3 Hand Reflexology Points You Can Use To Help With Anxiety
If you’ve ever experienced anxiety, you’ll know how overwhelming it can make you feel. You might experience feelings such as racing thoughts, shortness of breath, a tight chest, and that all-too-familiar fluttery feeling in your tummy. Sometimes, while anxiety can feel like the biggest and scariest feeling, the simplest of solutions can be the thing to help you feel more grounded. That’s where hand reflexology comes in. These three hand reflexology points are great tools to help ease anxiety and bring your nervous system back into balance. And the best bit? You don’t need any special tools... just your hands, a quiet moment, a comfortable space and a little gentle pressure.
Why Reflexology Works for Anxiety
Reflexology is a gentle, holistic therapy that uses pressure points on the feet, hands, and ears to help support the body’s natural healing processes. Each point relates to a different part of the body, and by stimulating these points through treatment, it helps to shift any stagnant energy, encourages you to slow down and relax, and brings your body back into balance.
When it comes to anxiety, reflexology is particularly helpful for calming the nervous system and regulating your breath, which are two of the most effective ways to bring our bodies out of "fight or flight" mode and back into rest and feeling calmer within yourself.
So, let’s now explore in more detail three of ABWR's favourite hand reflexology points to help ease anxiety and how you can stimulate these yourself to ease the anxiety before coming in for a full treatment.
1. Solar Plexus Point
Why it helps:
The solar plexus is the body’s emotional powerhouse. When anxiety hits, this area tightens and you might feel it as butterflies, nausea or tension in your stomach. Working on this point can bring a sense of calm and emotional release.
Where to find it:
It’s located along the top of the palm, towards the soft middle of your hand and between the index and middle fingers.
How you can self-treat this point:
Using your thumb, apply gentle circular pressure here while taking slow, deep breaths. Do this for 1-2 minutes, switching between both hands if you like. This point is amazing for centring and grounding yourself.
2. Lungs Point
Why it helps:
It's pretty common to experience a shortness of breath or shallow breathing with anxiety. The lungs are linked to grief, breath, and so working this area helps you to fully let go.
Where to find it:
This point is found on the palm, just below the base of the fingers, running across the top third of the palm between your ring and little fingers.
How you can self-treat this point:
Use your opposite thumb to press and sweep across this area in gentle strokes or apply firm pressure and hold for a few seconds at a time. As you do, breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth. Experience the feeling of letting go and releasing any tension you're feeling as you sweep across the point.
3. Diaphragm Point
Why it helps:
The diaphragm is essential for full, calm breathing and is often restricted when we’re anxious. Releasing this reflex can support deeper, more regulated breathing and help you feel more relaxed.
Where to find it:
This point is on the edge of your little finger towards the outside of the palm and slightly lower than the lung point.
How you can self-treat this point:
Using your thumb, apply pressure across the diaphragm line, sweeping slowly to the outer edge of the palm. Repeat a few times, as you have the previous points, and breathe through as you work the area.
You can work these points daily or whenever you feel anxiety rising. Light your favourite candle, sit somewhere quiet, and take a few minutes to work each point. Try to think about why you're doing it and set the intention to let your feelings of anxiety leave your mind and body. Combine this with some deep breathing, calming music, or your favourite essential oil for an extra sense of calm and self-care.
And of course, while working on these points on the hand can be an amazing self-help tool, you might find it doesn't quite replace the effect of a full reflexology treatment. We’d love to welcome you to the treatment space at ABWR and to help reduce any feeling of anxiety or stress you're experiencing. You can book a full reflexology session with Shona here and experience a beautiful, tailored treatment designed to calm the nervous system, support your whole body, and leave you feeling like the best version of you.