London is one of the world's leading business, financial, and cultural centres, with a population of over 7,5 million people. It is one of the three ‘command centres’ of the international financial and business community, and according to a 2005 survey London has the 6th largest city economy in the world. London can be a fast-paced, money-driven, stress-laden city in which to live. The term ‘Credit Crunch’ has been bandied about of late, and will certainly be of concern to those employed in the financial sector in London, as well as most consumers who are feeling the squeeze as the prices of petrol, food, and other basic costs of living are constantly on the rise. If you are employed by one of the big banks in London, or you keep up to date on current affairs, you will certainly be aware of the potential fall-out from the credit crunch, which began in America with sub-prime loans that were granted to low-income citizens. These factors are having a ripple effect on economies globally, and the stress levels of many hundreds of thousands of people. As such, you should ensure for your health and sanity that you seek out a form of relaxation that will allow you to rid yourself, if only for an hour or two, of the disadvantageous effects that stress can have on your body and mind. Chronic long-term stress, often self-imposed by our modern lifestyles, economic influences and social aspirations, as well as the environmental stress of urban living, can have the effect of a general feeling of ill-health. Some of the physical symptoms of stress include sore and strained-feeling muscles, a sore and stiff neck, and painful back muscles. There are also the mental symptoms that include feeling confused and overwhelmed. The effects of stress on the body and mind can lead to a person engaging in unhealthy behaviour, for example the excessive use or abuse of substances, such as alcohol and drugs and cigarettes. The symptoms of stress inhibit ones ability to make healthy lifestyle choices in terms of good nutrition and correct sleeping habits. These poor choices can lead to compounded stress, of which the long term effects might be quite severe. Massage therapy is an excellent method of treating both the physical and mental symptoms of stress, as it has the beneficial effect of being able to improve the body’s well-being by helping, through the healing power of touch, to encourage the body to stimulate its own natural healing abilities. There are various forms of massage, from Swedish massage to Reflexology and many others, which have only in the past few decades gained in significant popularity as an official ‘therapy’; though they have, for many centuries, been practiced all over the world in different forms. The reasons that massage has developed into an almost essential part of our hectic every day existence is our acknowledgement that our fast-paced lives are taking their toll on our health and well-being. Contact us today if you would like to book a therapy or learn more. |  |
