Acupressure is an age-old medical practice that many of us use on a daily basis without even being aware of it. Have you ever rubbed your temples when you had a headache? How about the back of your skull when your neck hurts? If you have – you’re already using acupressure! Acupressure is just harnessing the natural healing energy of the body with the use of the fingers. This easy-to-use modality can be tried on simple everyday aches and pains such as eye strain, stress and headaches. Use it while at work, school, in the car, at the beach – literally anywhere.
Stress: Stress is caused by many things. As such, it would seem logical that there is a multitude of ways to relieve it. One of those methods is through the stimulation of acupressure point GB21. This point is known for helping to relive frustration, fatigue, shoulder tension, irritability and nervousness – all related to stress. To produce the effect desired, press the highest point of the shoulder muscle approximately midway between the spine and the outer tip of the shoulder.
Press this point on both sides of the body with the corresponding middle finger (right shoulder point with right middle finger and left shoulder point with left middle finger). Hold down with a medium amount of pressure – you don’t want to feel pain but you should press hard enough that you feel hard pressure – and breathe deeply. Slowly breathe out and bring your chin to your chest. Next, breathe in deeply while moving your chin toward the ceiling. Continue this exercise for one minute. As a precautionary note: pregnant women should either stay away from stimulating this point altogether or only press lightly.
Eye Strain: To alleviate eye strain quickly, first wash your hands thoroughly to avoid placing germs and dirt into the eyes. The next step is to apply light pressure to acupressure point B2 which is located on the upper ridge of the eye sockets close to the bridge of the nose. To more easily describe the location of this point, imagine it being on the inner edge of the eyebrows. With both thumbs (one for each eye) press upward into the indentations of the eye sockets. While stimulating this point attempt to relax and breathe deeply. Do this for one minute. This point is known for its ability to relieve red and painful eyes from straining the eyes, foggy vision and even some eye symptoms associated with allergies!
Headaches: Many times a headache can be caused by something as simple as stress or eyestrain problems. If that’s the case try acupressure point B10. This point can be found about one-half inch below the base of the skull. More exact, it’s located on the ropy muscles one-half inch outward from either side of the spine. Unlike in the last two points, this point should only be stimulated on one side at a time. Try pressing on the spot with the hand from the opposite side of the body by reaching behind the neck with the opposite hand. Press firmly for one to three minutes while breathing slowly and deeply. You can also employ imaging techniques for even more relief by envisioning the tension falling away and the headache decreasing.
