Anxiety disorders are fairly common in the UK. According to Mental Health UK at any one time 1 in 10 of us are living with some form of anxiety disorder. While some people may experience mild symptoms, others experience anxiety symptoms that prevent them from living a normal life. There are a wide range of mental and physical symptoms that may be experienced, anxiety is different for everyone. Whatever symptoms you may be experiencing, having massage for anxiety is usually helpful in a number of ways.
When we are stressed or anxious, our sympathetic nervous system is activated. The touch, warmth and pressure of massage activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which has the reverse effect and takes the body out of stress mode. Anxiety and tension can be a vicious circle. This causes discomfort and pain, which makes us even more anxious.
Manipulation of the muscles in a massage therapy session reduces tension and allows the muscles to relax. Endorphins: hormones released to reduce stress and pain.
They give feelings of happiness and wellbeing. Serotonin: also gives feelings of happiness and wellbeing. In addition, it plays a role in healthy sleep patterns and decreases levels of cortisol. Dopamine: a neurotransmitter that acts on the pleasure and reward centre of the brain. Oxytocin: a hormone and neurotransmitter that relieves stress, anxiety and depression. So massage can help in a number of ways. A massage that is too deep may be uncomfortable and cause an anxious person to feel even more anxious.
Since anxiety is actually a natural response, we need to understand and manage it rather than try to eliminate it. There are many strategies and treatments for doing this and what is most effective depends on the individual. If an anxiety condition is diagnosed, various treatments are available. There are medications for anxiety, but these lessen the symptoms rather than solving the problem.
