Last weekend was Valentine’s Day, and at Newtown Massage and Spa we feel this is a great opportunity to remind you of the importance of self-love. Perhaps one of your New Year’s resolutions was to take better care of yourself, but when is the last time you truly took time to relax? In today’s society, we live in a world of non-stop tasks, responsibilities and activities. But does it ever occur to us if we don’t take time to slow down now and again, we may at some point be unable to live life to our full potential? I’m here to tell you that burnout is a very real syndrome, and it taught me some valuable lessons. Not least the fact that whole-body (holistic) health involves not just a balanced body, but also a balanced mind.
As someone who has been through her own healing journey – as both a sick person and a healer (or rather facilitator of healing) – I can honestly say what truly stuck in my mind is how much conventional medicine neglects our emotional and mental wellbeing. What strikes me with certain massage clients is that some of them seem to think of massage as a “guilty pleasure” where they need to “sneak away” to get one. Many of them live busy lives with their high-powered jobs and children who keep them on their toes, and so massage is not always their first priority. Indeed, we often put others before ourselves, while foolishly forgetting the analogy of “putting on your own life vest before you help your neighbor”. After all, if you burn yourself out, you won’t be able to help anyone, least of all yourself!
If we take time to calm our mind through practices such as massage, medication and yoga we are able to perform our daily jobs more effectively and with less stress. The fact is that, thanks to today’s “go-go-go” mentality, many of us are stuck in “fight or flight mode”, where our body’s sympathetic nervous system is running in overdrive. This means that we are constantly on edge and ready to go, but the flipside is that our parasympathetic nervous system is insufficiently activated, and this is vital for us to enjoy proper rest and digestion. Long-term overstressing of the sympathetic nervous system causes elevated cortisol levels. This leads to weight gain and inflammation, and ultimately to adrenal fatigue.
One solution to this problem is to treat our bodies to sufficient rest and recuperation, and this is where massage comes in. Our Licensed Massage Therapists at Newtown Massage and Spa are dedicated to giving you an unforgettable bodywork experience. One effect of massage is that it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, allowing your body to rest and digest, as described above. That’s also why oftentimes your stomach will rumble during a massage.
Being sick taught me that true health and wellness are about the right balance of components. However, I have found that many conventional doctors fail to comprehend this, and are all too keen to prescribe prescription after prescription. What truly helped me was holistic medicine. Holistic medicine takes a whole-body approach, which is precisely what we do at Wrightstown Health & Fitness, where Newtown Massage and Spa is located. Not only do we offer massage, but also chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition, personal training and yoga. It’s a convenient choice for clients who would like all practitioners under one roof. And we offer the added bonus that our practitioners truly communicate with each other to ensure everyone knows the full picture about your health. Furthermore, if you are looking to use multiple services, packages such as our affiliate Inspire Nutrition’s popular weight loss and fitness program, The Blitz, offer a very reasonably priced combo of personal training, nutritional counseling and protein shakes, of which a large portion may be covered by your insurance!
Happy belated Valentine’s! Remember: you don’t need a specific day to practice self-love. It’s important to do so all year round.
Written by: Sarah Downing
