« Tendonsis | Fingertips Home | Comparing Clinicals »

March 10, 2009

Conquering Debt Stress Healthfully

It's a tough economy, no doubt. And according to the news, we're in this for the long haul. Finances and debt management are on the front of everybody's mind right now. This kind of worry leads to a great deal of stress.

Experience Life Magazine has an insightful article about debt stress, that examines the effect of debt on our health, how debt gets started in many American's lives, and the toll it takes on us spiritually. It offers solutions for lowering your stress and 5 ways to start digging out of debt.

Since I'm student, I'm already on a spending moratorium. However, when I was younger and just out of college, I tended to shop a lot. I was a stranger in a new city with more money than I had ever made in my life. Without any established friends, I would pass the time wandering the malls. I developed some less than helpful spending habits and a coping mechanism for loneliness that was not healthy.

What I learned from that experience is that if I stay out of malls, I find I don't want for things. There's nothing like a wall full of fluffy towels displayed in a rainbow of colors that makes me want to buy one of each, none of which I need nor can afford. And yet what I really want is a home that is clutter-free, dust free, coordinated and relaxing, just like they show in catalogs and home magazines. With two cats and dog, and a husband that collects books, that is never going to be my reality.

Again, what does this have to do with massage? According to the article, stress takes us away from good habits that make us feel happy and whole.

Essentially, our brains go into emergency mode. That can undermine our ability to think clearly, and it can also trigger cravings for self-soothing comforts like chocolate chip cookies, alcohol or cigarettes — anything that triggers the brain to release feel-good chemicals, such as opioids, that temporarily interrupt the stress response.

Again and again, I compare a destructive habit, cigarette smoking, to a healthful habit that costs the same, has no adverse health benefits, releases endorphins in the brain and actually improves a person's sense of health and well-being: massage. Giving up a one-pack-a-day habit allows a person to afford a 1/2 hour massage weekly. If you feel short-changed by such a brief rub-down, then save for an hour massage every other week. Give up a 2-pack-a-day habit and you can afford a weekly massage and cut your cancer risk while your at it.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health stress

Posted by linda at March 10, 2009 12:09 PM