Happy Thursday friends! Yesterday I posted on instagram that I had a massage. I was surprised to receive a lot of questions about this- the cost, the reasons and even a couple of comments that "it must be nice" to just do this. It made me realize that there are a lot of misconceptions about massage and so today I thought I would share just eleven health benefits of getting a massage.
As a bit of background, I first heard of massage when I was a college student. I am sure that I had heard about it before, but this was the first time that it really was something that "hit me". There were a couple of girls on campus that always looked particularly relaxed and one day I asked them their secret. I will never forget how one of them told me that she got a massage two times a week. 18 year old Rebecca was a bit dumbfounded on how this could be something that college students could afford to do. This sounded lovely to me but I had the false impression that I had to be rich to have this "luxury". After several more conversations with these girls- it turned out that they were getting massages at a massage school and the cost of the massage each session was $10 from a student who was in training.
I didn't think much of it- again mistakenly thinking that this was just something that was for those who wanted to "do some me time" and not understanding the incredible health benefits that massage offers. It wasn't until many years later (in the midst of my health journey with Lyme and multiple other illnesses) that I discovered the health benefits of having a regular massage.
To be honest in the last couple of years this was a health practice that I let "slip" from my health and wellness routine. The last several years have felt more about surviving then thriving and in the midst of "survival" things just got pushed to the side. But this summer I have been healing from a lot of different things- specifically a very toxic work experience of many years that affected me physically and this was a practice that was suggested for me to bring back and I am so glad that I did.
I searched around for a place that would be best for me and my specific needs. A couple of things that were important to me was someone who would listen to a few areas that I wanted worked on gently, it needed to be affordable, and I also needed it to be "shorter" length of time then an hour simply due to detoxing. I found a local wellness and spa that did custom 30 minute massages that were extremely affordable and signed up for my first one. I now do 2 a month and it is an affordable way to help my body heal and be strengthened and it has been a wonderful blessing. It is truly a healthy thing to add to your routine if you are curious. Here are just 11 of my favorite health benefits of getting a massage (with more details on the first point as background to the number one thing that massage helped in my healing process):
1. Massage can help reduce levels of cortisol.
It was not uncommon in the last several years of working at my former job to hear how "worthless" I was in some sort of form. This could be through direct or indirect words, being passed over for multiple promotions and advances, lack of pay increase (even the cost of living was extremely low and didn't meet industry standard), and getting pushed into a single position that had nothing to do with what I was first hired to do (nor what my education or background was in). My job eventually became listening to people in extreme and serious situations every single day that needed serious legal advice and without the support or guidance of my direct boss. I would get phone calls and things needing to be solved as early as 5am in the morning and well into 10-11pm at night and if I tried to reach out to my boss for help with a situation (during normal business hours) my phone calls were either ignored or I was reminded that I needed to "learn and grow" for my position. It didn't matter what I did to try to help the situation (taking multiple courses, attending more seminars and workshops than anyone in my department, having more degrees than anyone in my department, etc.) I was truly on my own. This was just one small part of that toxic work environment. I handled hundreds of calls each month with no support and after four years this affected my nervous system and cortisol levels in deep ways. After I was laid off and my blood work was checked my cortisol levels were off the chart in dangerous ways and knowing that massage can help lower them was truly an answer to helping my body heal from the stress.
2. Massage helps lower pain when done on a consistent basis.
3. Massage can help you sleep better.
4. Massage helps boost your immune system.
5. Massage helps increase your white blood cells (disease fighting cells).
6. Massage can help your skin as it relieves toxins and lymphatic build up (similar to dry brushing).
7. Massage can help those struggling with serious and chronic illnesses by relieving side effects to medication.
8. Massage can help you recuperate from surgery.
9. A very interesting study shows that while all different types of massage are beneficial, there is nothing that states that one type of massage is better than another.
10. The power of massage rests in the lymph movement that massage brings.
11. Mayo Clinic has said that massage therapy can help the following conditions:
*anxiety
*digestive disorders
*fibromyalgia
*headaches
*insomnia related to stress
*myofascial pain syndrome
*parathesias and nerve pain
*soft tissue strains or injuries
*sports injuries
*temporomandibular joint pain
*anxiety
*digestive disorders
*fibromyalgia
*headaches
*insomnia related to stress
*myofascial pain syndrome
*parathesias and nerve pain
*soft tissue strains or injuries
*sports injuries
*temporomandibular joint pain
These are just 11 small health benefits that massage offers! As always you should consult with a physician before beginning any type of alternative therapy. I am curious: do you get regular massages? Have you found any benefits to having massages?
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