Part two of stress relief with massage therapy, a mini blog series from Marie Wagner, LMT
Under stress, your body really has just one response: it mobilizes to fight or flee. Your nervous system becomes highly activated and hormones such as adrenaline prepare your body to respond to an emergency.
Muscles tends for action, heart rate and blood pressure increase, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and digestion and other maintenance functions are put on hold.
Unfortunately, fighting or running is rarely a useful response to modern difficulties, such as moving to a new city, relationship upheavals, job changes or medical conditions.
In addition, today’s stresses are often ambiguous and ongoing, for example money worries or interpersonal conflicts. This means your body and mind do not receive a clear signal that it is safe to stop, relax and recuperate.