Self-acupressure to lessen anxiety and stress

A season for healing: simple acupressure for self-care

During a normal year, managing stress and anxiety can be a challenge. This year, with the pandemic making every decision more difficult, it’s even more important to prioritize self-care. In particular, those of us with chronic illness could use daily time-outs – even small moments when we put our own mental and physical health first. Stress can exacerbate symptoms of Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses, so anything we can do to relax and stay centered is helpful.

This post is in honor of one amazing acupressure point, and ways you can self-stimulate it to lower stress and anxiety on any given day. The beauty of these techniques is you can spend as much or as little time on them as you have. From a 30 second round of tapping to a half-hour of self-massage, whatever time you spend with this point will be worth it.

Kidney one: Gushing Spring

Called Gushing Spring in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), kidney one is a powerful acupressure point located on the sole of your foot. You can see it pictured above – it’s found in the little depression between the ball of the big toe and the ball of the little toe.

In TCM, stimulating kidney one is used to help shift consciousness back to a relaxed, mindful state. Kidney one is literally grounding – it helps to bring energy out of spiraling thoughts in the head, and back down into connection with the earth. In essence, it softens adrenal response. I hope you feel it’s as effective as I do.

Self-massage for kidney one

• Tapping

  If you only have a few moments to ground yourself, try tapping kidney one. Kick off a shoe, have a seat, and just lightly tap the point with your fingertips, taking some deep breaths. Even just a few seconds of tuning into the feeling of this point is grounding and relaxing.

• Rolling

  If you have a little more time, find a small ball, like a tennis or lacrosse ball. (My favorite ball is called a “pinkie ball”, which is cheap online.) Standing up, place kidney one on top of the ball, and put pressure on it by leaning in. You can roll the ball slightly around, letting your foot soak up the pressure. Breathe and relax. Compare the difference between both feet after you’ve done one. Your foot will most likely feel larger and softer, more in contact with the ground.

• Self-massage after a soak

  If you have more time, either soak your feet in a warm foot bath, or take a good long bath for the whole body. Add Epsom salts and your favorite, soothing essential oils. After soaking (or during, if that works for you) use your thumbs to massage kidney one deeply and slowly. Spend as much time as you like feeling any tension release in and around this point.

Prioritizing self-care is worth it!

Stimulating kidney one is a simple daily ritual that can help you to prioritize your own mental and physical health during what can be a stressful time. These little rituals of self-care support and soften the nervous system, keeping you in the parasympathetic state of rest, digest, and repair. This state is where healing takes place, whether you’re resting in bed or out getting things done.

If you need more support, my Anxiety Relief meditation is there for you. For super deep relaxation, try listening while massaging kidney one.

Hopes for a healing season,

Shona