Stress is s normal part of daily living. It’s neither good or bad as it has it uses. But one thing is for sure, too much stress is bad for our physical and mental health. Stress can also come from more positive sources, such as planning a special occasion, getting married or having a baby. 

It’s always best to address the root cause of your stress and deal with it. But if it’s something beyond your control then learn some techniques to reduce the stress and learn to manage it, before it has a chance to take a toll on your health and wellbeing.

There are a growing number of published studies and clinical trials that suggest different complementary therapies can help to reduce stress and improve mood and sleep problems. This is supported by a recent survey by FHT*,  ( federation of holistic therapies) which showed that 85% of its complementary therapy members regularly (more than once a month) treat clients who have stress or anxiety.

In this blog we will look a various self - help techniques that can be used to reduce your stress and anxiety. 

REFLEXOLOGY 
Ongoing stress releases adrenaline in your body, this is the fight-or-flight response. It’s meant to be a short lived response but when we feel stress regularly our adrenal gland become overworked and this can lead to adrenal fatigue. So when a client appears with stress related illnesses the first point I go to is the adrenal glands. The adrenal reflex is found just below the ball of each foot and also on the fleshy area below the thumb on the palmar side of the hand. Gently pressing these reflex points for a few minutes can help calm the adrenal glands and reduce tension. 

FACIALS
One of my most sought after facials, requested by those in the know, is the reflexology or acupressure facial. I often incorporate some Gua Sha into this treatment as well.  It’s my speciality to release tension, de-stress and put clients into a state of deep relaxation. It’s a facial massage and I am constantly amazed how tension can be released throughout the whole body when just the face is massaged. We tend to hold emotional stress in our faces – particularly in the jaw and temples – so gently massaging these areas using upward and outward circular lymphatic draining motions, which also helps to increase the circulation and oxygen while increasing muscle tone and revitalising your skin. 

Facial reflexology encourages a healthy blood and lymph flow and stimulates Collagen and elastin, therefore, helping your skin to rejuvenate and minimize the appearance of ageing lines. The healing of skin conditions by Reflexology has been linked to it's ability to relieve stress, increase blood flow, and remove waste material, all of which go hand in hand with the maintenance of healthy skin.

According to its advocates, facial reflexology is effective because the face has a large number of nerves and blood vessels.

Facial reflexology combines massage with theories based on acupuncture and Chinese concepts of energy lines, or meridians.

AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy involves using plant essential oils to help improve our health and wellbeing. Lavender is one of the most studied essential oils in terms of its relaxing effects. It has been shown to calm the nervous system, lower blood pressure, heart rate and skin temperature, as well as change brain waves to a more relaxed state. Neroli, often referred to as the ‘rescue remedy’ of essential oils, is also a valuable oil for helping to ease anxiety and stress, along with Bergamot, which is traditionally used in Italian folk medicine to relieve tension and anxiety. I like to custom blend my oils to suit the clients needs and have found that incorporating essential oils into their treatment can have a beneficial effect on their nervous system.