That is something we hear clients talking about all the time and, honestly, it’s what comes to mind when one thinks about COVID-19 these days. COVID-related emotions run the gamut from anxiety, grief, uncertainty, fear and frustration to optimism, gratitude and hope – but the prevailing emotion several months into this pandemic can best be summarized as “Uuuuuughhhhh!”

Most people aren’t alone in this response. Research indicates that there are multiple names for this reaction – alarm fatigue, burnout and emotional exhaustion, just to name a handful.

All of these references reflect how we gradually slip into fatigue when dealing with unremitting or repeated stressors, and by adding the so-called winter blues into the mix, the situation becomes even worse. For most people, the COVID pandemic has touched multiple areas of life including employment, school, social, health and financial, for several months now. The pandemic has transitioned from being a short-term stressor to an unremitting/chronic one…and, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon

Various United States-based research surveys have examined COVID’s effect on mental health, and, not surprisingly, the results show that with every passing month, a greater percentage of individuals report that this ongoing issue has negatively impacted their mental health.

On the physical side of the equation, stressors such as this can damage many of the body’s systems including the systolic, vena cava, vein systems and even the muscle system, which can get highly fatigued due to overstressed conditions.

What Can Thai-Style Massage and Deep Tissue Massage Do?

The health benefits of Thai-style massage and deep tissue massage include boosting energy and improving athletic performance – so it’s something of a no-brainer that this technique can be applied to fighting COVID-related stressors that may have people “down in the dumps” right now.

Because they use gentle pressure and stretching techniques to relax the whole body, massage applications in the Thai style are great for fighting the rigors of COVID and come with the added benefit of increasing energy. A 2015 study found that this type of massage significantly reduces levels of a certain marker present in the saliva called sAA, with researchers concluding that this approach is more effective at reducing stressors in healthy people than simply resting.

In addition to working on stress, Thai-style massage can:

• Boost energy
• Relieve headaches
• Stimulate circulation
• Improve range of motion

If you have fallen victim to the specter of COVID and are not feeling yourself lately, contact the experts at Healtwork Yoga and Massage Therapy at (505) 235-8032.