Did you know that there is a stress triangle that keeps you stressed out in times of depression, anxiety and anger?

It is your head, neck and shoulders.

Did you ever wonder why you rub your neck when someone is telling you something bad?

That is your body getting ready to begin its tension. And when your neck goes, so does the rest of the triangle: shoulders and head. You may even begin to get a headache.

How do we decrease our risk factors related to Stress in our lives?

 

To combat the most dreadful happenings, learning some self-massage can be very helpful. To get good at self-massage, one has to become more flexible.

Doing some flexion/extension exercises with a exercise rubber band can help.

The best way ~ to have someone else rub your neck and shoulders. Having a good massage from a professional is like heaven! That is something you can ask for around the holidays.

You can learn to rub just about any part of your body, including your arms, legs and feet. I also believe that Reflexology can be self-taught too. A good foot and hand rub really helps me with stress, along with just making me feel better in general.

Awareness

The first step toward taking care of your stress in life is to become aware that you have a problem with it.

Author Elson Haas in his book: Staying Healthy with the Seasons believes that after awareness begins, improvement follows.  Healing is an art that requires the mind, body and spirit.

Often it is your pain or illness that guides you toward  finding some self-healing techniques. You know that you need help, therefore, you are looking for healing.

The Western versus Eastern Healing Methods

Western medicine focuses on finding a cure. They diagnose and then treat the disease or ailment.

The Healthy Flow of Yin and Yang

Chinese medicine believes that there is an energy flowing through the body that needs to keep flowing!

In order to stay healthy, you need balance in your life. When the flow stagnates, illness occurs. The yin and yang need to be in balance and harmony.

The Chinese believe that other internal causes stagnate our health such as stress, overeating, and overexertion can cause imbalances in our body, which can lead to accidents and chronic illnesses.

If you have too much yang or too much yin

The Chinese also believe that yang people get yang diseases such as inflammatory illnesses such as boils, strep throat, fever, muscle pains and even hypertension.

Yin imbalanced people get disease that last longer and are accompanied by low energy. Included are tuberculosis, hepatitis, and congestive heart failure. Yin diseases appear more often in  autumn and winter. Yang diseases spring and summer.

The Life force is called  “Chi”

YIN:  The “Female”~represent Earth, receptive

Yang: The “Male”~ pure energy, corresponding to heaven, active

Taken in part from: Haas, E. (2002) Staying Healthy With the Seasons. 21st Edition. San Rafeal, CA. Celestial Arts.