Acupressure Points For Anxiety

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, "approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder." Nearly everyone experiences anxiety occasionally and for some it can be debilitating. One way to treat anxiety is with acupressure.

Solution

Anxiety manifests itself as feelings of dread, muscle tension, rapid heart rate, dizziness and shortness of breath, and cold hands and feet. It can make you feel powerless, but in fact there are some easy self-help tools for anxiety.
Acupressure is a useful solution, because it is easy to learn, easy to do no matter where you are and requires no special equipment or supplies.
Acupressure is simply massage on the same points where an acupuncturist would insert needles. There are more than 365 known acupuncture points, but for anxiety, the best points are a group that are called "spirit points."

Function

Spirit points are so called because they have the word "shen" in their Chinese names. Shen refers to the energy of the spirit and mind, which are stored in the heart. According to traditional Chinese medicine, shen has intellectual and emotional aspects, and shen points are traditionally used for mental and emotional distress, as well as disorders of the heart itself. These points balance mental and spiritual energy.
Acupressure traditionally focuses on breathing as well as massage on the acupuncture points. Slow, relaxed, deep breathing helps to stimulate the qi, or vital energy, in the acupuncture points.

Spirit Shrine

To perform acupressure, begin with the point called "spirit shrine" or shen que. It is centered in the navel, so place your hands over your navel. While you are holding the point, straighten your posture. Practice breathing slowly, in and out, counting to 10 during each breath.
Picture a small sun in the palms of your hands, warming the shen que point while you keep breathing slowly and counting. When you can actually feel the heat of the sun in your palm and your navel, you can move on to the next point. With practice, it becomes easy to go from imagining the warmth of the sun in your hands to actually feeling the temperature of your hands increase.

Spirit Gate

The next point is called "spirit gate" or shen men. It is located your wrist. Hold the palm of one hand up and use the thumb of the other hand to press gently into the center of the wrist crease. Lightly hold the spot with your thumb while you count three slow breaths. Repeat on the other hand.

Spirit Seal

The final point is called "spirit seal" or shen feng. Use your fingertips to palpate your sternum or breastbone. About an inch above the bottom of your sternum, between your breasts, you will find a tender point. Press that point while counting three slow breaths.
Then palpate with your fingertips into the rib spaces right next to the sternum on each side. You will probably find more tender points. Hold each tender point while counting three breaths.
If necessary, repeat these steps until you feel calmer and more relaxed.