Understanding Stress

Many of us suffer from stress. It is something that we all have to deal with living in a fast-paced society. We are constantly on the go and sometimes I feel like there is never enough time in the day. As a working mother, I feel the stress of juggling work and home life. The Covid19 pandemic and the high cost of living has also elevated our stress level. I guess that is why many people, just like me, have been trying to find ways to cope with the ever-growing stress in our lives. Massage therapy for stress is one of the most requested treatments in our clinic as it has proven benefits to relieve stress levels. 

Stress is a response to environmental conditions. From minor stress such as getting stuck in traffic to chronic stress such as constant work pressure or unpleasant working condition. Any changes in our environment can trigger a stress response.

How Stress Affects Our Body

Stress is a normal function in our body because it activates our immune system. However, chronic stress can weaken our immune system. Remember during exam time in college or university? Or when you had your first child or in the early days of the Covid pandemic? Those were very stressful times. You probably suffered from cold or flu symptoms, which can be scary considering Covid symptoms are similar. Those are an indication of a decline in the immune response. Lack of sleep and exercise, poor eating habits and constant worry can also contribute to the decline of our immune system.

The biological response to stress involves the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which we are not going to discuss in detail. The body reacts to the stressor and eventually leads to the release of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol elevates blood sugar and increases metabolic rate in our body.

When our body suffers from chronic stress, constant exposure to high levels of stress hormones can lead to susceptibility to disease. The change in our immune function caused by chronic stress can trigger autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Studies show that stress can also affect our cardiovascular health including hypertension, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. Our body is also more susceptible to infections such as cold and flu when we are chronically stressed. In addition, stress can cause headaches, tight muscles, and overall muscle pain. Therefore, it is important to manage our stress levels to prevent any negative health outcomes.

Massage therapy for stress

Massage therapy is an effective form of treatment to relieve stress. Massage therapy has been proven to improve overall physical and mental well-being. It is an effective form of treatment to relieve the physical symptoms of stress such as muscle tension and pain and improves overall circulation. Furthermore, studies found that massage therapy can decrease the cortisol level, which as described above, can have a significant negative impact on our health.

Therefore, massage therapy for stress is an effective coping mechanism. It is a great way to incorporate into your self-care routine to improve your overall health and well-being.

Here are other tips to relieve stress:



Of course, we can’t avoid stress. It’s all around us, especially during our current environment with the pandemic. However, what we can do is control our responses to our environment and include coping mechanisms to decrease our stress levels. We've already established that stress can cause multiple health issues. Therefore, what we can do is avoid worrying about minor things. Avoid ruminating about what happened in the past and just focus on the future. Try and avoid or get rid of the stressors as much as possible. If it is related to poor working conditions, then try to find a coping mechanism that works for you. Stress is unavoidable, so effective coping strategies are important to relieve our stress levels.

Other ways of managing stress:

•          Exercise regularly

•          Go for walks during break time

•          Yoga and meditation

•          Gardening or being out in nature

•          Take time off, away from the stressor

•          Acupuncture has been proven to relieve cortisol levels as well, (see acupuncture and anxiety blog article)

These are just a few examples that many people find effective in coping with stress. I hope it can help you as well.

References:

Listing, M., Krohn, M., Liezmann, C., Kim, I., Reisshauer, A., Peters, E., Klapp, B. F., & Rauchfuss, M. (2010). The efficacy of classical massage on stress perception and cortisol following primary treatment of breast cancer. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 13(2), 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-009-0143-9

Flett, G., Kocovski, N. L., Davison, G. C., & Neale, J. M. (2017). Abnormal Psychology Sixth Canadian Edition. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd