What’s the Best Massage for Women Who Are Stressed Out?

Question:

I juggle so many demands, what with work, the kids, and my aging mother. Lately, it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong has, and I’ve been spending all my time putting out fires. I never get any time to myself and I feel like I’m at the breaking point. Is there a specific massage that would work best for a stressed out working mom?

Answer:

Juggling competing demands on your time can be incredibly stressful, especially when you never have the opportunity to get ahead and feel like you spend all your time just reacting to things. When you have the time to sit down and organize things and make schedules and plans, you create the ability to act ahead of time to avoid a lot of those daily catastrophes.

Self-care is a big part of time management. With so many people dependent on you, it’s easy to put yourself on the back burner and deal with the needs of others before your own. At the end of the day, you find you have no time or energy left to care for yourself. This can become a vicious cycle, because if you don’t take time for yourself, you become more and more stressed out, and that stress can start to take a toll on your health.

You may feel that stress is just a part of life, but without taking steps to manage your stress you’re setting yourself up for serious health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease. Living in a constant state of stress has a negative impact on all aspects of your physical and mental health, and can cause you to lash out at others.^[i]

This is where an experienced massage therapist can help you. The fluid, rhythmic movements of a relaxing Swedish massage can help melt away the stresses in your life to leave you feeling balanced, calm, and in control. When you get stressed out, your body produces the hormone cortisol. This hormone gives you the focus you need to deal with stressful situations. The problem comes when the situation is resolved but that hormone remains, leaving you in a state of constant anxiety.^[ii]

Swedish massage can decrease your cortisol levels to promote relaxation, as well as increasing levels of serotonin and dopamine, feel-good hormones that make you feel happier and more relaxed. A study published by the International Journal of Neuroscience found that regular massage therapy decreased levels of cortisol by an average of 31 percent. Participants in the study also showed an increase in serotonin and dopamine of similar percentages.^[iii]

With all the demands you have on your life, it can be tricky to try to carve out time for yourself. Luckily you don’t have to go to a spa to get a spa-quality massage. You can get a certified massage therapist to come to you when it’s convenient and fits into your busy schedule with Soothe! You might call a massage therapist to come to your home in the evening after you’ve put the kids to bed. Make a regular massage a part of your normal self care and you may find your life starts to feel just a little less stressful.

References:

^[i] The Mayo Clinic: “Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior”https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987?pg=1

^[ii] Hormone Health Network: “What is Cortisol?” https://www.hormone.org/hormones-and-health/hormones/cortisol

^[iii] International Journal of Neuroscience: “Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16162447

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