Our mindset is one of the most important factors in good health. Chinese medicine has some basic health principles that apply to the way we think and act in order to manage our stress and ride through the turbulence of hardships and setbacks with minimal health consequences.
Sleep
In Chinese Medicine, we say that you should get up when the sun rises and go to bed when the sun sets. While this isn’t practical in modern life, going to bed and getting up at a consistent time every day will help with a good night’s sleep and reduce stress.
Sleep is when your body repairs and it’s important to have good sleep habits. Create a bedtime ritual to unwind, turn off screens 30 minutes before sleeping, avoid afternoon caffeine and alcohol, and don’t eat too late in the evening.
Meditation
Research shows that regular meditation causes a response called the Relaxation Response, which is the very opposite of the fight or flight stress response. There are many useful tools that can be used to induce the Relaxation Response, and meditation is one of the simplest. Classes, books, apps, and audio tracks can all help you to establish a daily meditation practice.