Stress
The World Health Organisation calls stress 'the health epidemic of the twenty-first century.'
This was pre-Covid, Covid has taken centre stage but if anything Covid will have significantly increased stress levels for many even further.
Up to 80 percent of all GP consultations are thought to be somehow related to stress. It's something we can no longer ignore.
Stress can have devastating long term consequences for our health. Too much of it contributes to the development of
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obesity
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type 2 diabetes
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high blood pressure
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cardiovascular disease
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strokes
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Alzheimer's disease
Stress is also a key player in
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insomnia
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burn-out
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autoimmune disease
As well as many mental health disorders such as
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anxiety
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depression.
There are, however, lots of options for us to help manage the stress in our lives and ultimately take greater responsibility for our health and wellbeing.
I'd come across massage therapy when I going through an emotionally difficult period in my life when my youngest son was diagnosed with autism. I could feel the tension and discomfort in my body and I went for regular massages to help alleviate those tensions but also to soothe my emotions and calm my mind.
Following this experience, I started my health and wellbeing journey and trained initially as a remedial massage therapist, wanting to help people reduce their aches and pains. But also, over the years, I've been drawn to looking at the ways we can help relieve the impact of stress on our bodies and our minds and how interconnected they are. Relaxation massage, Indian Head Massage, Thai Foot Massage, Facial Massage and Reiki can be very effective in treating both the body and mind.
I also encouraged clients to make small changes and improvements in their lives, through so-called "lifestyle medicine", to significantly improve their health and well-being.
The good news is - it works!
There is so much we can do to take control of our health and well-being. Understanding stress, and how it may be impacting our health and our lives, is a great starting point.
How does stress affect our bodies?
How regular massage can help reduce the impact of stress?