As infants, our instinct is to do what we need to in order to have our needs met. . Somewhere along the line, we forget to ask for what we need and self care falls by the wayside and as adults we may think eating well, exercising, and sleeping up to 8 hours a night is enough. As it turns out, the level of stress we live under is so great that we need an extra boost to get us to a place of calm. Many people forget to manage their stress levels, which can lead to a number of health problems such as obesity, anxiety, depression, and even cancer. Lucky for us, the oldest and newest stress relief tools can be found in integrative treatments.

 

If you have experienced a rise in stress levels or struggle with anxiety, talk therapy and medication are great solutions. But you might need more than what those traditional approaches have to offer, and integrative treatments can be amazing stress-busters.

 

In this blog, we have outlined why you should use an integrative medicine approach for stress management and some different integrative treatments to choose from.

 

Why Use Integrative Medicine for Stress Management?

 

Unfortunately, feeling stressed is inevitable, and it can have a way of taking over our entire lives. From traffic jams to school or work, not to mention a global pandemic, we are surrounded by stressors daily. That’s why it is so crucial to develop healthy coping skills.

 

Integrative medicine is not meant to give you a stress-free life. It is meant to help you manage stress and decrease your response to stressors where you can. While traditional medicine suggests medication and temporary lifestyle changes to cope with stress, integrative health combines conventional and complementary medicine practices and will develop a customized treatment plan to heal your mind, body, and spirit.

 

People with long-lasting conditions including asthma, chronic pain, infertility, addiction, depression, and insomnia, can benefit from integrative treatments.. It maximizes well-being with disease-focused therapies and healing opportunities from complementary therapies. Complementary therapies can help people achieve a better appetite, a happier state of mind, improved memory, restful sleep, and relief from pain.

 

7 Integrative Treatments for Reduced Stress

 

Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy

 

Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy (MBSR) are some of the most common integrative treatments for anxiety and depression as well as chronic stress and mood disorders

 

Meditation is something everyone can do. When we meditate, we lower stress levels, connect with ourselves, and improve focus. It helps one reach a relaxed state of mind by focusing on breathing and awareness of the mind and body.

 

By focusing on deep relaxation, MBSR helps people become more aware of how negative thoughts can impact their physiological state. The benefits of MBSR include:

• Reduced stress
• Improved memory and attention
• Greater to emotional ups and downs
• Enhanced relationships

 

Acupuncture

 

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine approach that involves the insertion of tiny needles into your skin to stimulate the immune and nervous systems. This integrative treatment balances the flow of energy in your body, reducing stress, anxiety, nervousness, pain, and sleep disorders.

 

When the needles stimulate the central nervous system, chemicals are released into your brain, muscles, and spinal cord, promoting healing and improvement of your  mental and physical well-being.

 

Emotional Freedom Technique

 

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as “tapping”, is an energy healing service that uses tapping to create balance in your energy and treat pain. It has also been used to treat anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). By focusing on meridian points, EFT can relieve negative feelings and emotions from personal experiences, reducing stress and bringing us to a state of clarity.

 

Breathwork Therapy

 

When our bodies are under stress, we often forget to take a step back and focus on our breathing. Breathwork therapy is an integrative treatment that utilizes breathing exercises to improve mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. To calm your mind and body, breathwork includes elements of different breathing exercises and bodywork, which increases oxygen flow in the body.

 

By controlling our breathing and deeply exhaling and inhaling, we increase self-awareness, reduce stress and anxiety, lower symptoms of chronic pain and depression, and balance the nervous system. Individuals, couples, and groups can benefit from breathwork therapy as it allows us to deeper understand ourselves and gives us more energy throughout the day.

 

Sound Healing

 

Whether you notice it or not, sound affects our mood and subconscious daily. Sure, some sounds are soothing like waves and music, but others can be irritating like car alarms. Sound healing is an excellent stress-buster that can actually heal you by focusing on the power of vibrations and frequency waves. By creating harmony in the body, this integrative treatment relaxes our mind, body, and soul.

 

Sound Healing uses a variety of musical instruments, such as Tibetan bowls and drums, to bring the body to a meditative state. These sessions can alleviate anxiety, depression, and insomnia while increasing blood circulation and reducing respiratory rates.

 

Crystal Therapy

 

Crystal therapy is a type of energy healing that taps into different crystals and promotes healing throughout the body. This integrative medicine technique restores balance and enhances energy flow, leading to reduced stress levels. It releases negative, disease-causing energy and replaces it with positive healing energy.

 

Crystal therapy is used to induce deep relaxation, release stress and pain, promote balance spiritually and physically, and improve general wellness.

 

Massage

 

While you may think massages are just a leisure activity, studies have shown massages are a great stress-buster. Like acupuncture, massages can release feel-good chemicals that result in a relaxed state of mind. Massages can be used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and/or chronic stress. Although you can benefit from one session alone, a few sessions will be even more effective.

 

While there are many more integrative treatments for stress and anxiety, these 7 will deliver positive results. At calm nest, we offer energy therapies and healing services that will help you manage stress better and serve your body the care it needs.

 

Ready to reach a place of positivity and health? Book a private session or group session with one of our practitioners today!