping to nourish a chronically stressed nervous system, but what you do outside of the treatment room is crucial to mitigating stress long term. If time feels scarce, I first encourage patients to observe the amount of time spent on social media or watching television. Theres mixed data on the impact of social media and whether it is beneficial or causing us harm. One thing that is agreed upon is that we spend a lot of time using it.

As of 2019, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 144 minutes per day. I recommend replacing some time spent on devices with just a few of moments of the following free/low cost activities to help manage stress. Don’t get overwhelmed with doing every activity all at once— that’s not necessary. The body craves consistency. Sending your body small signals every day that it is safe to rest will make a difference in the long term. Will it fully take away the impact of capitalism on our mind and body? Im afraid not. Stress mitigation is a daily practice of communal and self nourishment. The anti-capitalism

Nature

Go for a walk in your neighborhood, local park or nearby trail. Don’t have access to a park or trail? Even looking a tree for 5 minutes has benefits. See my blog on trees for some of the benefits of being around trees.

Breathe

The breath is a powerful tool to help calm the nervous system. I recommend the book “How to Breathe”as a good beginners guide to breathing techniques for specific emotions. If you’re a science buff, you’ll like “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.”

Meditation

Im partial to meditation apps like Simple Habit, HeadSpace, or Calm. They have hundreds of guided and unguided meditations, some of which have topics that address specific stressors such as losing a job or a loved one. If you’re new to meditation I recommend trying one of these apps.

Treat Yourself

Make a bath. Put on a face mask, throw in the bubbles, light a candle. Though I do love a good feet in the bubble bath photo, try to keep social media and your phone out of you time. The bath is a perfect place to try out the breathing techniques mentioned above!

Self-Affirmation

Be kind to yourself! Regularly repeating positive affirmations may sound silly, but has been shown to have psychological benefits. According to a 2013 study on self affirmation, acute and chronic stress was shown to disrupt problem-solving and creativity. Researchers found that self-affirmation in the form of connecting to core values, improved problem-solving performance in underperforming chronically stressed individuals.

Read… but take a break from the news

According to the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Stress in America survey of nearly 3,500 adults in the United States, 56 percent of people say that following the news causes them stress. Next time skip the news and go for a book. Books provide us an opportunity to learn something new or be taken away to a magical land. I recommend one of my favorite books on the subject of stress: How to Get Away: Finding Balance in Our Overworked, Overcrowded, Always-On World by Jon Staff

Community

Making time for folks that bring us joy and provide us social support is important for maintaining good physical and mental health.

Put Down the Phone

Studies show that we are still distracted by our phone even when we aren’t using it! If you can see your phone, you’re more likely to want to pick it up. I find leaving my phone in another room helps me check it less frequently.

Stretch

Stretching increases blood flow to muscles and can reduce the tension created by stress. There are many Youtube videos and stretching guides available for free online. Typing in something like “stretches for sleep” or “stretches for neck tension” in Google will give you a plethora of stretch ideas. If you have an injury, its good to check with your Acupuncturist, PT or Doctor before trying new stretches.

Movement

You don't need a fancy gym or fitness goal to move. Whatever gets your Qi flowing— playing with your children or dog, going for a walk or even deep cleaning the house counts! From a Chinese medicine perspective, physical movement moves any stuck Qi or stagnation that has occurred from stress. Smooth flow of Qi is crucial to maintain balance in the body.