Self Massage

Most people practice the art of self-massage without thinking about it, whether they are rubbing their forehead because of a headache, scrubbing themselves with a loofah sponge in the shower, or rubbing their calves after a long day hard day in stilettos. These are all simple and natural self-massage techniques that help you to relax ... Vodka is also another one but we won't get into that right now.

Don’t assume that you have to wiggle your thumb/fingers or make circular or stroking motions to be effective, finding what works best for you won’t take long. Much self-massage involves working on pressure pints. No oils or creams are needed and clothing need not be removed, unless of course you are prone to run around the house naked .... whatever rocks your boat I reckon.

Techniques can be slow and subtle or more vigorous, involving thumb, finger, palm or even elbow pressure. The amount of pressure depends on the situation and your personal experiences and preferences. There’s an art to applying pressure slowly and evenly to avoid pain and resistance. At first, simply press down slowly, hold for a count of five and release slowly.

Massage helps reduce muscle tension and stiffness in numerous ways, including increasing blood flow to your muscles. Some research shows that regular massage may also boost immunity by stimulating the production of white blood cells. Massage helps you relax and improve your mental energy. It may also make you more productive at work ... just don't let the boss know.

One University study found that a brief self-massage at work reduced stress and boosted job performance. After a 15-minute massage, workers were more alert and could complete math problems faster and with more accuracy. Massage tends to make me rather dopey so I'm glad I had nothing to do with that one !

• Every morning and evening, hammer out the kinks
• Rub your belly after every meal.
• Rub yourself down before and after exercise.
• Give your hands a massage every day
• Roll on a tennis ball whenever you feel tight, fill the bottom of a shoe box with golf balls and stick it under your desk at work
• Whenever you take off a pair of high heels, sit on the floor and give your calves some attention .... this is also good for you guys that raid your wife's shoe box when she is out at the shops ;-)
• Make yourself a wheat or rice heat pack
• Open your sinuses with some finger pressure
• When your eyes feel tired from staring at the computer screen all day long, give them some heat.
• Rub lavender oil onto your feet before bed
• Keep a tennis ball on your desk and squeeze it regularly

When massaging yourself, be responsive to your own needs and be flexible in your approach, a basic guideline is to recognise that the body has a wisdom of its own and that if something feels good, it is likely to be doing good to you ..... yeah baby ;-)