Relieve Stress – Massage Instead of Antidepressants
| How do you relieve stress? I suggest you get a massage today! Soft soothing touch will calm your nervous system, loosen tired muscles, induce happy hormones release and tranquilize your mind. Your day will improve significantly. Studies show Swedish massage reduces the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 30 percent. It also increases levels of hormones associated with trust and feeling of happiness. As a massage therapist, I would like to say “You always need a massage” but let’s look at some stress information. The freedictionary.com describes stress as “A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression. |  |
The American Institute of Stress lists 50 signs of stress. I think they should also list 50 ways to relieve stress:)Among them are: neck ache, back pain, muscle spasms, weight loss or gain, insomnia, poor sexual desire or performance, depression and frequent mood swings, constant tiredness and fatigue, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, and reduced work efficiency. If you have the symptoms of stress, you absolutely need a massage.
What causes stress? Many things cause stress. Some are obvious like divorce, death, changing jobs or getting fired, or a new boss. Some of them are surprising. Vacations, Christmas, start or end of the school year, even the kids finally moving out. The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory list 43 things that can cause you stress and assigns a point value to each. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_82.htm has a convenient, clickable list to see how stressed you are. A score of over 150 means you need a massage.
Do you need that massage? How many symptoms of stress do you have? What was your score on the stress inventory? If you have symptoms or score high, would you rather take pills or relieve stress with a regular massage?
Before you decide you can wait for your massage, remember untreated stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.