Combating Holiday Stress
The time of joy, happiness, family…and stress! That’s right, study after study shows that Americans are stressed out this time of year. 88% of Americans feel stressed when celebrating the holidays. And according to the American Psychological Association, more women than men are reporting feeling holiday stress. Entertaining, shopping, family dynamics, Covid…are just some of the reasons people feel stressed during the holiday season. And while holiday stress is real, it doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to combat it.
Get a Massage
Yes, getting a massage is a proven way to destress during the holidays. A study published in the journal Depression and Anxiety found that those who received regular massage therapy for 12 weeks had a 50% reduction in anxiety symptoms. And the benefits were not short-lived – they remained at 50% 26 weeks later - even after the massage therapy ended.
Massages help decrease heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels (one of the hormones released in response to stress) while “feel good” hormones like endorphins increase. Swedish Massage, given the gentle, calming nature of the massage technique, is great for this.
Massage therapy has also been proven to raise serotonin levels which helps you get to sleep and stay asleep. And sleep is another great way to decrease cortisol levels.
Treat Your Skin
And it is not just massages that can help with stress. Facials are a great stress combater as well. Studies have shown that stress negatively effects skin wellness and can lead to outbreaks of acne, eczema, and psoriasis. And it is hard when you’re sometimes wearing your stress on the place people see the most – your face. A soothing, cleansing facial pulls double duty – it not only improves the skin condition, but is also relaxing and helps reduce current stress levels to eliminate further stress signs on the skin.
At this time of year with so much going on it’s easy to get caught up in the anxiety and stress of the season. But that doesn’t have to be the way. Taking care of yourself means you’ll have the mental and physical energy to take care of others.
Try an at-home massage or at-home facial from Spa Theory. Available in the Atlanta, Houston, and Miami / Fort Lauderdale areas.
