I think stress is one the great inhibitors of how we choose to live. Because stress is what is perceived, stress becomes part of our routine. We develop physical reactions to our perceptions of stress, which controls how we carry out daily habits, usually by limiting our responses to events and situations and our feelings of control. We become irritable, unable to sleep well, become grouchy with coworkers and family members, and we often put off things such as taking care of ourselves.

Massage therapy’s greatest tool is retraining the body’s perception of stress. By unlocking the patterns in the body, we unlock the mind, and we become more informed about how we can use our bodies (and our minds) differently to create more ease, not just in movement in general, but in how we conduct ourselves at the office and in traffic, in conversion, and really in just being ourselves. We find that it’s okay to breathe and be in our bodies not matter what situation.

As a massage therapist, of one my goals is to help you find support, integrity, and balance, because these are the building blocks for overcoming the perceptions of stress. Not only does massage therapy disengage those rigidifying patterns (tension headaches, low back pain, grinding teeth, clenched fists, etc.), it opens a window to choose a different way of being in the world. Massage can help with finding more routines that suit you.

John Williford, LMBT

Massage Therapy Durham NC

John is one our massage therapists here at Empower Personal Training. You can contact him by email at john@becomepowerful.com or by phone at (910) 232 5126.