Back from Break!

I'm finally back from spring break and ready to continue thinking up some ways I wish I was relaxing. I'm going to expand upon my previous post about treating yourself to something special with reasons why you should pamper yourself, too. I'm also going to dwell on massages and manicures and such because I these are things I'm starting to wish I indulged in over break.

I've gotten a few massages before, all of which I went into hesitantly. It just seems weird and unnecessary as I'm waiting to get called into a small back room with dim lights and soothing music. But if you were to ask about my uncertainty afterward, I probably wouldn't even be able to recall why I ever felt uncomfortable in the first place. The feeling you're left with is one of unmatched physical relaxation in what feels like every muscle in your body.

In addition to this feeling of bliss, massages offer physical and therapeutic benefits. According to one website, soft-tissue manipulation techniques applied during a massage improves circulation and is intended to reduce stress and fatigue. Benefits like these still occur whether you partake for therapy or leisure reasons. Many types of massages exist and address different issues. For example, deep-tissue massages can improve muscle damage through more forceful strokes. Other techniques are intended to prevent injury or energize you, and others are geared toward athletes, pregnant women or specific ages. In any case, the receiver of the massage is likely to feel less stiff and more physically and mentally relaxed.

A Newsweek article mentions some specific benefits of massage therapy and its credibility found in Chinese history. The article notes that immunity may be improved and blood pressure regulated through this method of relaxation. That’s quite a plus for those in need of such medical needs.

After you treat yourself to the overwhelming relaxation of a massage, think about further spoiling yourself at a salon or spa type of place. Some guys may lose interest here. Consider letting yourself get your nails done, a high end hair cut or just spending little more on taking care of your appearance, so you can really enjoy it instead of feeling like you’re taking care of chores. This isn’t some I do regularly at all, but when I do have to really get myself together for something formal, it always feels good. I imagine getting pampered for no reason every now and then would be even more of a pick-me-up. Choose a day one weekend when you can go get all this kind of stuff done, and do it! Or be really bold and take a day off if you can… I think the resulting relaxation would be worth it if you’re really feeling stressed.