​How to Design a Self-Care Routine With Acupressure: Benefits and Sample Routines

You live in a fast-paced world where hustle culture is glorified, and everything seems to necessarily reap results instantly otherwise it is useless. Needless to say, this is not healthy behavior or mindset; and has real impacts on your well-being. It burns you out and leads to mental health issues like anxiety and worry, stress eating, and weight gain.

Sometimes, however, your life circumstances can’t be modified just yet. What do you do then?

The short answer is to take care of your help by creating a self-care routine. Hot baths, a relaxing massage session, or even meditation, are all beneficial practices. But what if you could design a self-care routine with acupressure that addresses specific problems in your life and helps you solve them?

Wouldn’t that be a wiser choice?

In that case, this is what you are going to learn in this post, how to structure your routine to match your current state, which points to select, and how to stimulate them. Stay tuned.

​Why Choosing Acupressure for a Self-Care Routine

Creating a self-care routine is the single best decision you can make after securing good nutrition and quality sleep. Self-care is mandatory but most of the time neglected.

And this is not a fad of recent times, it is deeply rooted in ancient Chinese medical theory and martial arts teaching. Ancient Chinese philosophers and martial artists alike recognized the value of a well-designed self-care routine.

Not only does it help you relax and ease the burden of the day, but also helps you become more resilient.

A good self-care routine must have some requisites to be effective and give you the most results. This is where TCM and the modern way diverge.

The common practice in the West is to design a routine that helps you wind down and relax. Nothing wrong there, it is just incomplete, and sometimes the method is not ideal. So, what makes a self-care routine effective?

I’d say it needs to accomplish three to four things mainly:

• It needs to relax you both physically and mentally.
• It needs to help you have a mindful time.
• It also needs to let your mind wander freely.
• It needs to address the health issues you are facing right now.

Where does Acupressure fit in here?

If you choose to design a self-care routine with acupressure, you will be accomplishing all four at the same time.

Acupressure needs your focus and attention for it to have good results, making you mindful of the things you are doing. While stimulating the Acupoints, you will be promoting blood flow to your organs addressing the health issues you may be facing.

What’s more, using specific Acupuncture points for self-care will help you relax and lower your stress levels. Points combinations like the Buddha triangle which you will learn here.

Besides, deciding to include acupressure in your routine allows you to take a more active and intentional approach to self-care. Then, after you have completed your routine you can sit back, relax, and let your mind wander and scatter only with the extra benefit of a relaxed state.

Great, you have seen how acupressure fits the picture and how it is a great addition to your self-care routine.

Now let’s see what specific benefits will have knowing how to design a self-care routine with acupressure.

​Benefits of a Self-Care Routine with Acupressure

Acupuncture and Acupressure leverage the knowledge and functioning of the meridians to improve your health. Acupressure focuses on using your hands to achieve this goal and it has the advantage of being able to be used anywhere you want.

So, how exactly does mastering how to design a self-care routine with acupressure will benefit you?

What changes you will feel and see?

That’s what comes next…

Promoting blood flow

The stimulation given to the acupuncture points increases blood flow locally and systematically afterward. The pressing and rubbing create changes in the micro-circulation that increase the rate of blood flow in the area.

Research has shown that stimulating points like Large intestine 4 in your hand and Stomach 36 increases blood flow, especially in your limbs.

This increase in blood flow helps your body bring in more nutrients to areas that may need it like tendons, ligaments, and even the internal organs helping them repair faster and get rid of toxins better.

Helps with lymphatic drainage

The massaging of the acupuncture points has a direct impact on your lymph nodes and pathways. Some acupuncture points are located near important lymphatic nodes and massaging the area has a similar effect to lymphatic drainage.

This builds up on the previous points allows you to clear the blocked pathways and makes a detox more effective.

Treats specific issues

The main purpose of Acupressure is not to promote increased blood flow and help with lymphatic drainage by itself, no. Those are just partial mechanisms and signs of how acupressure works in the body.

Remember that Acupressure is focused on regulating the flow of Qi and Blood throughout your body.

