Stress, Anxiety and Massage

Stress. Anxiety. Fatigue.  Words that have become too frequent in our daily lives.  Words that describe what we are going through yet managing.  These words can feel insurmountable.  These feelings come and go, but you’re always waiting for them to appear.

Stress can overtake your life, without you even knowing.  It can start feeling like “the norm” until one day you look around and wonder, “how did I get so stressed out?”  Stress can affect your weight, your sleep, your health and your overall personality.  Fatigue can set in, and you find yourself snapping for no reason or becoming irritated at the smallest things.

This is your sympathetic nervous system telling you that it is overtaxed, and it needs a break.  Your sympathetic nervous system tells your body that it needs to be “ready to go” at a moment’s notice, because you haven’t told it to turn off and relax.  Years of this stress and anxiety can drain your body and mind.  Causing brain fog, sleepless nights, and issues with digestion.  It can even be linked to serious disease and health issues.

In my forties, I struggled with what seemed to be unmanageable anxiety.  I was also very fatigued and barely sleeping.  At the time, I had no idea how fatigued I was.  I had no idea how stressed I was.  I was working in a high stress job, that I didn’t like.  I had kids.  One has learning disabilities, and one was getting ready to graduate high school.  I was trying to balance their school, sports and social calendar.  I was trying to be wife of the year and keep up my own activities, financial instability (living paycheck to paycheck and never feeling like we could get ahead) PTA President, social obligations and professional obligations.  

I kept a smile on my face.  

My body and mind were telling me loud and clear that things needed to change.  Little things bothered me.  I was having terrible digestive issues.  I was having small panic attacks. I thought I was having heart attacks all the time. But you know… everything was fine.  Just fine.  I’m fine.  Right.  

2 Things happened to me.  First, someone said something to me that stuck.  It took awhile to sink in, but it eventually stuck.

“Heidi, you can’t take care of anyone, unless you take care of yourself first.”  Well, that was interesting.  What a concept.  

The second thing I did was look around at the tornado I was standing in the middle of and thought.  I am too young to be this stressed, this sick and this tired.  I am a strong 40ish year-old woman.  How did I get here and what do I need to change?

I looked at my budget and thought, well I can afford a massage if I don’t get my five-dollar coffee every morning.  I went and got my first massage.  

Did the tornado around me disappear?  Well, for about an hour, yes.  It was a start.  Eventually, I quit my job and became a massage therapist.  I got my certification as an integrative health coach.  It was the best thing I ever did for myself.

I found things that were in my budget, that I could do for myself.  It took years for my sympathetic nervous system to accept the changes in my life.  When I’d go for my special pedicures or massages, I would watch the clock and wonder when they’d be done, even though I loved the pampering.  I don’t watch the clock anymore.  Finally, I get to enjoy the small things I do for myself.

I don’t get panic attacks.  Once in a while, some anxiety sneaks in.  We are human.  I have the tools to work through it and not let it own me.  Diet, Exercise, Meditation and Massage are tools that can help.  There are some small lifestyle changes that can be particularly easy ways of getting you started, such as:

• Turn off the News

• Pick up a book, instead of your phone

• Learn breathing exercises

Self-Care is not Selfish.  This has been my mantra.  I invested in myself, and the return on my investment is great!

Now it’s my turn to help my clients learn how to take those small steps for their bodies and minds.

It's time to take care of your body and mind.  Massage is one of the best ways to help your body turn off your sympathetic nervous system and turn on your parasympathetic.  Your parasympathetic nervous system is your state of balance and homeostasis.

When the body is massaged blood and lymph circulation is increased moving vital nutrients and oxygen throughout the body to organs and muscles.  When massaged with a moderate to light pressure, massage engages with the parasympathetic nervous system and helps your body release and recover.

It is not only important to get a moderate to light massage, your brain and body need to be able to rest and recover from what is thrown at it, day after day.  Don’t wait until you are desperate!  A regular relaxation massage is a way to keep yourself sleeping well, digesting properly, heart healthy and clearing all the brain fog!