It's a weird concept, acupuncture. I mean, getting pricked all over with tiny needles as a form of therapy? I'd be the first to say I don't enjoy the getting-pricked part, but I'm totally hooked on the treatment.

"I sometimes nod off to sleep, sometimes just hover in a restful meditation, but I always walk out of the office feeling more centered. "

It's been about six months now that I've been seeing an acupuncturist once a week, and skipping even one session (as I realized when I was on vacation recently) completely throws me off.

See, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel like I'm really, truly taking care of myself. Each session starts with about 20 minutes of checking in about everything that's going on, and this helps me be much more attuned to what I'm feeling and doing. We always discuss diet, digestion, and sleep, so I'm more careful about what I eat and how much I rest. At this point, the conversation invariably veers into the psychological.

Then she asks me questions like "Are you feeling hot or cold? Thirsty? Heavy? Wheezy? Restless? Cranky?" Though I sometimes find myself struggling for the right descriptive words (and occasionally feeling embarrassed if we veer into what I'd otherwise consider TMI territory), I love the process of being asked. It makes me concentrate on myself and stop worrying about the million things big and small fluttering around my brain. It makes me realize that taking time for myself matters.

After that she looks at my tongue--always a reminder that our bodies reveal everything about ourselves if we just know how to look--and sticks me all over, each time making micro-adjustments to balance out this or that. I sometimes nod off to sleep, sometimes just hover in a restful meditation, but I always walk out of the office feeling more centered. The best part is that whatever insanity happens during the week, I know I have that time to touch base, think about what my body needs, and just lie back and relax.