A lot of my friends are spa freaks. One thing they just cannot stop raving about is massages. Every single time one of them gets a full body massage they go on and on about how therapeutic it is and how they feel like new people and what not.
I myself suffer from random episodes of anxiety every now and then. And naturally, they show up and start telling me how I absolutely must get a massage to get rid of my anxiety. So one day I broke and got to experience the benefits of massage for myself. I did feel like a new person and my anxiety was gone!
Please note that I am not encouraging you to replace your anxiety medication with massages since clinical anxiety will only be fixed by a good therapist and the right medicine.
So I did some research on how massages help in relieving anxiety. Here is what I came up with:
Therapeutic Essential Oils
So a lot of scientific research has gone into proving the benefits that essential oils impart to us. A huge benefit of oils like lavender and chamomile is that they help greatly in relieving stress and anxiety.
Naturally, most massage parlors mix these essential oils in their massage-oil concoction and lather it on us. It really helps rejuvenate our muscles and make us feel fresh, like a daisy!
Aromatherapy
Most massage parlors burn incense or light scented candles for this season as well. The sweet scents these candles emanate have very calming and relaxing qualities. They help in clearing our mind and making us think in a much more organized manner than we were previously able to.
Relieving Tension From Muscles
Most of us anxiety-ridden people have probably noticed that in times of extreme stress, our shoulders necks and backs begin to hurt. Massage therapy helps release the tension in these parts of our body physically. There are different techniques which help with this but by getting rid of knots and areas of stiffness in these muscles, we feel less anxious and stressed out.
Comfort of the Human Touch
There is great scientific evidence to support the fact that a soothing human touch makes us feel warm and happy. When another person touches you soothingly and intends to physically release the anxiety from your body, you feel very relaxed. You feel as if you are not alone and everything will be okay. This feeling naturally helps in keeping you calm and your anxiety slowly melts away.
Increasing Happy Hormones
The happiness-inducing hormones in our body are serotonin and oxytocin. Scientific studies have shown that massage therapy helps in stimulating the body in a way that these hormones get released. This helps us feel happy and calm long after the massage is over as well, reducing our anxiety.
Suppressing the Stress Hormone
The stress hormone cortisol is also said to be suppressed when you receive a massage. The reduction of this hormone in your body is a great reason why your anxiety disappears and you feel calm and relaxed.
Author Bio:
Sara is a professional psychologist who loves taking massage therapies. Travelling and working from home are the two things she thoroughly enjoys. She believes in the benefits of massage chairs and their capability to relax the body and mind greatly. She recently wrote a post on the benefits of Swedish massage.