Stress is the main reason to make us tense and could cause illness and pain. While massage helps to break the circle of stress by relaxing tense muscles and stimulating the body systems to work efficiently. Massage therapy has amplified and refined that natural reaction to bring relief to sufferers from pain and stress. If properly apply, massage not only relaxes stressful body and soothes pain but can affect the whole body and indirectly mental and emotional states.

Massage, which has the action to relax and to stimulate, can be adapted to produce the desired over all effects. Poor blood circulation and aggravated stress could cause over-contraction of muscles which reduce the flow of blood to hands and feet. In such a case, massage would be designed to relax the tissues, producing an overall relaxation with a sedative effect, and as stress was removed the circulation would respond to increase tone and speed up a sluggish metabolism.

The healing effects of massage is to make the superficial tissues of the body relax or return to normal, so that they stop stressing the spinal cord with abnormal nerve signals. This relieves pain and tension and prevents them from establishing a ” vicious circle” of reflexes, in which, for example, persistent stress and hunching of the shoulders can create headache and nausea, which in turn give rise to more stress.

There are some conditions which could be made worse by the use of massage, and others in which it could be actively dangerous. Acute inflammatory conditions due to bacterial infection, recent sprains or wounds, and states due to contagious diseases should not be massaged. Circulatory problems such as severe varicose veins should be referred to a doctor, and anyone with a heart condition should seek medical advice before receiving massage. It should be avoided in the case of internal diseases such as ulcers and hernias, in any illness needing complete bed rest, and finally, in skin conditions, because it can cause them to spread.

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To have instant stress relief during your busy schedule, you could actually perform the following:

1. While you feel stressful, close your eyes while sitting down or standing up, count to ten, take deep and slow breaths. Play your favorite music if available.
2. While deep breathing, talk to your mind ” I am relaxed, I have let go my stress and I am OK” repeatedly.
3. While your eyes are still closed, visualise you are doing fun things in your favorite nature scene.
4. After feeling calmer, do mental rehearsal by visualizing how you would cope with the stressful situation or people. See yourself being cool, calm and collected.
5. Activate your sense of humor and maximize your emotional intelligence. See things from the lighter and brighter sides to find creative alternative solutions.
6. Gently stretch your shoulders, neck, arms and feet and other light physical movements. Make faces to stretch and relax your facial muscles. If possible, get a light massage on your neck and shoulders where you feel tense to increase circulation and relax your neuromuscular system.
7. Having a coffee break.
8. If you found your mind started mental imagination to blast or confront the stressor, try to drift back your mind and switch to the stress relief steps mentioned above.

Stress is something we can not avoid in life, thus finding ways to relief your stress is of utmost important to avoid it from throwing our life off balance.

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