Finding Relief From Stress

Have you ever found yourself constantly seeking ways to escape the stress and chaos of daily life? Do you feel like finding relief from stress is impossible? You're not alone, as a massage therapist, many of my clients come to me for precisely this reason.

What is Stress?

Stress causes mental or emotional strain or tension from difficult or demanding circumstances. Stress has been used interchangeably with words like strain, pressure, anxiety, and tension. We have all experienced stress in large and mild doses. High stressors are things like divorce or the death of a child or spouse. A mild example may be moving, or co-worker issues. Think about stress you’ve experienced in your life, big or small, and recall how it made you feel in your body.

Some common stress physical symptoms are:

• Difficulty breathing

• Anxiety or panic attacks

• Sleep problems

• Nightmares or strange dreams

• Fatigue

• Muscle aches and pains

• Headaches or migraines

• High blood pressure

While massage therapy can help with these symptoms, the goal is to find your perfect stress-relief activity to counteract these physical symptoms.

Stress is individual, so your stress-relief techniques should be unique to you. We can agree what stresses one person out may be a mild stressor for another. Consider why this is.

For one thing, personality can determine how the body and mind respond to stress. Your personality is innate and not something you can control, but understanding its role in what stresses you is helpful. Personality makes introverts and extroverts, for example. Extroverts may thrive in crowds, while a crowd can be stressful and exhausting for introverts.

A common way to find your best stress-relieving activities is to think back to when you were a child. What activities did you enjoy? Were you the type who gravitated outdoors, thrived around animals, or stopped to listen when music was playing?

Any of these places is an excellent start to finding your best stress relief. Also, we are constantly changing as we go through life, and what stress relief worked five years ago may not be the most effective today, so reevaluating can be advantageous.

What makes something an ideal stress reliever for you?

Consider these questions with your preferred stress-relief activity in mind:

• Does it make you feel peaceful?

• Do you feel a sense of calm or rejuvenation afterward?

• Do you find joy in the activity?

• Does your stress reliever calm such stress symptoms as anxiety, headache, and shallow chest breathing?

An example to consider when deciding your best stress reliever is massage therapy. Massage can be very effective in reducing muscle tension which drains your energy. Without muscle tension and interstitial debris also known as “knots” soft tissues can work more efficiently. Massage also helps to keep your muscles soft and light, taking the weight off your shoulders. Well, literally.

Massage may encourage better circulation. It allows the cells and brain to get the oxygen and nutrients they need to reduce physical and mental fatigue. Massage may also increase the number of white cells, a significant part of the immune system, leaving your body feeling healthy and strong enough to face the stress, giving you a great stress relief tool.

Regular massage may help improve the quality of restful sleep. During sleep, your body rejuvenates itself so your energy levels can be restored and instantly make you feel more rested. An effective stress reliever should benefit the body and the mind. So if you can’t relax the mind during a massage, your body can’t get the full benefit. In this case, massage isn’t your ideal stress reliever.

Effective Stress-Relief Techniques

If you’re going to do something, you might as well get the most out of it as you can.

It is worth your time to explore different stress relief options and see which most positively affects your body. Rather than listing numerous ideas you can do for stress relief, let’s take a feel-good approach. What makes you feel alive, joyful, peaceful, or whole? That will be your go-to stress relief.

5 Best Stress Relief Techniques

1. Be active. Movement of any kind is good for stress relief, but know which type of movement suits you best. Are you a run-five-miles type or a hot yoga type? Take time and explore what works for you. Maybe being out in nature on a hike is the best stress relief for you.

2. Take control. I heard a great quote about taking control of your life; otherwise, it will take control of you. Life can happen to us unless we purposefully take steps to live the life we want. Find what relieves your stress, fills your cup, and then adds that into your daily life.

3. Connect with people. Humans are naturally social beings, and finding people you connect with can be immensely stress-relieving. These are the people you feel calm and connected with when you are around them rather than the draining people you should avoid. The people around you either add to or help reduce your stress.

4. Schedule some me-time. Some people need more of this than others, but everyone’s stress will benefit from some me-time each day. This time appeals to my personality, but others may avoid me-time at all costs. Challenge yourself to find which type you are and how much me-time benefits your stress levels the most.

5. Avoid unhealthy habits. Unhealthy foods, people, and substances can seem like stress relief at the time but usually leave further stress afterward.

Have you found your best stress-relief techniques? If you are unsure, are you ready to explore your options? Use the ideas presented here to find one that relaxes the body and the mind, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and joyful.

Interested in Massage Therapy for stress relief or pain management? Feel free to reach out or book your appointment today. Click the button below to go to my website.

Onyx Massage & Bodywork in Keller TX

Heather Garber LMT

Keller, TX