Your Body on Stress
Chronic stress wreaks havoc on your body. Under normal circumstances, you experience stress and your body releases chemicals that cause the ability to perform whatever stressful task is at hand more adeptly (commonly called the “fight or flight” response). When the task is completed and the stress disappears, your body then undergoes the “rest and digest” response, in which chemicals causing your body to relax and rejuvenate are released. But when stress becomes chronic, the body does not have the opportunity to “rest and digest.” Thus the organs involved in the body’s natural reactions to stress become overworked, creating pain, imbalance and illness.
Common stress related complications include:
- chronic muscle pain and musculoskeletal dysfunction
- headaches and migraines
- an increased risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke
- decreased immune system
- strain on the lungs
- increased risk of type 2 diabetes
- stomach pain and ulcers
- digestion and the absorption of nutrients
- weight gain
- constipation and diarrhea
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- irregular testosterone levels
- decreased sperm production and maturation
- erectile dysfunction
- irregular menstrual cycle
- increased PMS and menopausal symptoms
- female fertility issues
- memory loss and decreased concentration and ability to learn
- overall wear and tear on the body causing physical and mental drain
Your Body on Massage
The constant barrage of stress on your body can be directly combated with massage therapy. Massage stimulates the “rest and digest” response, releasing the hormones dopamine and endorphins (the “happy hormones”), the polar opposite of those that are released due to stress. Your heart rate drops, your blood pressure decreases, and your knotty, tense muscles are kneaded until loosened.
Receiving massage takes awareness away from your mind’s flood of thoughts and brings it into your body. In doing so it gives your mind a rest. You separate yourself from your thoughts, and instead experience blissful moments of peace and relaxation. Importantly, body awareness during massage also brings the musculoskeletal patterns precipitated by chronic stress to light. When you are conscious of these patterns you become better able to make the proper adjustments to correct them.
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Chronic stress makes the body forget how to relax. A massage is like an exercise in relaxation; retraining your body to submit to the “rest and digest” response. After long periods of chronic stress, regular massage will get your body back into balance, eliminating the increased likelihood for the myriad complications caused by stress. After a restful and rejuvenating massage experience, when the weight has been lifted, you will immediately know what it feels like to rid yourself of stress, and will want to keep it that way!
An Attune massage for chronic stress employs a variety of Swedish massage techniques, including long, rhythmic strokes and kneading purposefully designed for pure relaxation. Throughout the massage, when tense areas are located, some deeper, more static pressure techniques may be applied, such as myofascial release and trigger point therapy. Passive movements and stretching to help the joints and muscles let go, and a little bit of Reiki, may also be part of your session. But as always, an Attune massage is specifically tailored to your individual needs!
