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Self Massage
Self Massage
Self massage is a great way to ease tension and help you relax at home. Massage has plenty of physical and mental benefits, including pain relief and relaxation.
Luckily, you don’t always need to see a massage therapist to reap the rewards. For some types of ailments or simply for the joy of it, a self massage can be beneficial too.
If you’d like to try self massage for pain relief, here are some of the best and safest self massage techniques to try at home.
What are self massage techniques?
Self massage is using your hands, tools, or objects to work on sore muscles and adhesions instead of seeing a licensed massage therapist or bodywork professional.
During a self massage you use your hands or other tools to manipulate your own muscles. This involves kneading the skin and applying pressure in certain spots.
Picking up some self massage techniques can be a useful way to soothe stress and ease pain caused by poor posture or even some chronic conditions.
To get started, you can use one of the common techniques below.
Using your hands to massage the head, neck, or feet
Using your hands is a great way to give yourself a self neck massage, a self foot massage or a self head massage. These areas are all easy to reach and don’t require too much pressure, making them easy to massage with the hands.
Using a foam roller to massage the legs, back and glutes
A foam roller is a useful tool for easing muscle pain in the:
- calves
- hamstrings
- thighs
- glutes
- lower back
- iliotibial (IT) band
Simply position the roller on the floor and place the body over top of it. Then, move the body back and forth over the roller.
Using a tennis ball to massage the shoulders, back, and pectoral muscles
A tennis ball or a golf ball is great for accessing harder-to-reach muscle groups like the shoulders, mid-back, or pectoral muscles. Use the floor or a wall and roll your body over the ball.
Be sure to be extra gentle if using a golf ball. You’ll want to use light pressure due to the hard surface.
Using specially designed self massage tools
There are a variety of other self massage tools designed to target specific muscle groups more accurately. These include:
What are the benefits of self massage?
Self massage is a simple, convenient way to enjoy the benefits of massage therapy. As a DIY method, it can be done in the comfort of your own home.
Like massage in general, self-massage may help ease:
When included as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, self-massage might also help manage chronic conditions like fibromyalgia or arthritis. It shouldn’t replace regular medical treatment, though.
Additionally, if you receive professional massages, self massage may prolong the benefits and provide relief in between sessions.
Benefits of self massage
Self massage is a great way to stimulate and rejuvenate the body. Massaging the muscles helps to stimulate blood flow and circulation in the body. It enables you to know your body and feel connected to your body. The best way to keep your body free of tension? Use a mixture of both self massage and professional massage therapy.
What is self care?
Self care has been defined as a multidimensional, multifaceted process of purposeful engagement in strategies that promote healthy functioning and enhance well-being. Essentially, the term describes a conscious act a person takes in order to promote their own physical, mental, and emotional health.
There are many forms self care can take. It could be ensuring you get enough sleep every night or stepping outside for a few minutes for some fresh air.
Self care is vital for building resilience toward those stressors in life that you can’t eliminate. When you’ve taken steps to care for your mind and body, you’ll be better equipped to live your best life.
Unfortunately, however, many people view self care as a luxury, rather than a priority. Consequently, they’re left feeling overwhelmed, tired, and ill equipped to handle life’s inevitable challenges.
It’s important to assess how you’re caring for yourself in several different domains so you can ensure you’re caring for your mind, body, and spirit.
Different types of self care
Self care isn’t just about finding ways to relax. It’s about taking care of yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. In order to care for your health and well-being, it is important to find a balance that allows you to address each of these areas. Sometimes you might need more self-care in one specific area in order to restore balance or find relief from a stressor in your life.
1 / Physical self care
You need to take care of your body if you want it to run efficiently. Keep in mind that there’s a strong connection between your body and your mind. When you’re caring for your body, through various techniques such as self massage, you’ll think and feel better too.
Physical self care includes how you’re fueling your body, how much sleep you’re getting, how much physical activity you are doing, and how well you’re caring for your physical needs. Self massage can be a great way to take care of your body and physical needs. Attending healthcare appointments, taking medication as prescribed, and managing your health are all part of good physical self care.
When it comes to physical self-care, ask yourself the following questions to assess whether there might be some areas you need to improve:
- Are you getting adequate sleep?
