Stress is becoming one of the biggest emotional and physical issues that we are having to deal with in every way and every day of our lives. It can overwhelm us all, whether it's job related, I suspect that this is a major source of stress in people, family, money or the lack of it, also our health and physical wellbeing.
On the whole our bodies and minds can deal with a certain amount of stress and we can thrive on the pressure. It's when all the balls that are being juggled at too fast a pace and increase in numbers that we can catch them, and they tumble to the ground ...
The effects of this then start to take their toll on your body. It can begin with neck stiffness and shoulder pain, this can lead to headaches and possibly migraine. If left unmanaged it can develop into back, chest and stomach issues as your body tries to compensate and deferred pain occurs. This then leads to self-healing, a rubbing of the neck and shoulder and then old faithful rears its head ... the crutches such as painkillers, smoking drinking and the use of other drugs.
In this world, people work extremely hard, with long hours and therefore the downtime is taken up with weekly chores such as the washing, shopping and cleaning. We use our bodies to work and pay the bills, whether it's a manual worker digging trenches all day, these guys use the same muscles day in and day out, coming home rubbing their shoulders and lower back; or the postman carrying his bag on the same shoulder for numerous years; or the PA, who holds the phone in the crick of the neck whilst multitasking at the desk and has wrist pain from overuse at the computer. These are not extreme cases, and everyone knows someone who has these strains.
Each and every person needs to maintain the body and the stress levels within the body. The body needs to be treated as a whole. I encourage all clients to have regular treatment to maintain a certain and better awareness of their body. Having e.g. massage every 4/6 weeks will keep on top of the overuse of the muscles, so that they are not booking in only when they are in pain. Or regular reflexology to balance emotional issues and stress relief.
We also need to have time each week for themselves, to laugh, to meditate, swim or run, whatever you need to shut the world out and have a release from the pressures of life. We only have one body, we need to look after it; who else is going to do that.