At some stage of life, people may experience stress; some may experience it at an early stage of life while others may later. For instance, stress develops due to harsh experiences in childhood or growing responsibilities in life. However, factors attributing to stress could be anything from money to problems in personal life.
The prevalence of stress has grown in the US, and the causes are not surprising: money, work, job security, and personal life. American psychological association states that 73% of stress is due to money.
A persistent stressful situation for a prolonged time causes depression. People often neglect the need to work on stress, and slowly their stress gets converted into depression.
There are mainly three stress hormones that a person could control CRH, cortisol, and thyroid hormone. In life, try to incorporate certain practices to control the release of stress hormones.
Best practices to keep stress at bay
- Deep Breathing
- Exercise
- Early Waking
- Walking
- Pursuing Hobby
- Reducing caffeine intake
- Writing
People tend to pursue unhealthy habits like comfort eating, smoking, drinking to contain stress but, these unhealthy habits fire back. One must avoid smoking and drinking while under stress; instead, try to follow the suggestions mentioned above.
Even after the best practice, people may not escape stress; in such cases, they may seek therapies like counseling or Acupuncture. Counseling is a communication process that happens between a person and an expert. On the other hand, Acupuncture involves working on meridian points (energy points) in the body.
Read on to discover which therapy is better.
How counseling can help in stress relief?
Counseling helps in stress relief and is also helpful in depression. In counseling, the environment is soothing enough for a person to speak out. A counseling expert helps a person to get out of a stressful situation. After the counseling session, one may feel:-
- More engaged in life
- Self-aware
- Feel engaged in work
- Feel energetic
- Fewer mood swings
After a few regular counseling sessions, one may feel a reduction in fatigue and sleep better. Another popular therapy to fight against stress and depression is Acupuncture.
How Acupuncture can help with stress relief?
In Acupuncture, there is an intervention at both the physical and mental levels. A therapist may ask a few questions to know the level of stress in the body and mind. After a short conversation, an expert will work on pressure points present on the body. These points could be head, toe, and feet because specific pressure points are present in these areas associated with our mental health.
A therapist will insert a sterilized needle at those points. Soon, a patient may realize that some negative energy has escaped from the body. However, some people may feel a slight sensation due to the needle, but they must trigger the pressure points. Acupuncture for depression allows a person to experience the below-mentioned advantage:-
- Release of endorphins (good hormone)
- Normalize breathing
- Regulated blood pressure
- Improved cognitive behavior
- Normalize heart rate
Acupuncture therapy intervenes on a physical level to regulate the energy flow in the body. In a way, it treats stress and depression through biochemical processes occurring in the body.
Acupuncture v/s counseling-which is better?
Although it is debatable whether counseling or Acupuncture is better, one can choose either after analyzing the situation. A person may experience stress differently; sometimes, its effect could be seen on a physical level- shortness of breath, blood pressure, or sleeplessness. In such cases, Acupuncture helps a lot.
If you need a person to talk about your stress and work on it, meet a counselor.
However, Acupuncture for stress relief also involves a session of counseling followed by therapy. So, a person may choose Acupuncture to get rid of stress at mental and physical levels.
Winding it up
Stress is something that needs immediate intervention either through counseling or any other therapy. If you are experiencing stress for a long time, it’s high time you visit a certified counselor or therapist. You never know when stress gets converted into depression, so it is better to get early treatment. If you are already experiencing depression, you must visit the nearest therapist because you deserve a better life.
