Feeling Low? How Cupping can Help the Holiday Blues

Sure, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but the holiday season also comes with a great big dose of stress—if you’re like a lot of people you may be feeling less than joyful amidst the glitter and glow. Seasonal depression is a very real problem for many people, though few want to admit that they aren’t feeling the holiday cheer.

Let’s face it, the holiday season is exhausting. Responsibilities pile up and bills mount. There are gifts to buy, decorations to light, cards to send, people to see…and all of this is crammed into a few short weeks! The trouble with the holidays is that it often seems like they end before you got a chance to enjoy them. It’s hard to take a breath, so it’s no surprise that some people feel blindsided by the chaos of the last month of the year and don’t make self-care a priority. Keeping up with everything on your holiday plate can seem like a daunting task—but the good news is that cupping can help ease the anxiety and sadness that are common this time of year.

To begin, let’s take a look at how our mental health can affect our bodies. Winter is already a difficult time for upkeep. Maybe your eating habits grow a little lax, or the cold weather makes it harder for you to get outdoors as much as you want to—now add seasonal depression to the mix. Feelings of continued depression can take a tremendous toll on the body, and the longer you neglect yourself the harder it will be to bounce back. At-home cupping is an easy way to take a few minutes for yourself and target some of the areas of your body that may be feeling the strain.

Depression hurts—This is a truth that goes for both the mind and the body. Depression does not only manifest mentally, it can also cause physical aches and pains alongside feelings of sadness. If anxiety is an issue, our bodies can grow involuntarily tense, which is bad news for the muscles at the end of the day. Taking advantage of cupping therapy can help ease some of the aches and pains that accompany a stressful day, and while it won’t completely cure depression, it can help make things easier to bear. If your body is feeling good that’s one less thing you’ll need to worry about.

How does it work? Think of it as a low-key way to blow off some steam at the end of the day. You may not have time for a full body massage, but there are other ways to get the same benefits. Lure’s Ionic Energy Cupping Therapy Set for trigger points and joints is the perfect option for targeting the muscles and joints that ache when we’re anxious. The 10-cup set covers a lot of real estate on your back and shoulders, and it only takes a few minutes two or three times a week. That’s a small price to pay for big results. Sleep doesn’t ease the tension we carry in our muscles and going to bed all wound up pretty much guarantees you’ll wake with cricks and creaks all over the place. Break down that tension with a cupping session and you may feel some of your mental stress disappear with it.

Feeling low = moving slow – Low energy is one of the hallmarks of depression, and when the demands of the holidays are bearing down it can be even more difficult to keep up. Many people, when saddled with holiday sadness, may also feel guilty about not having enough momentum to spend time with family and friends.

How can cupping help? – If low energy is an issue, a cupping solution like the Zen Body Cupping Set can help put the spring back in your step by improving circulation and preventing toxins from building in the body. The massaging action of the cups can also help you relax and unwind on your own terms in the comfort of your home. Declare an ‘off’ night once a week, put your to-do list in a drawer, and focus on yourself. Find a place where you can get comfortable and relax with a cupping session—you can even add essential oils and your favorite music to the mix. Destressing your body can help take your mind off of holiday stress and give you more energy to take on tomorrow.

Skin Stress – If your skin is giving you grief just in time for all those holiday parties, you’re not alone. Stress takes a huge toll on healthy skin and the result can be anything from acne to eczema. Skin care is especially difficult in the winter months and dry, itchy skin is a common complaint come cold weather.

What can you do? Dig deep and give your skin the attention it deserves for both a better complexion and a calmer mind. Facial cupping, like the Bliss or Glam cupping systems, can help rid you of dry, dead skin cells and promote fresh turnover, leaving behind a healthy glow you don’t have to fake. As a bonus, facial cupping can also help relax the muscles in your face, which is another place stress loves to hide. Wearing a painted-on smile can hurt, so refresh your skin to find a real one.

One of the major benefits of an at-home cupping system is that it helps promote mindfulness. Focusing on a certain area of the body or a particular source of stress is a wonderful way to leave day-to-day worries behind and stay in the moment. One big cause of holiday sadness is the ‘time-warp’ sensation that comes with it—too much to do and not enough time! Don’t be consumed by guilt or feel pressure to celebrate each day to the max. Let your cupping time serve as a way to fully focus on healing your body and mind and leave the stress of the season behind.