We live in a world where there are constant demands placed upon us. Now, more than ever,mindfulness and massage should be incorporated regularly into our routines. It is up to us to have healthy boundaries in place that prevent us from becoming burnt out. When we fail to provide ourselves with adequate self care, we run the risk of increasing our stress and anxiety. Mindfulness and massage are two excellent ways to remove stress and anxiety.
I find it hard to break away from my busy pace and allot time to myself but the more I do it, the more I realise how much better I feel when I take time out.
Mindfulness is a great way to slow your mind down. Thoughts lead to feelings and feelings, in turn, affect the way we behave. If our thoughts are getting the better of us (in terms of negative thinking) we will be more inclined to feel anxious and stressed. Once we are stressed we begin to engage in self sabotaging and counterproductive behaviours. To stop this cycle, it’s important to get into the habit of clearing your mind on a regular basis.
One easy exercise is the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise:
Tune in to your surroundings and focus on what you can see. Find 5 things.
Then tune in to what you can hear. try to notice 4 different sounds.
The next, is your sense of touch. Can you touch three things? How do they feel? Hot, cold, soft, rough?
Two things you can smell and then lastly, if possible, one thing you can taste.
When we engage our five senses, we force our brain to focus on something other than our chaotic thoughts.
Massage – do it yourself:
One thing that I like to do when I am trying to be mindful and rid my mind of all my anxieties and fears, is to give myself a massage.
Please be aware that this is an affiliate link, if you click on it to purchase the product I will earn a small commission but that isn’t the main reason for this recommendation. My son bought me this product as a present and I absolutely love it! It eases out all the tension in my neck and shoulders and really makes a huge difference in my relaxation routine. I feel wonderful after using this and have recommended it to a few friends who have been delighted.
I would never promote a product on my blog that I didn’t think was brilliant and useful. The massager is equipped with infra-red heat to ease muscle tension and the back and shoulder massager has a 15 minute timer and 3 speeds on the shoulder massager modes(high, middle and low).
Click on the link below if you would like to find out more about this home massager. It costs GBP49.97 and would make a great gift as well, for yourself or someone else. (I always treat myself to a gift from me at least once a year!)
This can be used anywhere – at the office, or even in your car (has car adaptor with it) on the way home after a tough day in the office.
You can also choose how hard you want the massage to be by how hard you pull the arms forward. I use my massager at least twice a week and I am trying to increase it ti three times a week. It’s my time for ‘productive rest’.
Shiatsu Back Neck and Shoulder Massager with Heat – Deep Tissue 3D Kneading Pillow Massager for Neck, Back, Shoulders, Foot, Legs – Electric Full Body Massage, Relieve Muscle pain – Office, Home & Car
Rest and relaxation should be a holistic exercise, in that we should approach wellness from many angles. My technique of mindfulness and massage together involves a mental and physical release in one go…works a treat!
Mandy X
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
