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Have you ever tried acupressure? I used to be intimidated by the sound of it but then I learned that acupressure can be a quick and easy way to manage pain.

Here is my favorite acupressure point for back pain…and it even helps me get rid of headaches!

First, try to lie down on your back before you start, so the muscles in your back can relax. Then find the pressure point that is between your index finger and your thumb.

Use your other thumb and forefinger to apply firm pressure for a few seconds and then release. Repeat a few times and try to relax as you do.

I can usually tell that I have found this pressure point when I feel an area that is slightly tender and has a thick mass.

I have included a picture to help you.

While I am a huge fan of physical exercise as a healing tool, I also deeply believe that our minds are just as powerful as our body when it comes to pain relief. In fact, I believe that the two work together inextricably.

So today I want to share 4 super easy mental tricks you can use to fight pain.

1. Fantasize About Food: This one made me chuckle when I first learned about it but man, it really works! A study out of the University of Wisconsin found that fantasizing about your favorite food can decrease feelings of pain. Pick your absolute favorite guilty pleasure food and imagine it’s smell, taste and texture as fully as you can. P.S. Chocolate was found to be the top choice of research participants. Can’t imagine why!

2. Control Your Breath: Women have been using deep breathing as a pain relief technique during childbirth for decades and it works just as well for chronic pain. Try to take deep slow breaths through your nose that fill up your belly. This helps harness your parasympathetic nervous system and quiet the symptoms of arousal that tend to flair up with pain.

3. Use a Mantra: Repeating a mantra – usually a word or a phrase – can begin to dampen pain sensations in as little as 30 seconds. Focusing on a positive word of phrase has been shown to release your own endorphins. Personally, I used to repeat the phrase “My body is always healing” but I have also had clients who simply repeat the words Peace or Love. Find something that resonates with you and try to repeat it to yourself for at least 30 seconds.

4. Try Visualization: We all have a special place where we feel at peace. Perhaps it’s your favorite vacation spot, a nice warm bath, or even a memory of your grandparent’s house when you were a child. Allow yourself a few moments to be transported to a place in your mind where you feel relaxed and nurtured. Even if you are simply imagining this, your body will respond to this mental shift.

I hope you find these as helpful as I have.

I was lucky enough to get to go visit my 90-year-old grandmother recently.

The woman is amazing! At 90 she still travels all over the country (and internationally) and she maintains an active and happy social life.

However, she struggles with mobility…especially in her neck. She is still able to drive around town, but she finds it very hard to turn and look in each direction. And she’s afraid that if her neck gets any tighter it will interfere with her ability to continue to drive.

Our cervical spine (the neck) is naturally the most mobile part of our spine. But it also takes a lot of stress and it can easily begin to tighten up if we don’t make an effort to consciously move and stretch it.

Thankfully, it only takes a minute or two to maintain and increase your neck mobility.

Let’s do it right now.

1. Tuck your chin to your chest, relax the back of your neck and take three deep breaths. Lift your head back to neutral.

2. With your nose facing forward, tilt your right ear to your right shoulder and relax the left side of your neck for three deep breaths. Repeat on the other side and then lift your head back up to neutral.

3. Relax your shoulders down, lift up tall through the crown of your head, and turn your chin over your right shoulder for three deep breaths. Repeat the twist to the left and then return to neutral.

Done!

These simple movements will help keep your neck healthy and mobile for years to come.

Pick one time every day to stop and stretch your neck. Associate it with something else you do regularly, like checking your email or sitting down for lunch, so it’s easier to remember.

If you tend to sleep in a position that doesn’t support a neutral position for your spine, it can cause a lot of strain on your back and your body.

The best and easiest solution I have found is to sleep with a body pillow. In fact, my body pillow helps so much that I can’t sleep without it!

Body pillows are large pillows that run the length of an average person, and they are used to help relieve pressure from different parts of your body. They are great for back pain, but they can also help with neck and shoulder pain, as well.

By using body pillows to elevate various parts of your body, you can relieve strain from your spine so that it remains in a neutral position throughout the night, no matter how you turn in your sleep.

By keeping your spine in a neutral position all night, you can help prevent waking up in the morning with back pain.

In addition, the body pillow allows your muscles to relax more fully, which also increases circulation. Pain and stiffness are greatly alleviated once circulation is improved. The extra support helps increase oxygen flow throughout the body, which also impacts how quickly you heal.

A good night’s rest with proper support plays an important role in your overall health. For best results, sleep on your side and put the lower part of the body pillow between your knees. Pull your knees in slightly toward your chest. This supports your hips and your low back so you don’t have pain and tightness in the morning. Sleeping with the the top part between your arms also helps support your shoulders, as well.

If you don’t own a body pillow, you can always use two pillows – one between your knees and one between your arms and elbows.

Core engagement is one of the most important things you can do to help relieve and prevent back pain. Most people feel daunted by the task of building core strength, but did you know that you can engage and strengthen your core without doing a single sit up?

In fact, you can build core engagement any time throughout the day – no matter what you’re doing. All you have to do is know the right way to engage the muscles so they contract properly and support your back.

Here are my THREE favorite tips for engaging your core!

1. Draw your belly button back toward your spine.

2. As you draw your belly in, lift it up toward your ribcage like an elevator.

3. Imagine you can use your low belly muscles (below your belly button) to draw your hip bones inward toward each other and pull them in.

Bonus:

• Draw your belly in as you exhale.  Hold your belly in tight as you inhale.
• Tighten your abdominals but keep your shoulders relaxed.
• Use post-it notes to remind yourself to engage your core when you do common daily activities like bending to empty the dishwasher, or tying your shoes.