5 Unexpected Tools and Practices for Coping with Dystopia (and Finding Stress and Anxiety Relief in Oakland)

Let’s be honest: the world feels heavy right now. The news cycle is relentless, politics are destabilizing, the climate crisis looms, and the day-to-day grind of late-stage capitalism leaves little room for true rest. Many of us carry stress loads our nervous systems were never meant to handle long-term. Instead of asking, “How can I just be calm?” a better question is: “How can I stay present, resilient, and engaged without burning out?” That’s where nervous system care comes in. 

True resilience doesn’t come from numbing out but from finding ways to process overwhelm in our bodies, so we can stay grounded, connected, and clear. For those seeking stress and anxiety relief in Oakland, there are both ancient practices and modern strategies that can help. Here are five unexpected (and surprisingly effective) tools you can begin exploring right now.

Shake It Out (Literally)

We’ve all heard that exercise is good for stress, but here’s the twist: when you’re anxious, sometimes the answer isn’t calm; it’s movement. Having personally dealt with anxiety for what feels like my entire life, hearing someone say: “just calm down” or “stop thinking about it” or “just don’t read the news” has always felt utterly dismissive. That’s because those methods of “relieving” anxiety aren’t actually relieving anything; they’re mechanisms of dissociation. If you’re feeling anxiety due to gestures around at everything, it’s probably because you’re aware, and you understand the gravity of everything happening. Being calm doesn’t help you with activism, but being engaged and present can. This is where movement comes in.

Studies indicate that purposeful shaking, tremoring, or movement-based exercises, like those used in TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises), allow the body to release excess stress hormones and recalibrate the nervous system. This process helps reduce chronic fight-or-flight activation and supports natural recovery after periods of intense stress or trauma (Berceli et al., 2014; Parker et al., 2024). After all, animals in the wild literally shake to recover from traumatic encounters — our bodies know how to do the same. Think running, dancing until you sweat, kickboxing, or even shaking your body in place (a practice inspired by TRE, or Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises). 

So, the next time doomscrolling leaves you wired and jittery, try a 1-minute shake session, a hard run, or even blasting music and dancing around your living room for a song or two. Movement discharges energy, clears excess adrenaline, and brings you back to the present moment. It’s one of my favorite ways to bring myself back. 

Intentional Community Building

Fascism thrives on isolation. Nervous systems thrive on connection. One of the most radical acts you can do for both your body and your community is to intentionally cultivate connection.

This doesn’t have to mean hosting big parties. It can be as simple as checking in on a neighbor, organizing a small potluck, joining a mutual aid network, or arranging a COVID-safe outdoor hangout. Feeling connected isn’t just emotionally comforting — it’s physiologically powerful. Social connection triggers oxytocin release, which signals safety to the brain and helps calm the nervous system. Studies show that people with strong social ties experience reduced stress reactivity, enhanced resilience, and a greater ability to handle challenges together (Jones et al., 2017; Takayanagi & Onaka, 2021). When we feel connected, our nervous system relaxes, our resilience strengthens, and we’re better equipped to face collective challenges.

In Oakland, community has always been a source of strength. From grassroots organizing to neighborhood mutual aid, leaning into connection isn’t just political resistance — it’s nervous system medicine.

Acupuncture for Nervous System Regulation

When the world feels like it’s on fire, acupuncture can provide a lifeline. Beyond its ancient origins, modern research shows that acupuncture directly affects the autonomic nervous system — the body’s control center for stress responses. Studies have shown that acupuncture doesn’t just provide momentary relaxation; it actively influences the autonomic nervous system. In studies on patients with anxiety, acupuncture reduced cortisol (the stress hormone), eased anxiety symptoms, and improved heart rate variability, which is a reliable marker of the nervous system’s flexibility and capacity to handle stress(Li et al., 2022; Yang et al., 2021).

What does this mean in practical terms? Acupuncture helps shift the body out of a constant fight-or-flight state and into “rest and restore.” Instead of cycling through hypervigilance, insomnia, and stress-related tension, your body relearns how to feel safe again.

For those in the Bay Area, finding relief from stress and anxiety in Oakland through acupuncture offers a way to regain balance during chaotic times. At my clinic, I often see patients arrive frazzled and leave feeling calm, clear-headed, and grounded — not just relaxed, but truly regulated.

Radical Rest and Play

Under late-stage capitalism, productivity is often glorified as the highest value. But your nervous system doesn’t need another to-do list. What it truly needs is rest, joy, and unstructured time.

Radical rest means unapologetically prioritizing naps, long baths, lying in the sun, or simply doing nothing. Play, on the other hand, taps into creativity and joy — painting, dancing, singing off-key, laughing with friends, or playing games. Play and laughter aren’t just fun — they’re physiologically restorative. Studies demonstrate that engaging in joyful activities lowers cortisol levels, strengthens the immune system, and increases resilience, helping the body and mind better handle stress (Akimbekov & Razzaque, 2021; Cleare & Brock, n.d.).

Rest and play are not frivolous; they are acts of rebellion against systems that want us exhausted and disconnected. They remind your nervous system what safety, joy, and possibility feel like, which is essential when the world feels dystopian. This is the area I’m personally working on these days, as the stress of the world has really dampened my creativity. I’m going to try needlepoint! 

