Since this newsletter is about therapeutic massage, we thought it would be meaningful this month to touch on the topic of self-care. Massage is nothing if not self-care! Well, actually, it is allowing a professional to care for you, but by making that appointment and showing up, you are engaged in radical self-care. Most people feel their anxiety levels decrease just waiting for a massage.
Massage offers a bouquet of self-care benefits: lowered heart rate, relaxation, improved blood flow and circulation, a stronger immune system, a feeling of being grounded and comfortable in one’s body, and increased oxytocin: the connection chemical. Let’s look at a few more items we can include in a healthy approach to the care of one’s self. The first one we’ll discuss, and it directly affects the second, is exercise.
Daily exercise boosts mood, self-confidence, pain relieving hormones, improves your posture, self-esteem, your optimism and energy for the rest of the day. By the way, getting your workout done outdoors in the sunlight and fresh air, or at least with a window thrown open, sunlight streaming in while you ride your stationary bike or do your Pilates, multiplies these benefits. Exercise is also (as long as you don’t exercise too close to bedtime, not a good idea) guaranteed to improve sleep, the next item on today’s list.
Building a successful day on a poor night’s sleep is like trying to construct a building on a weak and unfinished foundation. With a good night’s rest on the other hand, you have something to build upon. You can light the fuse and burn through your day with energy and positive momentum. In building a healthy sleep/wake cycle, it helps to abstain from caffeine after 2 PM. Experts also recommend we wind down at the end of the night, limit screen time, and maintain a healthy ritual of relaxation and quiet, so the body can prepare for a good night’s rest.
Eating healthy, as you no doubt already knew, is a major part of self-care, but so is staying hydrated! A great practice is, upon waking, drink 32 ounces of spring water with lemon. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Your body will reward you.
Did you know that optimists have better outcomes? It’s true. Positive thoughts, and dwelling on the things you love, means a stronger immune system, a brighter presence with others, and it also makes you more likely to spot opportunities in life and act on them.
Lastly, gratitude is an incredibly healing and positive emotion, a genuine aspect of self-care. In the emotional state of gratitude we have a relaxed, light hearted presence that allows good things to flow to us.
Thank you for tuning in this month! We’ll see you in next month’s newsletter, and please do follow us on social media.
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