{"id":79070,"date":"2023-08-30T09:08:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T14:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=79070"},"modified":"2024-04-06T04:06:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T04:06:50","slug":"pressure-points-for-stress-relief","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/pressure-points-for-stress-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressure Points for Stress Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-79073 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1.jpg 1707w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-6187840-scaled-1-600x900.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\" \/>For centuries, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have targeted pressure points to relieve stress. This type of alternative medicine is known as acupressure.<\/p>\n<p>Acupressure is considered to be a type of massage. During acupressure, a practitioner puts pressure on specific spots around the body. The practice is used to help relieve pain, nausea, stress, anxiety and more.<\/p>\n<p>Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, which involves placing thin, painless needles at specific points along a meridian or pathway. Both acupressure and acupuncture use the same system to target points of interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAcupuncture is perhaps better known than acupressure within the U.S.,\u201d naturopathic medicine and acupuncture expert,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doctors.hackensackmeridianhealth.org\/provider\/Muftiya+Issa\/2297569\">Muftiya Issa, ND LAc<\/a>\u00a0says. \u201cHowever, both practices have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Needle-free acupressure has one advantage over acupuncture \u2013 you can try it at home.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Placing pressure on certain points along the\u00a0<strong>meridians<\/strong>, or pathways, throughout your own body may help relieve stress.<\/li>\n<li>Along the meridians, the parts of the body that are manipulated are known as\u00a0<strong>acupoints<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong><br \/>\nThe Concept Behind Acupressure<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>During acupressure, practitioners rub and put pressure on meridians for pain or stress relief.<\/p>\n<p>Practitioners believe that pressing on acupoints helps to balance the Qior natural energy. Stimulating acupoints along different meridians may relieve pain or stress, restoring the Qi.<\/p>\n<p>Some research has confirmed that acupressure\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/35770564\/\">is effective at relieving stress<\/a>. Studies have shown that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8071356\/\">acupressure has a calming effect<\/a>, compared to other treatments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpecific acupoints help to relieve stress, while other acupoints may improve overall health and wellbeing,\u201d Muftiya says. \u201cA licensed acupuncturist will discuss your symptoms with you and be able to curate a plan tailored to your needs, targeting specific acupoints.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to Perform Acupressure at Home<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to see an acupuncturist or massage therapist to start your journey in relieving stress, it is possible to perform acupressure on yourself to help you feel calmer and more relaxed.<\/p>\n<p>To relieve stress through acupressure, you\u2019ll need to put pressure on specific acupoints. There are several acupoints that can be manipulated to reduce stress.<\/p>\n<p>Try targeting these acupoints:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Between the eyebrows.<\/strong>\u00a0Find the spot right between your eyebrows, above the bridge of your nose. Gently massage the spot, using small circular motions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Between the thumb and index finger.<\/strong>\u00a0The webbing between thumb and index finger contains a stress-relieving pressure point. Gently pinch the spot between your opposite thumb and forefinger, holding the position.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Where the neck and shoulder meet.<\/strong>\u00a0Massage the area at the base of your neck with your thumb. If you can\u2019t reach the spot easily, use a massage tool or tennis ball.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The top of your head.<\/strong>\u00a0Use small circular motions on the top of your head at its exact center. The pressure should help to relieve stress.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Between your big toe and second toe.<\/strong>\u00a0Target the webbing between your first two toes, like the webbing on your hand. Pinching the area firmly should help to relieve stress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong><br \/>\nTips to make acupressure more effective<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re targeting acupoints at home, follow this basic guidance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t press too hard.<\/strong>\u00a0You can apply firm pressure, but don\u2019t press hard enough to cause discomfort. For hard-to-reach spots, you may use a massage tool or tennis ball.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid pressing on damaged skin.<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t apply pressure to an acupoint if you have a cut, rash or scar tissue. The manipulation may further harm your skin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hold each position.<\/strong>\u00a0Practitioners recommend that you press on each acupoint for 30 seconds to three minutes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>See a practitioner.<\/strong>\u00a0Have someone trained in acupressure show you where to apply pressure, and how hard. If you\u2019re pregnant, don\u2019t try acupressure at home without consulting with a licensed acupuncturist.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Repeat as necessary.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s okay if you use acupressure several times per day to relieve stress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/person-massaging-the-palm-of-a-hand-6187840\/\">Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org\/en\/healthu\/2023\/08\/07\/pressure-points-for-stress-relief\">Original post <em>HealthU<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-contributor-header\"><span class=\"enhanced\">Clinical Contributors to this story: <\/span><span class=\"enhanced\">Muftiya Issa, ND LAC<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For centuries, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have targeted pressure points to relieve stress. This type of alternative medicine is known as acupressure. Acupressure is considered to be a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":79074,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false},"categories":[139,166],"tags":[633,634,136,137,138,635,143,636,155,147,165,151],"class_list":["post-79070","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-life-blog","category-wellness","tag-accupuncture","tag-acupressure","tag-ais","tag-american-institute-of-stress","tag-anxiety","tag-at-home","tag-mental-health","tag-pressure-points","tag-research","tag-stress-management","tag-stress-relief","tag-workplace-stress","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pressure Points for Stress Relief - The American Institute of Stress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/pressure-points-for-stress-relief\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pressure Points for Stress Relief - The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For centuries, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have targeted pressure points to relieve stress. 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