Massage is medically beneficial because it encourages relaxation, improves posture, boosts blood circulation, lowers blood pressure, promotes easier breathing, improves flexibility, relieves headaches, strengthens the immune system, and quickens rehabilitation after injury. But more than these medical benefits, there’s one other advantage to stress relief that we all could use: stress relief.
Whether you’re a working mom or a fresh out of college entry-level employee with an intimidating boss, you can do with some stress relief in the form of a long, soothing massage. Here, we will take a look at the top five massage techniques which are specifically designed to relieve stress.
Top 5 Massage Techniques for Stress Relief
According to the American Massage Therapy Association, massage is an effective stress reliever. The soothing strokes of a massage therapist’s fingers on your tired, aching muscles can bring about decreased heart rate and lower blood pressure. It can even be a solution to anxiety and depression problems because the ultra-relaxing experience can cause a positive change in your psychological state. The good news is that there are many massage techniques which can directly address stress, including the following:
- Acupressure
Acupressure works in such a way that the kneading, stroking motion triggers specific points in the body to relax. As the tightened muscles loosen up, stress in the body and in the mind is greatly reduced. When booking a massage session for stress relief, consider asking for a Shiatsu or a Thai massage.
- Aromatherapy
What’s more relaxing than the smell of scented oils or lotions as your knotted muscles are being worked on by a therapist? This is what aromatherapy is all about. Different scented oils are used for relaxation, while the techniques used in the massage itself range from Swedish to Shiatsu, or Thai to acupressure.
- Head and Shoulder Massage
If you don’t have time for a full one-hour massage, ease away your stress by having a thirty-minute head and shoulder massage. Most of the stress from your daily life is placed on the upper part of the body, particularly the head, shoulder, and neck areas. Head and shoulder massages are typically offered in malls or airport lounges, to give buyers and passengers a quick relief from all that walking.
- Hot Stone Massage
This massage technique involves the use of smooth, hot stones which are placed lightly over the skin. The heat from the stone helps ease the tension from knotted muscles which result from stress. If you only like a light pressure when getting a massage, you can double the effects by asking for a hot stone to loosen up your tight muscles.
- Swedish Massage
Perhaps the most popular stress relief massage technique is Swedish massage. For this, different stroking motions are used to induce relaxation. Stress is the culprit behind those knots in your muscles which massage therapists patiently work on. As the knots in the muscles become loose, you will feel utter relaxation and experience stress melting away from your body.
Everyone experience certain levels of stress, from different sources. To make sure that it will not have a negative effect on your health, mind, and body, ease away the stress by getting a stress-relieving massage.