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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Reclaim Wellness Acupuncture and Functional Medicine. All service and health claims have been provided by the sponsor. Mention Take A Bite Out of Boca when booking your new-patient appointment to receive special pricing.
Ways to Relieve Stress and Relax More in the New Year
We can all collectively agree that 2020 was, at the very least, a weird and stressful year. As we approach the new year, hope for change and better times is high, especially when it comes to our mental health and stress levels.
2020 had enough stressful times, which resulted in most of us becoming anxious about starting over in the new year — but that anxiety we are feeling is still a form of stress. We’re putting stress on ourselves to wake up tomorrow and automatically be in a different, better place. But let’s be real — nothing happens overnight!
“In order to achieve optimal health, we must first put the body back into a place of peace and ease.” -Harmony Brown, AP, L.Ac, CFMP, and owner of Reclaim Wellness
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that our health is a blessing, and we need to pay attention to it! We shouldn’t limit that to just physical health, though, because mental health is just as important.
One of the ways I choose to focus on improving my own mental health is by indulging in self-care on a regular basis. This means frequent massages, facials and other skincare treatments, acupuncture, and other things that just make me feel good, and help me to relax.
At Reclaim Wellness Acupuncture and Functional Medicine, there are many ways to decompress, unwind, relax, feel balanced, at ease and just generally not worry about anything other than what’s going on in the moment.
Acupuncture
This ancient system of healing has so many benefits, stress relief being one of them. Acupuncture involves the insertion of sterile, hair-fine stainless steel needles into specific points in the body to stimulate energy, known as Qi, which promotes natural healing by increasing the organ reserves, strengthening immunity, and restoring physical and emotional health.
Not only does the treatment itself do work to reduce your stress and anxiety levels, simply being on the acupuncture table and experiencing what’s known as an “acunap” is incredibly rejuvenating. During this acunap, you’re neither awake nor asleep — you’re just in this state of being that is almost meditative, without actively meditating.
This 5,000-year-old holistic approach is something I learned about three years ago, and it’s become an intregal part of my life. No matter what, I always find myself feeling extra zen after an acupuncture treatment, and it has definitely helped calm my mind when things start to feel stressful or out of control.
Meditation
Meditation has definitely become a common practice, with more and more people engaging in in-person meditation workshops, using apps on their phones, or simply developing their own mantras to practice with. Anyone can learn how to meditate, but it definitely takes practice and dedication to really, truly understand how to make it work to your advantage. I’ll be honest — I am not good at it. I’ve tried, and I have a hard time being able to hit that pause button and just be. Some refer to it as “turning off your thoughts,” but Reclaim Wellness reminds us that that’s not the right way to look at it — it’s more about observing them.
It takes consistent dedication and motivation to continue the practice, with or without noticeable benefits when you first start. But the benefits are abundant: reduced blood pressure, decreases stress, anxiety and panic attacks, increases awareness, improves sleep, memory, focus, mood, creativity, and the list goes on and on. Reclaim Wellness can provide you with the tools to learn how to incorporate meditation into your own life. They offer a self-paced meditation program, or you can listen to free guided meditations on your own time.
Hypnotherapy and Transformational Breath Work
I’m not talking about the hypnosis you’ve seen performed on stage where people are hypnotized to say and do weird/funny things — the kind where you can’t really figure out if the person is just pretending to go along with it, or if they actually have been hypnotized. I’m talking about hypnotherapy, hypnosis with the purpose of healing, and allowing the mind to open to change. It’s a state of focused attention. You’ve surely experienced it. If you’ve ever zoned out while running, reading, or listening to music, you’ve felt hypnosis.
Hypnotherapy can help with a myriad of things, such as anxiety, stress and worrying, grief, trauma, fears, unwanted habits, self-consciousness, shame, anger, addictions, and so much more.
The Hypnotherapist at Reclaim Wellness also uses a healing practice known as Transformational Breath®, which uses sound vibration techniques and simple affirmations to help achieve a better sense of breath, which also has the potential to boost energy levels, integrate unresolved issues in the subconscious, increase a sense of peace, and reach a higher state of consciousness.
I know these healing practices might not be for everyone, but if any of these treatments sound like something you would be interested in learning more about, I encourage you to reach out to Reclaim Wellness. Schedule a consultation and speak with Harmony about how you are feeling, what kind of stress you experienced this past year, and what you want to change moving forward in 2021.
Call 561-336-3144 to book an appointment, and make sure to mention that Take A Bite Out of Boca referred you.
