#4 It's Mental Health Awareness Month: How Does Acupuncture Help？
( ´͈ ᗜ `͈ )♡ Quick question.
What’s the difference between the needle use to draw your blood and the tiny needle we use in acupuncture?
How does a needle thinner than a strand of your hair can somehow encourage your whole body to slow down and settle?
Because if we think about it, being poked does not usually sound like something that would make people relax.
—————
And yet, here we are. Voluntarily walking into clinics asking for needles :)
Here is what is going on inside your body when you are getting acupuncture.
Your body has a gas pedal and a brake pedal. Most of us spend our days with our foot (sometimes aggressively) pressing the gas.
👉Notifications. Work deadlines. Responsibilities. Picking up children. Thinking about tomorrow while still carrying yesterday.
◠ That 𖦹 gas pedal𖦹 is your fight-or-flight system. It keeps you alert, focused, and ready to respond. Helpfully gives you an urge to run if a bear walks into your living room.
◠ Then there is your 𖦹brake pedal𖦹, your “rest and digest” system. This is the side that tells your body, “You are safe. You can relax and let your body do its job now.” But stress, anxiety, burnout, and even depression can sometimes feel like the gas pedal has been pressed down for so long that we forget where the brake is.
So here’s when acupuncture comes into play. Acupuncture helps your body remember.
Those tiny needles send signals through your nervous system and help activate pathways involved in:
Rest
Regulation
Recovery
They can encourage the release of your “feel-good” chemicals, such as endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin.
Check out their profile HERE :)
—————
(Oh! BTW~ There’s a little game you could play on Instagram @olab.workshop_ 👉 find out what body chemical you are!)
Endorphin → comfort
Serotonin → stability
Dopamine → motivation
Oxytocin → connection⋆₊˚𖦹 ENDORPHIN = The Resilient Optimist⋆₊˚𖦹
🐒 Nickname: “The Comforter”
Endorphin is the friend who shows up right when things get hard. Stub your toe, push through the last stretch of a run, or laugh until your stomach hurts, and Endorphin is already there with a warm blanket and a gentle, “I’ve got you.” They are the body’s built in support system, helping soften pain and creating that sense of relief that reminds you things might be okay after all.
🪻 Personality: Calm under pressure, endlessly encouraging, and quietly resilient. Loves a challenge because they often shine brightest when things get tough.
👀 Where you’ll find them: Mid workout, laughing with friends, dancing around the kitchen, or doing something that makes life feel joyful.
💭 Personal motto: “This feels hard right now, but we’ll get through it together.”
⋆₊˚𖦹 SEROTONIN = The Steady Caretaker ⋆₊˚𖦹
🐒 Nickname: “The Balancer”
Serotonin is the responsible one, the friend quietly keeping everything from falling apart behind the scenes. They help support mood, digestion, sleep regulation, and overall well being. Nothing flashy. Nothing dramatic. Just consistently showing up and keeping things steady.
🪻 Personality: Grounded, nurturing, and a creature of habit. Believes in routines, morning sunlight, nourishing meals, and taking care of the little things before they become big things.
👀 Where you’ll find them: Outside catching morning light, taking a walk, keeping a regular sleep schedule, or reminding everyone to drink water and eat something green.
💭 Personal motto: “Small things done consistently matter.”
⋆₊˚𖦹 DOPAMINE = The Ambitious Go Getter ⋆₊˚𖦹
🐒 Nickname: “The Motivator”
Dopamine is the one with the vision board and color coded planner. They’re not really chasing pleasure as much as they are chasing possibility. They’re the spark that nudges you toward a goal and the quiet little “yes” you feel when something meaningful clicks into place.
🪻 Personality: Driven, energetic, curious, and always looking ahead. Loves progress, big or small. Occasionally needs reminders that slowing down is not the same thing as falling behind.
👀 Where you’ll find them: Crossing finish lines, checking things off a list, learning something new, or celebrating tiny wins nobody else noticed.
💭 Personal motto: “One more step. You’re getting there.”
⋆₊˚𖦹 OXYTOCIN = The Devoted Connector ⋆₊˚𖦹
🐒 Nickname: “The Heart of the Group”
Oxytocin is the one who remembers everyone’s birthday and somehow always knows when someone needs a hug. They show up in moments of connection: a long embrace, holding someone’s hand, bonding with a newborn, or simply feeling close and understood.
🪻 Personality: Warm, loyal, affectionate, and emotionally generous. The first to sit beside you and ask, “How are you really doing?”
👀 Where you’ll find them: Wrapped in a long hug, sharing a quiet conversation, holding a new baby, or sitting beside someone they love.
💭 Personal motto: “We’re meant to do life together.”
—————
So, in short, acupuncture does not necessarily “add” things into your body. It is just gently reminding your body to heal and calm down. Kind of like hearing a familiar song and suddenly remembering a feeling you thought you had forgotten, or me yapping in the room reminding you to breathe.
And how do people usually notice the difference?
The change is sometimes subtle and quiet. You may notice that you sleep a little more deeply. Your mind feels a little less busy. You breathe a little easier. The things that felt heavy begin to feel a little more manageable.
Mental health support was never meant to be one thing. Not just therapy. Not just medication. Not just acupuncture. Think of it as building a team around yourself, and acupuncture & TCM can simply be one part of that support.
Your nervous system has been working very hard. Maybe this month we should remind ourselves that it gets to rest too 🤍
