Sophie Okolo, MPH

When was the last time you indulged in good self-care? Most people consider self-care to be anything from painting their nails to having an early nap during the day. But a good way to care for your body is to go and get a regular massage. When you have downtime during the week, even a 30 minute massage can make a very big difference to your health and well-being. 

Some people use massage to maintain their health and avoid having to see the chiropractor too often, but other people use it as a luxury because it is one of the biggest luxuries out there. If you’ve never had a massage before, you won’t be able to truly understand that until you’ve experienced it. 

But massage can transcend your mind and help your body to feel like it’s been brought back to the present. We are living in a very stressful time right now where the cost of living is forcing more and more people into more and more jobs, which means that there is very little time for relaxation and rest. A massage renders you a mobile for as little as half an hour to two hours and has somebody look after your body in a way that you need. So with that in mind, here are the benefits of getting a massage during your downtime.

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• You’re going to reduce your stress and anxiety. Life is stressful. We’re not going to lie to you about that. You probably already know that, which is why you’re here looking at reasons to get a massage. Massage helps to promote relaxation, and it helps to raise the levels of serotonin and oxytocin in your blood, which are the feel good hormones that make you feel much better on the inside. A massage can help you feel like your body has been stretched and pressed into shape again, and it helps to uplift your mood.
• Reducing your pain. Tension and pain in your body can be very difficult to deal with. Massage targets those painful areas and helps to work the muscles out, manipulating their shape so that they are no longer kinked or tense. Of course, pain and tension don’t always go hand in hand, but massage helps to work out those soft tissues in a way that helps you feel good about yourself.
• Will improve your posture exponentially. The thing you need to know about massage is it’s designed to press your body back into shape again. So all of the times you’ve sat hunched over while you are working or hunched over while you are reading is going to put long term pressure on your muscles and your spine. However, when you are getting a massage, you’re effectively having all of that pushed into place.
• It targets your injuries. Often chiropractors and massage therapists will work hand in hand if you’ve had an injury to the soft tissues of your back. A chiropractor would recommend massage and physiotherapy, which is a type of sports massage to help you to feel more recovered.It’s important that you ensure that you are on top of any injuries in your back because your back is supporting the rest of your body.