Self-care Massage Therapy
Late winter and early spring are the time for love and romance. However, one type of love that people are severely lacking is self-love. It’s easy to focus too much on all of the things you need to do- work, school, childcare, housework, etc., and forget that you also need to take care of yourself. You should take the time to care for your body, mind, and health. Bothell Integrated Health helps people feel better, including improved symptoms and mood. We can help you create an attainable self-care plan so that you can support your health. It’s important that your self-care routine works with your schedule and lifestyle, while meeting your needs. Some self-care can include engaging in relaxing activities, exercising, therapy, and meditation.
One way that you can show yourself some love is by scheduling a massage. Some people see massage as a luxury, only for special occasions. However, this isn’t true. You could incorporate massage into your routine. Massage is a calming therapy that has many benefits. It can improve your life overall and make it easier to carry out your daily activities without as much pain or stress. It can also help prevent injury or illness in the future by helping the body function more efficiently.
A benefit of massage is that it can help stimulate circulation in the body. Massaging the muscles can warm them up and encourage blood to flow throughout the body. Blood carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, and is essential for keeping the cells in your body alive and healthy. When a person has been injured, stimulating blood flow in the area through heat or massage can be beneficial for speeding up the healing process. Circulation also filters your blood to remove toxins and waste from your system. Many patients seek our help for joint pain or injuries from car accidents, and massage therapy can improve their circulation and alleviate discomfort. Medical massage is a helpful tool during the healing process.
It’s just a fact that life is stressful. Regularly receiving massage as part of your self-care routine is a great way to help you manage this stress. When a person is stressed, their body releases fight-or-flight hormones such as cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline. Stress can lead to serious issues such as mental health conditions, migraines and headaches, heart problems, stroke, and more. Massage can help lower stress hormone levels in the body. It also feels relaxing, allowing people to forget about their worries for a while. Just an hour massage session can help improve your mood for the rest of the week!
One in three Americans is not getting the amount of sleep that they need. And the ones that are, many of them have poor quality sleep. Bad sleeping habits are associated with a wide variety of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and mental health issues. Massage therapy can help people experience deeper, longer sleep. This is because by reducing stress and pain, the body and mind are able to relax easier. Massage can help people suffering from insomnia, or people that frequently wake up during the night because of pain. This makes it easier to both fall asleep and stay asleep. Sleep is a part of self-care that should not be overlooked or neglected.
Bothell Massage Services
Many forms of self-care focus on mindfulness and relaxation, but people with chronic pain may find it difficult to do either of these things. If you deal with pain symptoms, part of your self-care routine should aim to address them. One benefit of massage therapy is that it can ease tension and reduce inflammation, both of which can cause pain. Tension can pull on joints and pinch nerves, leading to pain and stiffness. Massage can loosen muscles, helping to relieve pain. Arthritis, infections, and aging are some causes of inflammation. Reduced inflammation can greatly improve a person’s quality of life and make everyday tasks less difficult. Our medical massage therapists at Bothell integrated Health target specific areas where our patients are experiencing pain, providing relief through massage.
For massage therapy as a form of self-care, it’s important to not just have one session. Making massage a part of your routine can help you get the most benefits from it. One massage is not going to cure all of your problems, but receiving continued sessions can have a positive effect on your health and well-being. It should also be a part of your self-care, but not all of it. Other forms of self-care can work together with massage to help improve your overall wellbeing. Bothell Integrated Health can recommend self-care methods for our patients so that they can stay well in between massage therapy sessions.
Stretching may seem like a simple thing that you can do, but it can do wonders to improve your health. Many people in America work sedentary desk jobs, especially compared to decades past. Instead of staying hunched over your work all day, it’s important to take breaks every once in a while and get up to stretch. There are a variety of types of stretches you can do pretty much anywhere, whether you are working at home, in an office, on the road, etcetera. If you are sitting for much of the day, it’s especially important to stretch the neck. People who do physical labor, such as heavy lifting, should make sure to stretch before and after to avoid injury. Our massage therapists can recommend stretches that target specific areas of the body, and meet the patient’s specific needs.
In today’s fast-paced society, it can be easy to forget about taking care of yourself. However, self-love is incredibly important. Reach out to our massage clinic, Bothell Integrated Health, to find out how massage therapy can be integrated into your self-care routine.