By doing this, acupressure is capable of dealing with a wide array of issues like headaches, high Blood Pressure, joint pain, stress and insomnia, poor digestion, bloating, menstrual cramps, poor eyesight and clouded sight, and much more.

Selecting problem-specific points will help you deal with and treat those ailments with the advantage of a constant, daily treatment that compounds over time.

Mindfulness exercise

One little-known fact about Acupressure and Acupuncture is the utility and the necessity of intent. You have to be present and intentional about what you are doing if you want to get the desired outcome.

This needed intention makes you more mindful.

Mindfulness practices have been seen to increase the focus ability of people, so needed nowadays, and to reduce stress levels. Your whole attention is focused on stimulating the point, breathing properly, and feeling your body and its reaction to the massage.

This mindfulness in turn helps your mental health by shutting off your inner dialogue and giving your mind rest.

An important thing to note is that while all those effects are seen while doing Acupressure, they are not the only ones and Acupressure accomplishes more than that.

Now let’s get technical.

​How to design a Self-Care Routine with acupressure

If you are interested in learning how to design a self-care routine with acupressure, here is where you will get to learn just that.

Some things you must take into account are:

• Time of the day you want to do the routine: Morning routine, night routine, both.
• Desired outcomes: Treating a specific illness, relaxing yourself to sleep better, improve digestion.
• If it is a standalone routine or part of a bigger routine: This influences the amount of points you will be selecting and the time spent stimulating them.

These are all important factors because they determine the structure and duration of your self-care routine. A morning routine usually lasts less because you have to get ready for work so you will choose something quicker, whilst a night routine gives you the freedom to be more creative because you can allocate all the time you want to the routine.

Unless you do night shifts…

Here are some guidelines and tips for when you are creating your self-care routine with acupressure:

Choose energizing routines for the morning.

The best way to structure your acupressure routine is to make it match your inner clock. In the mornings your Yang is rising meaning your vital activities focused on movement and action are the ones receiving the energy. Raising your energy levels is crucial to set you up for a good day.

In modern science, it has also been shown the importance of getting sunlight and exercise early in the morning. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has been one of the most popular voices in this.

Choosing energizing routines not only raises your overall energy levels but also prepares your Zhang-fu organs to better perform their functions.

One example of such routine is the Asthma relief routine which you can check in my 5-step guide.

Treat one illness at a time or choose broad acting points plus one or two specific ones.

Don’t try to cover a lot of things at first. Focus on the most important health problem you are facing and treat that.

Or choose some broad acting points like Large Intestine 4 and Stomach 36 which work in almost every issue. In fact, many acupuncture prescriptions include these two points because of how powerful they are. So capitalize on them if you want to increase your general well-being and health.

If you would like to try a mixed approach you can pick two or three broad acting points and then add one or two disease-specific points to your routine and rotate them.

One day you pick the points for poor digestion, another day you choose those related to reducing stress, and so on. The advantage lies in the constant use of generic points.

Leave some time between the acupressure routine and bedtime

While some points are used for reducing stress and relaxing your mind, you should leave some time between the end of your acupressure routine and the time you go to bed, this lets your body switch into resting mode.

Remember, even though these points do relax you, you are still being mindful and using your intent in the message. After you are done it is good to let the mind roam free (not overthink though) and transition into sleep mode.

Furthermore, some points may be painful or you can feel some discomfort when stimulating the points, this is an indication of a disturbance in the flow of energy that has to be resolved. The feeling of pain usually arouses you so you will need some time to wind down.

The acupressure routine should not last longer than 15 minutes

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, in acupuncture, there are two main ways to stimulate the points: Tonification and Dispersion/Reduction. Each one with its directions and timing.

Tonification goes in favor of the acupuncture meridian and lasts less than 12 minutes, usually 10 while Dispersion lasts 20 minutes or longer, usually 20.

When using acupressure, you usually use a method midway between both that has commonly been known as Harmonization, neither stimulating nor sedating the point. This is a common practice in acupuncture too.

