Stress Prevention and Qi Energy Exercises

Stress Prevention and Qi EnergyStress and Qi energy: three keys to health improvement

In Chinese medicine, the usual term for “stress” is three different diagnoses, and each of them is associated with the depletion of one or another organ.

In Chinese medicine, all the states of the body are related to the Qi – the vital energy of a person. If this energy is not enough or it is distributed unevenly, a person falls ill. And the disease of the body and the psychological state in the East is not accepted. Therefore, when an oriental physician takes care of the patient’s treatment, he seeks to correct both the physiological and psychological problems.

STRESS # 1: KIDNEYS
Depletion of Qi of the kidneys is a condition that we call a decline of strength. His symptoms – eternal fatigue, dark circles under the eyes, lack of sexual desire, possible (but not necessary) diseases of the urinary tract and hormonal imbalance. At the psychological level, the feeling of one’s own impotence generates anxiety, fear and irritability. According to Chinese medicine, the kidneys are a place of energy storage, and if we do not replenish our energy reserve, the body begins to “burn” this reserve. What to do? Regularly, consciously replenish the stock of qi. This is possible in only three ways: sleeping, eating, breathing. The hardest part is to work on the last point – unfortunately, we live in a not very favorable ecological situation. But we are able to establish the right food and sleep.

Sleep. Chinese doctors call sleep a “golden chain that connects the body and health.” We all do not sleep, and to restore this imbalance, I recommend regular “sleepy” sessions. If a person suffers from lack of sleep for more than a month, he will need a week of quiet life in nature, without obligations and electronic devices, to restore energy. If you can not afford such a luxury, sleep regularly on weekends. The main thing is to refuse for this period from the phone, the Internet and LCD screens, which knock down biorhythms and interfere to understand when we want to sleep.

Food. We all know about the harm of junk food and the benefits of foods with a high content of trace elements. Specific products that aim to raise Qi of the kidneys are everything related to the sea: oysters, mussels, algae, fish. In addition, black sesame or sesame urbech, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts and pork possess a high energy value for the kidneys.

Meditation. This is one of the effective methods for getting out of this type of stress. The purpose of the proposed exercise is to temporarily relieve anxiety, relieve the nervous system and improve the quality of sleep.

Sit comfortably – not necessarily in Turkish: a sofa or chair will do. The back is straight, the eyes are closed, the breathing is smooth and calm. Focus on two internal indicators:

Count the number of breaths. To do this, do not accelerate or deepen your breathing: breathe as usual and count.
Keep your tongue as relaxed as possible. Let it “spread” over the lower jaw, it will become absolutely soft.
The recommended duration of meditation is 12 minutes. But it is recommended to begin with 2-3 minutes. Sitting to meditate, set the alarm clock and, as soon as it sounds, interrupt – even if you really want to continue. Thus, a sense of lack of experience will be an incentive for tomorrow’s session. After all, the secret of success is not so much in the exercise itself, as in the regularity of its implementation.

STRESS 2: Digestive tract
Depletion of Qi digestive system is associated with such symptoms as regular abdominal pain, flatulence, heartburn, stool disruption. This Chinese diagnosis corresponds to Western gastritis, duodenitis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pancreatitis and other troubles. Due to the fact that food is not digested and nutrients come in insufficient quantities, the condition may be accompanied by weakness, pallor, a tendency to dizziness. And among other things, this is the direct way to anemia. How does this relate to the psychological state? A person who hardly digests food on an emotional level can not “digest” their own experiences – express them in words, explain their dissatisfaction with the situation, and therefore, change it for the better. Such people tend to accumulate grievances, refuse to communicate without explaining the reasons, suddenly (seemingly from scratch) to be angry, and the girls – to cry without an obvious reason for the surrounding people.

Food. Those who are faced with digestive problems, quickly refuse junk food and switch to the so-called healthy diet: more fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, whole grains. However, the affected gastrointestinal tract is unable to digest raw food, and the person falls into a vicious circle: he eats properly, but the situation does not improve. Therefore, for problems with digestion, Chinese doctors prescribe a long sparing diet: boiled vegetables, thermally processed fruits, boiled cereals. Soups on a long-brooding broth, chill and jelly. In small quantities – sauerkraut, pickled vegetables. The diet is prescribed for a period of 6-8 months: easily digestible products allow the gastrointestinal tract to rest and recover. To the body received additional vitamins and minerals, the diet is supplemented with decoctions of goji berries, chia seeds, sesame seeds. Help the work of the stomach and intestines such spices as ginger, cumin, cloves, coriander, fennel.

Verbalization. When a person can not “digest” what is happening, verbalize his thoughts and feelings, cognitive psychology can give good results. It is necessary to discuss and try to express your feelings most clearly. Some people will find it easier to do this in writing – for example, to keep a diary. You can also recommend vocal or acting courses: then intense emotions will be realized in a creative format.

STRESS № 3: LIVER
In traditional medical treatises it is said that the liver is responsible for the distribution of energy in the body. If the liver is stagnant energy, the work of other organs and systems is disrupted. And where this problem “shoots” at the level of symptoms, it is not known. On an ongoing basis, there may be problems with digestion, sleep disorders – difficulties with falling asleep and awakening. From a psychological point of view, a person who is exposed to this type of stress feels: “I have a complete mess in my life!” He accumulates a lot of things that he can not make out. It is impossible to determine exactly where the “stagnation” occurred: you spin like a squirrel in a wheel, but things just come, plunging a person into the swamp of unfulfilled debts and obligations.

Food. People with this type of stress, as a rule, have enough energy, so we can assume that with the quality of sleep and nutrition, things are more or less normal. In this case, the main task in the formation of a diet is to establish a fat exchange so that the liver rests and restores its work. Therefore, you should abandon fatty meat, and give preference to vegetable oils and oily fish. In Chinese medicine, five kinds of fish are particularly useful: salmon, mackerel, anchovy, sardine, sprat and tuna. If you can not buy fresh or frozen fish, you can take biologically active supplements with omega-3. Among the specific products that have beneficial effects on the liver, are rosemary, mint, dog rose, marjoram, anise and cardamom. You can use these plants in the form of seasonings to food or brew herbal teas.

Planning. Those who do not have a vision of the future need to learn how to plan their time – and in particular, to make plans for the future. First of all make a clear list of cases: feasible, unrealizable and hypothetical. Sort and tick as you complete. Use one of the many methods of time management: your task is to systematize your schedule as clearly as possible. A person with a healthy liver knows exactly what he wants now and in the distant future, and a clear systematization of time will bring up this skill.

Exercises. In Western medicine, it is commonly believed that getting rid of stress is directly related to physical stress: the movement burns stress hormones, frees up additional energy, and after classes the person feels better. This is partly true. However, physical exertion can be reliably recommended only to the holders of the third, “hepatic” type of stress. In the first two options, the exercise does not have enough resources, and before starting to engage, it is necessary to restore the reserve of forces.

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