Anxiety, the Nervous System & Massage Therapy

Life can be hard to juggle sometimes. Managing household tasks, work, family, appointments, a social life, working on your mental health, doing your best to be healthy and make healthy choices—sometimes it can all feel very overwhelming.

It can be easy to get stuck in rush-mode, one in which you’re jumping from task to task, diligently checking things off your to-do list and barely taking a moment to just sit still and breathe for a minute. Or maybe you have so many things you want to accomplish that they’re all swirling around in the back of your mind and you feel paralyzed to begin pretty much anything, so you find yourself just lying around in your free time and feeling exhausted.

Both of these scenarios are outcomes of a dysregulated nervous system, one that is stuck in the sympathetic, or “fight-flight-or-freeze” state.

A dysregulated nervous system has difficulty returning to homeostasis after responding to internal or external stimuli. This can be caused by a number of factors, including:

•   Prolonged stress;

• Trauma & adverse childhood experiences;

• Lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and inadequate sleep;

• Underlying health conditions such as hormonal imbalances;

• Environmental factors such as heavy metal and mold toxicity;

• Genetics.

Symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system can include:

• Depression and/or anxiety

• Chronic pain;

• Sleep disturbances;

• Sensory challenges;

• Concentration or memory issues;

• High blood pressure;

• Gut, skin, immune & reproductive dysfunction.

There are many ways you can help calm and begin the process of healing your nervous system. Finding ways to help manage mental and emotional stress has been found to be incredibly helpful in this persuit.

One such tool that has been studied for it’s effectiveness for positively affecting and supporting the parasympathetic nervous system (known for it’s ability to help turn on your body’s ability to “rest, digest and heal”) is massage therapy. One reason for its effectiveness is because you get to hand your stress and pain over to the hands of a trained professional, one who is there to hold space for you and help you move toward a new way of being.

Activating the parasympathetic nervous system with massage therapy can also help to:

• Lessen pain;

• Decrease cortisol (stress hormone)

• Increase serotonin and dopamine (feel-good hormones);

• Lower heart rate;

• Lower blood pressure;

• Aid digestion.

A good massage therapist will listen to your words and requests and read your body language cues while doing their best to give you the massage they believe will most benefit you—one in which you feel safe, relaxed and able to exist in the present moment while enjoying therapeutic touch and letting go of tension.

Intentionally making time in your schedule for relaxation, selfcare and regulating your nervous system is one of the best things you can do for your wellbeing—and in our opinion—is well worth budgeting for.

If you’re looking for ways to relax, de-stress and do wonders for your mind, body and nervous system, book a customized massage here.