The whole routine must last around 15 minutes give or take 3 minutes. That way you ensure a proper harmonization.

Now let’s see some examples of routines:

​Curated Samples of Self-Care Routine With Acupressure

Here are some sample routines you can choose to get started in learning how to design a self-care routine with acupressure.

Every routine will be done while sitting on a comfortable seat or your bed, relax your mind for about 5 minutes before starting, and use your thumb or the tip of your thumb to press the points. After that, select the points and begin to stimulate them going from the uppermost one to the lowermost one.

Here is the curated selection of Acupressure routines:

​Promoting Relaxation and Reducing Stress

To promote general relaxation and help you deal with stress you will use first the points in within the Buddha Triangle. This is a trifecta of points located on your wrist that are incredibly useful in relaxing yourself.

These Points are Heart 7 (Shenmen), Lung 9, and Pericardium 6. All known relaxing points.

Begin by stimulating Pericardium 6, then Heart 7, then Lung 9. Do it on both hands.

Then go to the top of your head and find Governor Vessel 20 or Baihui. This point is located on the very top of your head, on the crossing point of a line that goes from your nose midline and backward with one line that connects the tip of your ears.

Press that point firmly for 1 minute, rest for 30 seconds and repeat two more times.

Then, go 1 cun forwards, backward, and to both sides. These four points are called Sishencong and are used in conjunction with Baihui to increase the relaxing effect.

​Boosting Blood Flow

For boosting your Blood flow you are going to target points related to Blood and related to organs that govern Blood. For this case, you will choose Large Intestine 4 in your hand, this one is linked to the Blood; then you are going to pick Spleen 6, Liver 3, and Stomach 36.

Spleen 6 is a point where the three Yin meridians of the foot converge so by stimulating here you are stimulating all those other meridians and organs. Furthermore, the Spleen is the one in charge of keeping your Blood inside the vessels.

Liver 3 is used to promote Blood flow and lower Blood Pressure. The liver is the master manager of the Blood, it stores it and releases it depending on your requirements.

Stomach 36 energizes your Qi and makes it easier for blood to flow through your body.

Begin with Large Intestine 4, then go to Stomach 36, then Spleen 6, and finally Liver 3.

​Boosting Immune Function

Some acupuncture points have been shown to increase your immune system’s capacity to fight aggression. For example, Stomach 36 is shown to increase the phagocytic capacities of the NK cells, it makes your body more able to fight bacteria.

For this routine, you will use this point and also add points related to the Organs in charge of immunity which are the Lungs and your Kidneys.

Your Lungs have a direct relationship with your Protective Qi which flows on the surface of your skin, your Lungs are in charge of your skin hence their relationship.

Your Kidneys are in charge of many things including your Yang Qi, they are the source of your Yang which in turn is the one closest to your Protective Qi. This means you must energize all of those organs to strengthen your immune system.

The points you will be choosing are large Intestine 4, Stomach 36 (see the pattern?), Lung 5, and Kidney 3.

Begin with Lung 5, then go to Large Intestine 4, then to Stomach 36, and finish with Kidney 3.

​To Reduce Pain

If you are suffering from pain and don’t want to be taking pills every day, then copy this point selection and do it every morning and night.

The points you will be using are known analgesic points that will treat everything from a headache to joint pain to sciatica.

The points are:

• Large Intestine 4: vital to addressing all sorts of pain in the upper body.
• Stomach 36: Same as Large Intestine 4 for the lower body.
• Gallbladder 20: Located on the back of your head, this point is especially useful in treating headaches and migraines, much more if they are caused by too much screen use or eye exertion.
• Bladder 60: Traditionally known as the first Acupuncture point ever discovered, this point has general painkilling capacities and is extremely useful in dealing with joint pain like sciatica and rheumatic diseases.

​Final remarks

So there you have it!

Now you know how to design a self-care routine with acupressure, you learned how to structure it, which precautions to take and you even got a curated selection of point combinations to address common issues using just your hands.

I know you will give them good use, so make sure to let me know how did it go.

If you have something you want me to write about, leave a comment below.

See you in the next post!