Staying sane during the global turbulence part 2.

There is no doubt that this year has been a wild ride for the collective. The themes of fear, division and uncertainty have dominated headlines and headspaces all over the globe, and for many it continues, hence why I decided to write the second part of my article “Staying sane during the global turbulence” published in March. Since then it increasingly feels like many issues that were for a long time swept under the carpet , both individually and collectively, are coming to the surface to be dealt with. We are being triggered left and right, and are forced to acknowledge, to heal, to integrate, to let go of that which no longer serves us. To shed the old and welcome the new. Those who are into self-development and healing are well aware of this process, and having done certain amount of inner work, are somehow better prepared to handle current climate. For others, it is a whole new territory and things can be terrifying. While I believe there to be a bigger picture and this chaos, albeit challenging being part of the transformational process for the planet and its inhabitants , I acknowledge the current need for extra support when it comes to mental and physical health. So let’s explore couple of additional tools to help us ride these waves.

Acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a crucial part of ancient Chinese medicine, and recently has been gaining more recognition in the West due to a lot of positive feedback. I have tried it myself quite a few times and it significantly reduced insomnia and anxiety problem I had at the time. The healing modality is based on the knowledge of the flow of subtle energy Chinese call Qi (pronounced "chee”), otherwise known as life force in our bodies. It is said to flow through a network of channels called meridians. There are 12 main meridians, each connecting to a different organ system, and they have multiple acupuncture points located on the surface of human body, which is where the practitioner inserts fine needles for various therapeutic and preventative purposes, in that way stimulating the healthy flow of the energy. Depending on where you live, acupuncture may or may not be available at the moment due to the current regulations, however there is another tool that draws on its wisdom and is easy to do yourself:

Tapping - EFT (Emotional Freedom technique).

This is something that looks and feels very odd at first, but it does work if you give it a go. It is simple enough to be done at home with a help of a YouTube video, yet powerful enough to gain some results quick, and if one wants to go deeper, to continue with the help of a licensed practitioner. The technique is incorporating the knowledge of acupuncture, as it involves applying pressure (tapping) to a particular sequence of points on ones face and body that correspond to acupuncture points, with an additional component of saying certain statements out loud to reprogram ones mind. Similarly to acupuncture, it can be used both for physical and emotional symptoms, and there is a vast online selection to chose from depending on what is coming up for you. Below is a quick intro to tapping by my favourite EFT practitioner on YouTube, Brad Yates, as well as two of his tapping videos I chose since they work with the two major collective fears at the moment - strength of the immune system and financial worries.

Both of the above mentioned modalities are considered alternative as opposed to traditional, hence why have attracted some public skepticism towards them to begin with , however by now there is a substantial amount of evidence that they are indeed therapeutic to various degrees in a lot of cases. For example as Brad mentions in the intro video, scientific research showed a significant decrease in the levels of the stress hormone cortisol as a result of tapping. In the end of the day, you just need to try and see if a certain tool works for you. While we all share the same physiology in some ways, in other ways we are very individual and respond in different ways to different approaches. Hopefully you will find this beneficial and I’m wishing you lots of health, both physical and mental. ❤️