Can Massage Help Reduce Stress or Anxiety?

Can Massage Help Reduce Stress or Anxiety?

If you’ve ever felt like your shoulders are permanently hovering somewhere near your ears, you’re not alone.

Many of the women who come to see me say the same thing:
“I feel so stressed lately.”

What’s interesting is that stress rarely shows up only in the mind. As a massage therapist, I usually see it written very clearly in the body.

How Stress Shows Up in the Body

When someone arrives feeling anxious or overwhelmed, there are a few physical patterns I see again and again. Shoulders lifted and tense rather than resting naturally down. Shallow breathing. A tight jaw or a furrowed forehead.

And sometimes a body that simply doesn’t know how to relax anymore.

One thing people often find surprising is that they may think they’re relaxed on the massage table, but when I lift their arm or leg, there’s no softness or give in the muscles.

The body is still bracing.

This isn’t anyone’s fault. When we’re worrying about things, our muscles naturally contract. We tighten our jaw, neck, shoulders and forehead without even realising it.  The problem is that the worries may change, but the muscles often stay contracted.  Over time this can start to pull the body out of alignment and affect posture, breathing and movement.

What Happens During a Massage

I begin all my massage sessions with some deep breaths to guide the body into softening, followed by gentle rocking and a warm towel placed on the back. This helps signal to the nervous system that it’s safe to start letting go.

At the start of a session there’s usually only a slight softening. But somewhere around the middle of the treatment, something shifts. I feel the muscles soften under my hands and the client’s limbs become heavier. Their breathing often deepens, and sometimes they fall asleep.  Falling asleep is one of the biggest compliments a client can give me, but I know they often feel they ‘missed the massage’ when that happens.  Of course, the body has still benefited.

Relaxation Can Take Practice

Something people often don’t realise is that relaxation itself can take time to relearn. For some clients, the first session is simply about becoming aware of how much tension they’re holding. By the second or third session, the body begins to recognise the experience and relax more quickly.

I remember one client whose shoulders were so lifted and rounded that she had severe pain between her shoulder blades. When I lifted her arms, they were stiff and wouldn’t bend easily, yet she believed she was relaxed. It wasn’t until the third session that her muscles began to soften properly. Alongside the massage we also talked about things that support relaxation outside the treatment room: improving sleep, simple posture corrections, and gentle strengthening exercises. She now comes every two weeks and the change in her posture and comfort levels has been remarkable.

Massage worked — but it worked best as part of a bigger picture.

Massage Isn’t Just a Luxury

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that massage is simply a treat. In reality, relaxation is something our nervous system needs in order to function well. Many of us live in a near-constant state of doing, worrying and managing responsibilities.

Women especially tend to hold a lot: work, family, ageing parents, friendships, households and often putting their own needs last. Over time that pressure accumulates.

My Own Experience With Burnout

I know this personally because I experienced burnout after 25 years in the corporate world. When everything finally caught up with me, I realised something surprising. I hadn’t picked up a book in months, I hadn’t done any crafting, and I hadn’t had a massage in over a year; even though those were all things I loved.

When we’re under pressure, we often drop the very activities that help restore us. Burnout forced me to stop and reassess. Through that process I discovered mindfulness, meditation and yoga, and I found my way back to massage, this time as both a client and eventually as a therapist.

What helped me most was the experience of being in a place where nothing was expected of me for an entire hour. The slow rhythm of Swedish massage slowed my breathing and allowed my nervous system to settle. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe enough to fully relax.

A Small Pause Can Make a Big Difference

Massage doesn’t solve every problem in life. But, it can create a rare and valuable space where the body is allowed to soften and reset. Sometimes that pause is the first step in reconnecting with yourself again. Because the truth is, we only get one life. If you’re curious about experiencing these benefits yourself, you can view my massage treatments and pricing to see the options available.

And if we move through it constantly rushing, worrying and pushing ourselves forward, we risk wishing large parts of it away. Learning how to slow down, even for one hour, can be more powerful than many people realise.