Therapeutic Massage as an Essential Self-Care Practice

🌾Relaxing.
🌾Rejuvenating.
🌾Stress relieving.

These words may be what typically comes to mind when you are considering a massage after feeling sore from an especially long week.

While massage does relieve muscle tension, reduces stress and can leave you feeling rejuvenated, did you know it can also be deeply restorative and healing? 🤔

Massage treatments can support respiratory function, the immune and circulatory systems, and helps to reduce spasms, trigger points, scar tissue, fibrosis and adhesions.

Yet, the most impactful benefits of a massage come post treatment. To take advantage of these benefits requires an optimal amount of time for recovery and consistent self-care practices, which will lead to more of the body’s ability to reach a deeper restorative level of healing.

Self-care practices can involve many things, such as scheduling regular massage treatments, following post treatment homecare plans and what you do at home. This could look like minimising external stressors, getting sufficient rest, hydration, and the consumption of healthy whole foods. In short, participation is key!

Regular and consistent self-care practices immediately after, and in between treatments, also help to maintain a relaxed, tension-free state of being for longer periods of time. When we are more at ease in our bodies, we are more likely able to navigate challenges that come our way. Massage Therapy may give you that space to be able to focus on everyday life challenges with far more ease and much less stress.

A final thought. When 'tis the season, the winter months are the toughest on our systems as our body works hard to maintain a comfortable core temperature. This can leave us feeling a little more tired and run down most days. Winter is also a time when colds and flus are at their most rampant, taxing our immune system, causing unrest, aggravation, and overstimulated nerves, which all affect our body’s ability to function optimally. All the more reason to take extra special care of yourself and others over the winter!