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Using Massage Therapy & Exercise As Stress Management Tools

As our society becomes more health-conscious, there has been an increased focus on the importance stress management because we all experience stress in our lives. Stress costs employers enormous amounts of money every year. Millions of workers are absent every workday due to stress related complaints because the vast majority of health problems are caused or influenced by stress. It’s important to understand how stress affects your body, and to learn effective stress management techniques to make stress work for you rather than against you.

Stress is your body’s response to changes in your life. Because life involves constant change (ranging from changing locations from home to work each morning, to adapting to major life changes like marriage, divorce, or death of a loved one), there is no avoiding stress. Stress can trigger the body’s response to perceived threat or danger, the Fight-or-Flight response. During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenalin and cortisol are released, speeding the heart rate, slowing digestion, shunting blood flow to major muscle groups, and changing various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength. Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, it’s now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or during a stressful day at work. When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response, but in our times of chronic stress, this often doesn’t happen enough, causing damage to the body.

What can you do about stress?

Have a Massage: You might think of a massage only as a luxury in exotic spas and upscale health clubs but it’s not just a luxury – it’s part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle, along with a healthful diet and regular exercise. The benefits of massage are cumulative and are enhanced by receiving on a regular basis, such as weekly, or monthly – as often as the schedule and budget allow

Exercise regularly: By now, you should know that exercise does your body good. But did you also know that virtually any form of exercise can decrease the production of stress hormones and counteract your body’s natural stress response? It’s true. The same regular exercise routine that helps prevent disease and builds muscle can also help you better manage stress.

Putting balance back in your life: Have you ever wondered why you feel so great during vacation? While you may think it’s because you are not at work, how about this other explanation? You are having a great time with people you care about in a nice place, you enjoy good food, you sleep well and you exercise or simply relax.

It is still a puzzle to me when I find out my new stressed out clients and patients reveal to me they have not been exercising or relaxing at all. The most common excuse is “I don’t have time to exercise or come for a massage!” Even more amazing, many start cutting down on their training or their massages because their pressure at work has increased. Interestingly, though, adding workouts and or Massage Therapy treatments to a work-packed schedule is one of the easiest strategies to work less, produce more, make more money and help with the following:

• Reduce tiredness and improve vitality
• Ease stiff jointsI
• Improve circulation to help injuries heal
• Lower physical stress and tension, which can lead to problems such as headaches, backache, neck and shoulder discomfort and eyestrain.
• Balance mental and emotional strain
• Lower your blood pressure
• Slow your heart rate
• Reduce insomnia and improve the quality of sleep
• Decrease depression and anxiety, improving your mood overall.
• Boost your immune system

Many people feel that striking a good balance between their work responsibilities and their personal lives is an essential factor in living a whole and healthy life with less stress. There is no one simple cookie cutter solution to the life balance challenge, your solution will be uniquely yours. Don’t compare yourself with others. Assess your own sense of well being and adjust your actions according to your own needs. Only you know what makes you stressed and how much you can handle, and what helps eliminate it from your daily life.

Take impeccable care of yourself… your body, mind and soul. Eat well, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, exercise, relax, and spend time in the spiritual realm.

» Written by Tasha Moutsos, RMT