Anxiety is something I see in my clinic very often. People come to me with a variety of symptoms such as insomnia, IBS, persistent headaches and exhaustion, and frequently anxiety is the common theme underpinning everything.
We are not brought up to be able to identify anxiety. Very often we are not taught to examine our emotions and look at the factors leading up to them. It is very rare that anyone even points out that the hectic pace of life and many demands on our time are not quite right and may be beyond our ability to cope with. So clients come to me with a few symptoms and describe juggling all sorts of demands and stresses, and do not identify that this all might be too much, and they may be overloaded.
Actually it doesn’t matter. The wonderful thing about Reflexology is that you don’t need a diagnosis to be able to work well with complicated health problems. Because Reflexologists work holistically, a good practitioner will work on every area of the body.
Reflexology works to manage anxiety naturally in a number of ways. The first part of this process is time. By committing an hour to visit a Reflexologist an individual is sending a powerful message to their body, that they value it enough to prioritise self-care. For some people the hour in the Reflexologists chair is the only hour of true relaxation they have, and it is precious.
The second way Reflexology works to manage anxiety naturally is by encouraging people to review their lifestyle. During the initial consultation a very thorough health history will be taken, which will cover the habits of day to day life, and quickly flag up if someone is doing something like drinking too much caffeine, which could be aggravating their symptoms.
During treatments with my clients, I try to create a space where they can understand how different factors are affecting their lives, and allow them to acknowledge that they may have been more overwhelmed than they realise. It is very easy to ignore the fact that you are overworked, “because that’s just the way it has to be.” If a person can identify that, they then have the power to make changes to bring themselves back into balance.
The third way in which Reflexology helps people to manage anxiety naturally is directly through the treatment. All treatments begin with a warm up of the feet, and then move on to the relaxation reflexes. There are areas in the body which particularly hold tension, and if these are relaxed, the whole body can let go.
Following this there are specific reflexes on the feet which we can work on to help calm the body and reduce anxiety. The principle reflex is the adrenal glands on each foot. The adrenal gland governs the secretion of adrenaline in stressful situations, so working this reflex is essential during every treatment.
Reflexology is an excellent way to manage anxiety naturally, both in a crisis situation and as a long term strategy. Rather as people service their cars regularly, I believe people benefit from having regular Reflexology sessions. Having a treatment once a month, helps a healthy individual support their body, and stay in balance.
For more information about treatments in Bristol, call me:
Kate: 0117 950 6629 or 07811 619860
Photo credit : Elina Araja (Pexels)
