Relieve Stress This Monday with Self-Massage

Are you achy all over from too much stress? It’s time to learn some instant moves this Monday to keep you on the dance floor of life. Self-massage has been touted by health and wellness experts as a soothing way to work out tension in your body. With a gentle touch, knowing the basics can melt away stress.

Stress can worsen or increase the risk of conditions like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and gastrointestinal issues. Tense muscles might be one of the first places you’ll notice it. The benefits of regular self-massage include relieving muscle tension and increasing blood flow. Why not learn some self-massage techniques to stop it in its tracks?

Props help. Tennis balls and foam rollers are cheap and versatile tools for self-massage.

A tennis ball can be used to isolate and punctuate tension that has formed knots or trigger points. Placing the ball between your trigger point and the wall, floor, or yoga mat, you can precisely yet gently knead a specific area and dissolve the tension that caused it.

A foam roller is more broad and far reaching, use it on the entire leg and back areas.  It penetrates the muscles and gets blood moving again, which makes for a great deep-tissue self-massage. On the floor or a yoga mat, place the roller under you and use it to roll back and forth over your trouble spots.

Here are some exercises you can do to roll away stress.

Mondays are about starting the week with a refreshed and positive state of mind. Begin yours with a soothing self-massage.