Information Hygiene and Boundaries

Here’s an unexpected but powerful tool for your nervous system: stop doomscrolling. While staying informed is important, constant exposure to traumatic news causes chronic sympathetic activation, meaning your body remains in fight-or-flight mode constantly, which can increase stress, anxiety, and fatigue (Leggett, 2025).

Information hygiene means setting healthy boundaries with media:

• Avoid checking the news right before bed or immediately upon waking.

• Curate trustworthy sources instead of endless scrolling.

• Designate specific times to catch up, then close the apps.

• Balance “bad news” with stories of resilience, art, or community care.

Your nervous system cannot fight fascism 24/7. It needs recovery time in order to keep showing up. Boundaries with media aren’t avoidance; they’re a form of strength training for your mind and body.

Why Nervous System Care Matters More Than Ever

During upheaval, our initial response is often to push harder, withdraw, or double down. However, the reality is that nervous system care isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for survival. Resilience isn’t solely about grit—it’s about recovery, learning to process stress, return to presence, and sustain ourselves for the long term.

That’s where acupuncture truly excels. For those seeking relief from stress and anxiety in Oakland, acupuncture provides both immediate calming effects and long-term nervous system support. It works well alongside practices like movement, community, rest, and boundaries, building a foundation that helps you stay engaged with the world without burning out.

Stress and Anxiety Relief in Oakland

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, or on the edge of burnout, you’re not alone. These dystopian times demand more from us than our bodies were designed to give, but there are tools, both ancient and modern, to help.

At Lion’s Heart Acupuncture & Wellness in Oakland, we specialize in working with patients navigating stress, anxiety, chronic overwhelm, and the nervous system toll of living in uncertain times. Whether you’re looking for immediate relief or long-term support, acupuncture can help you find balance, restore resilience, and reconnect with your own inner steadiness.

Ready to try it? Book your session today and experience how acupuncture can support your nervous system, calm anxiety, and help you stay grounded in the face of chaos.

Bonus! Hypnosis and Combined Acupuncture Sessions for a Deep Nervous System Reset

In addition to acupuncture and the other tools we’ve discussed, hypnosis is another powerful way to support your nervous system. Hypnosis isn’t about “losing control,”  it’s a state of deep focus and relaxation that allows the mind and body to recalibrate. Research shows that clinical hypnosis can reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and modulate the body’s stress response, making it a perfect complement to acupuncture (Leo et al., 2024).

At Lion’s Heart Acupuncture & Wellness in Oakland, we offer combined hypnosis + acupuncture sessions called Hypnopuncture, which bring together the best of both worlds:

• Acupuncture regulates the autonomic nervous system, easing physical tension and promoting parasympathetic activation.

• Hypnosis guides the mind into a state of focused calm, helping to reprogram stress responses and reinforce nervous system balance.

The synergy of these modalities allows for a deeper, more comprehensive nervous system reset than either therapy alone. Patients often report feeling lighter, calmer, and more resilient and ready to face daily stressors with clarity and presence.

If you’ve tried traditional stress management tools without lasting results, a combined session may be exactly what your body and mind need. For anyone seeking stress and anxiety relief in Oakland, this integrated approach is a powerful way to restore balance and resilience from the inside out.

References: 

Akimbekov, N. S., & Razzaque, M. S. (2021). Laughter therapy: A humor-induced hormonal intervention to reduce stress and anxiety. Current research in physiology, 4, 135–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crphys.2021.04.002

Berceli, D., Salmon, M., Bonifas, R., & Ndefo, N. (2014). Effects of Self-induced Unclassified Therapeutic Tremors on Quality of Life Among Non-professional Caregivers: A Pilot Study. Global advances in health and medicine, 3(5), 45–48. https://doi.org/10.7453/gahmj.2014.032

Cleare, A., BS, & Brock, S., MS, MEd. (n.d.). Brain health benefits of laughter. Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. https://lifestylemedicine.stanford.edu/laughter-health-benefits/

Leggett, H. (2025, June 18). Mental health hygiene can improve mood, decrease stress. Stanford Medicine News Center. https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2022/05/mental-health-hygiene-can-improve-mood-decrease-stress.html

Leo, D. G., Keller, S. S., & Proietti, R. (2024). "Close your eyes and relax": the role of hypnosis in reducing anxiety, and its implications for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1411835. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1411835

Li, M., Liu, X., Ye, X., & Zhuang, L. (2022). Efficacy of acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine, 101(49), e30076. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000030076

Jones, C., Barrera, I., Brothers, S., Ring, R., & Wahlestedt, C. (2017). Oxytocin and social functioning. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 19(2), 193–201. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2017.19.2/cjones

Parker, J., Shook, B., Washington, D., English, B., & Tatum, C. (2024). The effect of Tension and Trauma releasing Exercises (TRE) on trauma symptoms in East African refugees. Psychology, 15(01), 77–91. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2024.151006

Takayanagi, Y., & Onaka, T. (2021). Roles of Oxytocin in Stress Responses, Allostasis and Resilience. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(1), 150. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23010150

Yang, X. Y., Yang, N. B., Huang, F. F., Ren, S., & Li, Z. J. (2021). Effectiveness of acupuncture on anxiety disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Annals of general psychiatry, 20(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-021-00327-5