Let’s Talk About Stress
I know, I know. You would rather avoid talking about stress or indulge in ways that seem to help temporarily. Here’s the problem, that may work for a minute, but eventually, that catches up with you and can do more harm than good. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but stress is here to stay. It’s how we choose to manage it that puts us back in the driver’s seat. What if there was a way, a simple way, to reduce stress and make it more manageable? I’m so glad you asked.
Now here’s the thing, you see every massage therapist on the planet talking about how massage can reduce stress. It almost seems cliché. And I’m not mad at our industry for constantly throwing it out there, hoping that someday, the world will realize the value in receiving bodywork. However, there is one key element missing to this blanket statement that if you get a massage, you will hear angels singing and life will never bother you again (that sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it?). And it’s true, when you receive a professional massage, all of those feel-good hormones begin to release and your nervous system settles down, leaving you in a blissful state. This now poses another problem. You feel good and forget that you need to do this on a consistent basis.
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It’s kind of like working out. If you work out for a day or a week, you can almost see your muscles toning up and your belly shrinking. You feel great. We know that realistically speaking, it takes time to see the results. And if we stop working out, we aren’t going to progress any further. Now, I’m a research nerd and I want proof and I want to know the science behind what I am doing. There is open trial research that supports the science that regular (key word) massage therapy reduces the severity of chronic moderate anxiety.
Guys, you get to lie down, rest, relax, have someone have a conversation with your body that connects you back to yourself and you don’t have to do anything except schedule a consistent, regular appointment. And, because I am a fan of working with things that work with your body, not against it, I will highlight that the only side effects of massage therapy are good. This is a no brainer.
If you would like to see the research, I have attached a link that does an excellent job of explaining things. As always, sending you love, light, and all things positive. The world needs you and you are worth taking care of.
