It’s nearly four years since I left my job as an Event Manager. A job that I once loved but one that became what I would call ‘stressful’. I won’t go into the ins and outs of why - most of us have had a stressful job at some point. But after time I was not only emotionally drained but just physically felt a bit wrecked. I’m pretty proud of myself that I held my hands up and said ‘see ya’! And also pretty grateful that I have a husband, family and friends who all supported me in my decision. It was a scary one! But obviously the best one I have ever made career-wise…
To celebrate this momentous occasion - four years since my daydreaming of Massage and Me became a reality - I thought I’d look at stress and just what it can do to us. I’m still amazed that when I sit and give my little boy a massage some nights as he reads his books, that his lovely little self is free of tension. There’s (thankfully) not one knot in his little body. So what on earth do we do to ourselves between birth and now so that some of us are riddled with stress and imbalances?
Look familiar..? (Photo by jeshoots)
What does stress do to us?
I think we all know that stress has a negative impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. In an emergency, our body’s response to stress can be positive: our instincts cause us to be fast-moving and to act with our ‘fight or flight' response. However, being in a constant state of ‘fight or flight mode’ can exhaust our bodies and also our brains, lead to a build-up in cortisol levels, and also cause excessive strain for our muscles. Stress has such a powerful affect on us physically and mentally; it can feel overwhelming to even attempt to switch off from it. We all know that massage and reflexology can help with stress, as most of you book with me for this very reason. So I thought I’d just delve a little deeper so that we can all understand the reasons why this is…
The Science Bit - Cortisol Levels
Our adrenal glands produces hormones that are vital to life, such as the hormone cortisol, which controls how our bodies respond to stress. I often find a lot of tension on the adrenal gland reflex with my reflexology clients who are dealing with stressful situations. Reflexology can be a wonderful way to encourage our body’s natural ability to re-balance and rid itself of tensions. When I find an area of tension in reflexology I spend more time there, slowly building up more pressure to encourage your body to release and restore.
We will always need levels of cortisol in our bodies, but the key is to keep these levels balanced. Massage and Reflexology Treatments can be highly effective in restoring this balance, decreasing unwanted cortisol levels and increasing levels of endorphins and also ‘happy hormones’ - serotonin, oxytocin (especially during pregnancy treatments).
Stress and Muscle Tension:
As I wrote in my last blog, Where We Hold Our Tension And Why, stress can manifest itself all over our bodies. Our muscles can cling on to this tension, start working differently, struggle to relax and over time adhesions start to form and therefore pain and discomfort emerge.
Most of my clients find that stress settles in their upper back and neck, sometimes going further into their heads to cause tension headaches. Deep Tissue Massages are a great way of unlocking this tension, as we work into the deeper layers of the fascia to release as much tension as possible from the muscles.
However, I’m a firm believer that deep tissue massages should also be relaxing. The more safe we feel, the warmer our muscles are, the more our bodies know they are not in a ‘fight or flight’ situation, the more our muscles can relax and be ready to release that tension. If they are still strained during massage, those muscles will hurt, become bruised and will perhaps get damaged even more during the treatment. Just to be clear, a massage should never cause bruising! I believe that very firmly! It’s my job to create a relaxing atmosphere for you.
I use my knuckles and elbows a lot during deep tissue massage treatments to release as much tension as possible
Photo by Ale Romo Photography
Homeostasis:
You may have heard this word before as it’s used a lot in the wellbeing industry. As a practitioner, I always want my clients to leave my treatment room with a feeling of homeostasis - that is a sense of balance, equilibrium both physically and mentally. Realistically though, we are not going to go for one massage and then leave feeling ‘healed’ and like a superhero immediately. Sorry!
However, feeling better than we did when we arrived, feeling more grounded, feeling like our bodies have had a tension-release; these are all positive feelings that help us feel more control of the stress in our bodies. Remembering that we are worthy of spending time and money on ourselves is really difficult for a lot of my clients to accept, and a concept I also struggle with sometimes. However, I have never ever come away from a massage or reflexology booking feeling stressed, or wishing I had never booked (thank goodness!) and only ever wish that I had the time and means to enjoy more of them.
Photo by Paolo Nicolello
If you are experiencing stress in your life at the moment then I really hope I can help. We can have a chat about the treatment that is right for you, so that you hopefully leave feeling more free of tension in your muscles and more relaxed in your mind.
Let’s take care of ourselves this Christmas!
Sending peace and calming vibes!
M&M x