- Is your diet fueling your body well?
- Are you taking charge of your health?
- Are you getting enough exercise?
2 / Social self care
Socialisation is key to self care. But, often, it’s hard to make time for friends and it’s easy to neglect your relationships when life gets busy.
Close connections are important to your well-being. The best way to cultivate and maintain close relationships is to put time and energy into building your relationships with others.
There isn’t a certain number of hours you should devote to your friends or work on your relationships. Everyone has slightly different social needs. The key is to figure out what your social needs are and to build enough time in your schedule to create an optimal social life.
To assess your social self-care, consider:
- Are you getting enough face-to-face time with your friends?
- What are you doing to nurture your relationships with friends and family?
3 / Mental self care
The way you think and the things that you’re filling your mind with greatly influence your psychological well-being.
Mental self care includes doing things that keep your mind sharp, like puzzles, or learning about a subject that fascinates you. You might find reading books or watching movies that inspire you fuels your mind.
Mental self care also involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Practicing self-compassion and acceptance, for example, helps you maintain a healthier inner dialogue.
Here are a couple of questions to consider when you think about your mental self-care:
- Are you making enough time for activities that mentally stimulate you?
- Are you doing proactive things to help you stay mentally healthy?
4 / Spiritual self care
Research shows that a lifestyle including religion or spirituality is generally a healthier lifestyle.
Nurturing your spirit, however, doesn’t have to involve religion. It can involve anything that helps you develop a deeper sense of meaning, understanding, or connection with the universe.
Whether you enjoy meditation, attending a religious service, or praying, spiritual self-care is important.
As you consider your spiritual life, ask yourself:
- What questions do you ask yourself about your life and experience?
- Are you engaging in spiritual practices that you find fulfilling?
5 / Emotional self care
It’s important to have healthy coping skills to deal with uncomfortable emotions, like anger, anxiety, and sadness. Emotional self-care may include activities that help you acknowledge and express your feelings regularly and safely.
Whether you talk to a partner or close friend about how you feel, or you set aside time for leisure activities that help you process your emotions, it’s important to incorporate emotional self-care into your life.
When assessing your emotional self-care strategies, consider these questions:
- Do you have healthy ways to process your emotions?
- Do you incorporate activities into your life that help you feel recharged?
Why is self care important?
Having an effective self care routine has been shown to have a number of important health benefits. Some of these include:
- Reducing anxiety and depression
- Reducing stress and improving resilience
- Improving happiness
- Increasing energy
- Reducing burnout
- Stronger interpersonal relationships
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), self-care is important because it can help promote health, prevent disease, and help people better cope with illness.
Specific forms of self care have also been linked to different health and wellness benefits, including a longer life. Exercise, finding a sense of purpose in life, and sleep have all been connected to an increased lifespan.
Develop your self care plan
An effective self care plan should be tailored to your life and your needs. It needs to be something created by you, for you. Customising your own self-care plan can act as a preventative measure to make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed, overstressed, and burned out.
Assess which areas of your life need some more attention and self-care. And reassess your life often. As your situation changes, your self-care needs are likely to shift too.
As you are building your self-care plan, the following steps can be helpful:
- Assess your needs: Make a list of the different parts of your life and major activities that you engage in each day. Work, school, relationships, and family are some you might list.
- Consider your stressors: Think about the aspects of these areas that cause stress and consider some ways you might address that stress.
- Devise self-care strategies: Think about some activities that you can do that will help you feel better in each of these areas of your life. Spending time with friends or developing boundaries, for example, can be a way to build healthy social connections.
- Plan for challenges: When you discover that you’re neglecting a certain aspect of your life, create a plan for change.
- Take small steps: You don’t have to tackle everything all at once. Identify one small step you can take to begin caring for yourself better.
- Schedule time to focus on your needs: Even when you feel like you don’t have time to squeeze in one more thing, make self-care a priority. When you’re caring for all aspects of yourself, you’ll find that you are able to operate more effectively and efficiently.
More self massage resources
This post is adapted from these two articles, How to Ease Stress and Pain with Self-Massage Techniques and 5 Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your Life
