Mindful Relaxation in a Covid-19 World

The positive impact that stress management has on your health is well worth the effort!

Many people depend on massage therapy to work out their aches and pains and to bring them to a state of relaxation. During this Covid-19 era there has been a heightened sense of anxiety and stress and a lack of ability to continue our normal routines of self care that we desire and that we need.

As we've discussed in past articles, there are multiple ways to self-massage to calm muscle tension. Although nothing compares to the hands and skills of  a professional body-worker, some relief can be found through self-massage care. As you break out the tennis balls and foam rollers to work out your knots, don't neglect the importance that mindful relaxation has on your health.

The benefits are bountiful and lasting!

Some mistakenly understand the pursuit of relaxation practices, including massage therapy, to be only a thing of luxury, something that is decadent, a treat to be had for a special occasion.  And it is all of that, but also so much more!

A few of the benefits to expect when regularly engaging in relaxation practices are lowering blood pressure, reducing heart rate, relaxing muscle tension, lowering stress-related disease, such as cardiovascular disease, and a myriad of physiological issues including anxiety and depression are are helped by regular times of being in a mindful state of relaxation. According to studies (Bhasin et al.,2013), the elicitation of relaxation response can lead to genomic changes that are positive in both the short and long-term in improving health and healing. 

Clearly improving your health and wellness is by far more than a luxury. Think of it more as an investment. An investment in the most important asset a person can have, good health. The more that is put into your investment, the better the outcome will be! It has been quite enlightening having all the things that we have grown accustomed to enjoying taken away from us, as happened with the Covid-19 pandemic. For many our jobs, our extended family, our friends, our recreation, places of worship, places of relaxation and places to work-out, all taken away for months. We are so thankful to not have had ourselves or our loved ones stricken with illness and at the same time, with many of our normal activities that help us feel relaxed and balanced removed, anxiety and depression can creep in. It is more important than ever to purposefully and mindfully find ways within yourself to spend regular times in mindful relaxation.

Cultivating mindfulness creates space to learn about yourself, grow and relax in who you are!

Meditation, spiritual centering, movement in the form of walking, cycling, yoga or taking a swim are all great ways to produce a state of relaxation, but at the core is the most important aspect, your mind. Cultivating mindfulness helps with stress management and can be done by daily practicing kindness to yourself. Start with this list of suggestions and see if you can find some of your own to add to it.

• Patience with oneself, allowing the unfolding of events in their own time while being present in the moment.
• Beginners mind: see things in a new way as if for the 1st time. Be open and receptive to unique possibilities.
• Trust in your own feelings, experiences, wisdom and intuition to guide you in various facets of your life.
• Non-striving towards a particular outcome, instead paying attention to moment by moment as you move towards your goals in a more organic way.
• Acceptance of yourself as you truly are and not only to what you may like to be, as a first step to meaningful desired change.
• Letting go of attachments to any particular aspect of an experience and acknowledging and embracing the fluidity and dynamic nature of life's moments. 
• Gratitude and appreciation for the unfolding mysteries of life. 
• Generosity by giving time, energy and attention to others as well as yourself.

Daily practicing these inner qualities will cultivate mindfulness. As this becomes a habitual way of life you will be able to transcend stressful circumstances and emotional strain as your mindfulness translates into a template for more healthful and meaningful coping skills. As your body becomes released from the damage of chronic stress, regeneration will be able to promote healing and healthful wellness in it's place. 

Check your relaxation gauge!

Be mindful of the different stressors that you are experiencing. There are external stressors and internal stressors. External stressors come in the form of pandemics (right?!), finances, physical pain, relationship issues, work issues, even stress as benign as traffic can take it's toll. Then there are internal stressors such as insecurities, fears, worries, various emotional issues and lack of perceived control.  Once you identify stressors in your life, then you can tackle managing the way to overcome them by utilizing the tools above. If stress is not managed, the damage to your emotions and physical well being can not be overstated. Especially over the long-term, chronic unmanaged stress is extremely damaging. 

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Elevated blood sugar that can lead to developing diabetes
• Chronic inflammation
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Headaches
• Cardiovascular disease
• Arthritis
• Overproduction of Cortisol which can lead to osteopenia & weight gain
• Chronic joint and muscle pain
• Stroke

This is only a partial list of the negative impact that unmanaged stress can lead to. Clearly none of these are desired. 

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The country is slowly and carefully opening back up. Eventually massage therapy will be allowed again in California and we'll be able to help mobilize your mindful relaxation. Just imagine when you are steeped in mindful practices and then are able to combine that with a massage! Wow! You'll be walking on clouds!

All body-workers that have been put on time-out until further notice greatly miss our ability to be a part of your journey in a tangible way and eagerly await the time that we will be back!  

Stay safe, well and relaxed!