Massage Therapy for Anxiety

There are many ways to reduce your anxiety including massage therapy. Learn how massage therapy can ease your anxiety and provide anxiety relief.

Anxiety affects 40 million adults per year in the United States alone.

If you are experiencing the effects of an anxious mind, it’s safe to say you’re not alone. However, this doesn’t mean you have to continue to suffer from it.

You know massage therapy is great for sore muscles and pain, but it can produce results that reach beyond the physical body. In fact, massage for anxiety is one of the best ways to ease your mind and put stress to rest.

Ready to watch your worries melt away? Follow along to learn how massage therapy can help you address your stress and say goodbye to anxiety.

Lower Stress Levels

Stress stems from many factors including work-related issues, trouble at home, or even a traumatic experience. Some of these situations are easier to resolve than others, but all of them have a similar effect on the body.

When you are experiencing high levels of stress, the body sees an increase in the amount of cortisol in your system. Cortisol is responsible for symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, and of course, anxiety.

This sneaky stress hormone doesn’t only affect your mind, it also causes a spike in physical ailments like muscle tension and headaches. If you’ve experienced anxiety, you may notice that it produces tension in a specific part of your body.

Having a massage can reduce stress, gently smooth out tightness in your muscles, and allow your body to release that built-up tension and reduce cortisol levels

Reduce Pain

Physical pain has the same effect as external stressors when it comes to the body. When you’re in pain, you’ll experience the same spike in cortisol due to the stressed state of your system.

This pain may be the cause of the problem or the effect of it but no matter the source, relieving physical pain is essential to lowering anxiety.

Massage therapists can target key areas of pain and remove knots from these muscles to provide relief. You’ll notice an increased range of motion as muscles begin to recover from their guarded state.

Decreased tension in the muscles will also ease the severity and frequency of headaches. This may help clear that foggy-headed feeling and bring your thoughts back to a more manageable state.

Once your physical pain is reduced, your body will be more capable of taking on high-stress emotions and you’ll feel more prepared to face them.

Boost Endorphins

Having a massage releases a hit of feel-good hormones including serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin plays a role in regulating mood and is known as a “happiness hormone.”Its effects can help relieve some of those darker emotions and bring your mind and body to a more uplifted place.

Dopamine is also a factor in mood regulation as well as muscle movement. It triggers a feel-good sensation for the body and taps into the pleasure and rewards center. This can help pull you from a state of anxiety into a place of satisfaction and contentment.

These hormones allow your body to relax and decrease stress and tension levels. In addition to pain relief, this boost will leave you walking out feeling refreshed and well-rested.

The effects of these endorphins can stabilize mood swings and reduce the intensity of high days vs. low days. Regular massages are helpful in maintaining the balance of these hormones and reducing the frequency of anxiety attacks.

Improve Sleep

Nothing impacts your ability to take on the day more than the quality of your sleep.

If anxiety and stress have you rolling around all night long, you’re likely finding that the day feels even heavier and unmanageable. A good night’s sleep can drastically change your emotional state when the sun rises and it’s time to face another day.

Reduced pain and a more relaxed state will help you slip into that much-needed sleep faster and reduce the number of sleep interruptions. If your body isn’t aching or pinching, you’ll be able to settle into a comfortable spot and fade into dreamland.

The serotonin release helps your body increase the levels of melatonin in your brain. Melatonin is what your brain releases in response to darkness and helps you lock in those precious full nights of sleep.

A fully rested mind and body will help reduce the impact of those high-stress situations and save your body from increased cortisol.

Promotes Healing

Your body has an amazing way of storing emotions in your tissues. When we release emotions associated with a traumatic event or stressful situation, we can begin to heal from the experience and let go of the pain.

Massage can help move this process forward and help with the physical release of these stressors.

Use Massage for Anxiety

If you’re ready for a release from the grip of anxiety and want to start feeling yourself again, now is the time to consider a massage for anxiety. With all of these benefits and more, massage is the perfect complement to your anti-stress routine.

Ready to choose your treatment? Call (402) 384-8400 to schedule an appointment with Faces Spa in Omaha today and we’ll help you choose the perfect stress-relieving experience for your needs. Say goodbye to stress as enter a new, relaxed world.