Energy Management – Reflexology – Relax, Refresh and Rejuvenate 4 reasons to give it a go!

Written by Trudy Mitchison MAR

Reflexology can be an effective tool in helping to re-engage the parasympathetic nervous system and in turn achieve a homeostasis within the body once again. In other words, allow your body to do what it is programmed to do which is to rebalance itself to its norm and optimum state.

Reflexology can help to:

• relieve stress and tension,

• improve sleep patterns and

• generally promote relaxation and wellbeing.

• These are all things which in turn will help happiness and performance in the workplace.

There were 488,000 cases of work related stress, depression or anxiety in 2015/16. Stress accounted for 37% of all work related ill health cases and 45% of all working days lost due to ill health. The total number of working days lost due to this in the same period was 11.7 million!

Work related stress is known to be linked to high levels of sickness, absenteeism, staff turnover and general underperformance in the workplace. Perhaps we should be following in the footsteps of Denmark, who following several trials of Reflexology in the workplace, have found a reduction of sick days taken and absenteeism within many companies which offer Reflexology to their staff.

When faced with a stressful situation the brain activates the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the ‘fight or flight response’. This leads to the release of adrenaline into the blood stream from the adrenal glands, subsequently followed by the secretion of cortisol. This continues until the cause of the stress subsides and the parasympathetic nervous system re-engages to return the hormone levels back  to their normal levels.

 However, in the real world

This process is ideal when facing a stressful situation and is designed to give us the quick burst of heightened alertness and energy needed to perform our best, in a real emergency.

However in today’s fast paced environment, everything from an email popping up which needs an immediate response, fellow commuters or a traffic jam can trigger the stress response in our body.

Too much stress can damage many parts of our body and exasperate many existing illnesses or conditions. Whilst our bodies were designed this way to aid survival, nowadays the triggers for the stress response are more likely to be related to less physically threatening issues as noted above as well as work, money and relationships. These sources of stress are more likely to be on-going, resulting in a chronic stress response.

So invest in your parasympathetic system…

 As a Reflexologist over the years the majority of my clients have been antenatal or postnatal, however I have noticed that an increasing percentage of my clients are now more likely to be working men and women often in high powered and demanding jobs which afford them little personal downtime. Sometimes that first hour in my chair is the only time that they have allowed themselves to truly switch off from their busy lives for sometime! I feel this is a very important move to recognising the importance of allowing our bodies and minds to recharge in order to get the very best out of them.

Interested to learn more or do you have any thoughts on this, contact us or Trudy http://wandsworthreflexology.co.uk/