Can reflexology help with anxiety? Anxiety is something that affects most of us from time to time. Social anxiety, performance anxiety, worry about family, home and work. Clinical anxiety is something else. Clinical anxiety covers conditions like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Panic Disorder. Names for conditions are one thing, but the experience can be hard to describe. Palpitations, headaches, shaking are just a few of the physical symptoms, but the emotional side effects of avoidance, detachment, hyper-vigilance and catastrophising can be the most serious and have the biggest effect on quality of life.
So, can reflexology help with anxiety? Reflexology provides an opportunity for you to relax deeply, talk or stay silent and feel the effect of therapeutic touch. The power of touch can be overlooked in our fast- paced society, but studies have shown that massage can release the hormone oxytocin which can reduce stress and anxiety.
The power of true relaxation on our wellbeing is under-rated. Some people have a gift for relaxation, other people have to work harder, and like a lot of things it comes down to practice. If you can truly relax, it helps to steady the sympathetic nervous system which is involved with the ‘flight, fight or freeze’ state, and engage the parasympathetic nervous system which means that we can sleep, digest our food and generally get on with life calmly.
Like most interventions, pharmaceutical and therapeutic, reflexology is not a panacea. Reflexology is something to try alongside lifestyle changes such as eating less processed food, drinking less caffeine, exercising more, and speaking to a doctor about medical and therapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
There are no quick fixes, no silver bullets, and some days will seem bleaker than ever. If you’re in that place now, I’m so sorry, it’s really crap. It’s not your fault. If you can, try and reach out to hold a hand, physically or in cyber space, and know that every state we are in is only temporary.
