Depression, stress and mental fatigue are quite often our response to
our present conflict between material pressures and spiritual
aspirations. Sudden or constant stress can induce mental, physical and
emotional disorders. Research has shown that around 12 million adults
see doctors for mental health problems each year. Most of these suffer
from anxiety and depression, much of it stress-related. Disorders like
dizzy spells, anxiety, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness, muscle
cramps; chronic fatigue syndrome, hyperventilation or choking
sensation, chest pain or pressure, headaches, ulcers, indigestion,
constipation, IBS, migraines, palpitations, panic attacks, heart
attack and coronary thrombosis and other chronic health problems can
be a result of long term stress. There are exceptionally effective
holistic methods to tackle stress instead of the general prescribed
drugs, which again cause the body stress due to their side effects.
Some of the holistic methods are age-old techniques and some are new
avatars of the modern world. The Traditional Methods The traditional
methods are the oldest form of structured medicine, that is, a
medicine that has an underlying philosophy and set of principles by
which it is practiced. The principles and philosophy of Traditional
Methods always deal with natural laws, because all life is subject to
these natural laws and ill-health is usually due to an abnormal
imbalance, either within an organism, or of the organism with its
environment. Therefore Traditional Healers do not only work at
correcting the internal imbalances through which disease can manifests
in an individual, but also work at re-establishing an individual's
harmony with their environment and their relationship with the natural
cycles to which all life is subject. When there is harmony stress
fades away. Reflexology Reflexology is a non-invasive treatment
performed on the feet and sometimes on the hands. This holistic
therapy uses manipulation with pressure of varying degrees.
Reflexology focuses on areas of the feet that correspond with all body
parts. The pressure applied during reflexology stimulates the movement
of energy along the pathways, through the use of a specific finger and
thumb massage technique. By re-balancing the body and emotions,
reflexology is a countermeasure to stress and induces relaxation. Yoga
Yoga means "to unite." It's the holistic approach to all aspects of
life: physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga views the person as a
whole; as a unique combination of body, mind and soul, and its
techniques maintain that body-mind-soul harmony. Its quiet, precise
movements focus your mind less on your busy day and more on the moment
as you move your body through poses that require balance and
concentration. Yoga also offers many breathing skills for stress.
These yogic breathing techniques are termed as 'pranayama'. Yogic
meditation has proved helpful in reducing stress and anxiety, lowering
blood pressure, improving concentration and creativity besides
bringing relief from stress-induced ailments. The yoga postures
(asana), breathing (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) create
increased body awareness, release of muscular tension and increased
coordination between mind-and body. It helps in better management of
stress and ensures an overall feeling of well being. Massage Massage
is an ancient healing art, which works to calm and relax the body
through which mental anxiety is lessened. Under stress muscles are
over-worked, and the body shows many weakening symptoms such as
soreness, stiffness, and even muscle spasms. Heightened stress
responses accumulate lactic acid in the muscle and waste air inside
the body. Specific massage techniques, using hands, forearms, elbows,
or even feet are applied to a patient's body for loosening the muscles
and to locate areas of tension and other soft-tissue problems.
Acupressure Acupressure is the needle-less variation of the Chinese
healing system which believes that when accupoints or meridians or
energy pathways become blocked or congested, a person experiences
pains or discomfort on a physical level. On emotional or mental level
one may become frustrated or irritable, vulnerable, desperate, and
indecisive about life. In acupressure, practitioners use deep but
gentle finger pressure on specific acupoints to release the blocked
energy and to facilitate its smooth flow. In effect, this allows your
body/mind to relax. As your body/mind relaxes, you experience less
discomfort and stress in addition to an elevated sense of well being.
Acupressure is, perhaps, the most convenient as well as a skillful
healing art for stress. Acupuncture Acupuncture is based on the
concept of maintaining balance and harmony within the body by
facilitating the flow of life energy in it, so when chi/Qi (life
energy) inside the body becomes stagnant and congested, all kinds of
mental and physical illness follow. In order to restore chi
distribution, needles are inserted into acupoints along the meridians
of the body. A large number of neurological and musculoskeletal
disorders induced by stress can be successfully treated by
acupuncture. The principle here is to clear the blocked energy in the
muscles and nerve channels, as well as facilitating the flow of fresh
energy in them. This ensures relaxation of muscle and mind, and relief
from stress and tensions.
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