TCM Approach to Stress | What are the Symptoms, Factors, and Relief Method
With the improvement in living standards, people are facing increasing pressure. Alongside coping with work stress, we also need to handle various aspects of the working environment such as inflation, workplace relationships, and career planning. These factors contribute to a rise rather than decreasing pressure among office workers. Do you understand which factors in the workplace may lead to more stress for you, thereby affecting your mental health? How can you effectively express and alleviate negative emotions when dealing with pressure? Let's delve deep into workplace stress today.
TCM Approach to Stress | What are the Symptoms, Factors, and Relief Method
Symptoms of Stress
Physical
Emotional
Behavioural
Factors Increase Stress
The impact of stress on the human body, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, is considered a manifestation of "liver qi stagnation." Sometimes, it may also involve symptoms related to the digestive system and sleep. For women, it can affect menstruation and the performance of the breasts and ovaries. When "liver qi stagnation" occurs, symptoms such as chest tightness, emotional instability, poor sleep quality, headaches, dizziness, memory impairment, poor appetite, stomach pain, abnormal bowel movements, fatigue, bitterness in the mouth, abnormal ovulation or menstrual cycles, premenstrual syndrome, and others may appear. In severe cases, it may even require the use of sleeping pills or antidepressants, and it can persist for many years, significantly impacting both one's own life and that of their family.
Therefore, it is crucial to understand which factors in the workplace can lead to an increase in stress for you:
Interpersonal Relationships:
The personnel organization and interpersonal relationships between employees and employers are often sources of stress. Various workplace interactions and the dynamics involved, such as conflicts in political positions, poor communication between subordinates and superiors, satisfaction with job performance, whether personal opinions are adequately expressed and understood, etc., all have the potential to create significant stress due to the lack of coordination in group work.
Career Development:
Events in personal career planning that deviate from expectations, such as a lack of promotion opportunities, facing layoffs, or nearing retirement dates, can also be sources of stress.
Roles in the Workplace:
Personal role conflicts (such as employees often mediating between employers and employees), role ambiguity (unclear boundaries of responsibility); inadequate organizational resources and authorization, leading to frequent setbacks in carrying out work - these types of workplace systems are also sources of stress for employees.
Workload:
Both excessive or insufficient workload in terms of quality or quantity, decision-making authority, etc., can cause stress. Particularly, occupations involving the lives of others (such as doctors, police officers, aviation personnel, etc.) experience work-related stress that can affect physical health, with the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases occurring even higher than usual.
Work Environment:
Exposure to hazardous substances in the work environment, disorderliness, poor aesthetics, improper human engineering design, noise, odours, safety concerns, and other environmental factors can lead to physical and psychological discomfort for employees, thus causing stress.
Shift Work:
Shift work often disrupts individuals' circadian rhythms, leading to physical and mental exhaustion. It may also contribute to social isolation and consequently result in substance abuse or alcoholism, further harming one's health.
Personal and Social Factors:
Individual personalities influence how stress is perceived and managed. For example, individuals with Type A personalities (active, perfectionistic), obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, or existing mental health conditions may have different sensitivities to and coping abilities for stress, thus affecting their mindset to varying degrees. Social support systems also play a crucial role, as employees with religious beliefs and participation in social groups often have established channels to alleviate stress, leading to a reduction in stress levels.
Ways to Relieve Stress
- Soothe the Liver and Regulate Qi:
According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, "all diseases arise from Qi," and the liver is considered the source of all diseases. This means that the liver ensures smooth circulation of Qi throughout the body, preventing stagnation and stagnation, thereby maintaining the smooth flow of Qi and blood, and preventing the occurrence of various diseases. For individuals with liver and Qi stagnation, you can consume rose tea, fingered citron tea, etc., to soothe your liver and relieve stagnation. - Strengthen the Spleen and Nourish the Blood:
According to traditional Chinese medicine, continuous excessive worrying and mental stress can easily damage the spleen and stomach. When the spleen and stomach fail to generate Qi and blood normally, it may lead to insufficient Qi and blood in the heart. At times like this, individuals with spleen deficiency can consume tangerine peel water, red date porridge, etc., to strengthen the spleen and replenish Qi; for those with insufficient Qi and blood, they can consume lotus root pork bone soup, astragalus longan tea, etc., to nourish Qi and blood. - Regular Exercise:
Regular workouts not only help to exercise the body but also help the Yang Qi rise and promote the circulation of Qi and blood. It can also temporarily relieve your mind from work and focus on exercise to achieve the effect of releasing stress. - Balance Work and Rest:
In today's fast-paced life, we should care for our bodies and develop good living habits. Try to avoid staying up late, and ensure an adequate amount of sleep to keep the brain clear and calm. Besides work, you can also cultivate hobbies and allocate time to do things you enjoy to a great extent to relieve negative emotions and stress. - Seek Help:
When facing stress and dilemmas in the workplace, you can seek guidance from your leaders or colleagues to discuss work concerns. Not only can this help the team better understand the issues and difficulties you are facing, thereby bridging communication, but it also helps with collectively coming up with the most suitable solutions for teamwork. This improves team efficiency which to some extent should alleviate your stress. - Acupressure Massage:
Frequent massage of the following acupoints can soothe the liver, regulate Qi, improve blood circulation, and effectively relieve stress.
Tai Chong Acupoint: This point is located on the dorsum of the foot, in the depression distal to the junction of the first and second metatarsal bones. Pressing and kneading this point can regulate the yin and yang of the liver, relieve liver stagnation, and achieve the effect of soothing the liver. Press and knead vertically with the tip of your thumb, then slowly flex and extend your toes to produce sensations of soreness, numbness, swelling, pain, and radiation. Repeat this operation for 20 to 30 seconds, then gradually relax, and repeat the local massage, doing this for 5 to 10 minutes each time.
Leg Three Miles (Zu San Li) Acupoint: This point is located below the knee, with four horizontal fingers below the knee, and one horizontal finger outside the tibia. It has been considered a major acupoint for health preservation, and massage can invigorate the spleen and stomach, promote the circulation of meridians, and improve the body's immunity.
Three Yin Intersection Acupoint: It is the meeting point of the three yin meridians of the foot: the spleen meridian, the liver meridian, and the kidney meridian. It is located on the inner side of the lower leg, three inches above the highest point of the ankle bone. It is a major point for nourishing the liver and protecting the liver. Massaging Sanyinjiao can invigorate the spleen and stomach, regulate liver Qi, and tonify kidney essence. Sit upright with knees bent at right angles, and use your fingers to press and knead both Sanyinjiao points, each time for more than 15 minutes, until you feel sore and swollen.
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