You may be seeing little glimpses of spring coming but it is indeed still winter. We have a few more weeks left until the days will begin to lengthen and the sun will be shining more often. There will be blooms beginning and rainbows forming from the sunny rains but those of you who experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or if you just feel emotionally affected by the short days, you are most likely counting the minutes until there is more sunlight. In the meantime, let’s help get you through that last few weeks of winter.
There are many tools and everyone will have what works for them. Some of these tools are counselling, exercise, eating whole foods, getting out in to nature, spending time with loved ones, medical interventions and bodywork like, massage and acupuncture.
Today, we want to tell you how massage can help your emotional health and can be a great addition to your already established treatment and self-care plan.
Many different cultures have been using massage for thousands of years to heal, soothe and relieve physical and emotional pain and unrest. When your muscles and tissues are being manipulated in an intentional and skilled way, you can experience a reduction in pain and discomfort in the body, a structural realignment and a deep sense of relaxation. If your emotional discomfort is a result of or being exacerbated by physical discomfort, this will greatly help.
On an emotional level, having a safe space to come relax, be taken care of and be heard is medicine in its own right. Beyond that though, researchers have found that massage releases endorphins that are natural pain killers, reduces heart rate and strengthens the immune system. Massage will also lower the stress hormone, cortisol, which is responsible for disrupting many systems in the body including your mental health.
Massage would be a great addition to your self care plan if you are:
- - experiencing physical hunger due to a lack of physical touch
- feeling defeated by your physical discomfort and sore muscles
- experiencing anxiety and increased heart rate
- under stress, situational or otherwise
- experiencing symptoms of depression or SAD
- looking for a safe space to relax in your mind and body
When you find a massage therapist that you connect with and a place that you feel comfortable, massage can be a game changer in your quality of life on more than a physical level.
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