Stress is one of the most underrated ailments of our generation. The reason? It manifests differently in every human being, it has different sources, and it’s something you can’t really track or cure through medication. Even though there is the medicine you can take to help with stress, the real cure is found in a person’s lifestyle, habits and daily choices.
Let’s look at some stats to contextualize just how big of a problem stress really is. According to The American Institute of Stress:
- 33% of people claim they have experienced a feeling of extreme stress
- 77% of people endure the stress that has an impact on their physical health
- 73% of people report that stress affects their mental health
- 48% of people point to stress as the reason for their bad sleeping quality
According to The Global Organization for Stress, the problems are not limited to the USA:
- 91% of Australians feel stressed about multiple aspects of their life
- Approximately 450,000 workers in Britain claim that stress is the source of physical illness
- 86% of Chinese workers feel they are under extreme stress
Looking at these numbers, the bad news is that stress is affecting almost everyone regardless of sex, age or ethnicity. The good news is that stress is treatable and something that can be managed. Before sharing our two cents on how physiotherapy can help with stress, let’s firstly define the condition.
What is Stress?
Stress is a combination of feelings like uneasiness, tension, pressure, concern, worry and nervousness. Stress can be caused by work, family, relationships, money issues or even personal trauma and insecurities. Stress can manifest in physical, mental or emotional responses. The diverse nature of the condition makes it hard to detect, with people often disregarding its severity and long-term effects.
In its most acute version, stress can be the reason for panic attacks, strokes, heart attacks, gastric ulcer, mental conditions and a host of other illnesses that can prove to be detrimental to the human body.
How Can Physiotherapy Treat Stress?
Physical therapy can open the gates to stress recovery and pave the way for a stress-free life. Many people associate physical therapy to injury recovery or relieving their bodies from muscle soreness. While those are some of the main advantages of physical therapy, they are definitely not the only ones.
Physiotherapy can be instrumental in eliminating stress and strengthening your body to fight off stress for the rest of your life. At Club Health, we are firm believers that physical therapy should be part of your life, something you owe your body and yourself to ensure longevity and a higher quality of life.
Let’s dive right into it then and see how physiotherapy can help with stress.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
We’ve talked about breathing exercises that will literally change your life in one of our previous posts, and today we’ll go a step further, investigating how diaphragmatic breathing can actually be the first way to combat stress. Daily diaphragmatic breathing is scientifically proven to lower cortisol levels (the primary stress hormone), helping you relax and concentrate.
Coming to the Club, we will not only go through the proper technique for diaphragmatic breathing, but we will create a personalised breathing exercise program you can use at the comfort of your own home. The goal is to infuse breathing exercises into your daily routine and see how it can lower your stress levels almost immediately.
Building An Exercise Regiment
Physiotherapy is not limited to treating the body. It is also capable of strengthening the body through detailed, meticulous and personalised exercise programs. One of our main services at the Club is personal training where patients receive training based on their body type, needs and wants. How is that related to stress?
Studies have shown that regular exercise can reduce stress between 50-78%. Getting your body to move, blood to flow, and muscles to flex and mobilise your joints can help you detox and release the anxiety you carry from your daily routine. For that 1 and a half hour, you get the opportunity to shut everything off, stop worrying and just let your body reach its potential.
Improve Your Confidence
This might sound a bit weird at first but trust us (and science) when we say that building your confidence can actually be one of the most important steps in battling stress. Studies have shown that incorporating physiotherapy and all that comes with it in your life has proven to improve physical condition, self-esteem, the perception of self-worth, and quality of life.
By feeling stronger and having the faith, belief and conviction in yourself, you are better prepared to deal with and manage the situations that cause stress in the first place. Physiotherapy builds your body but also trains your mindset, keeping you disciplined and focused.
If the lockdown has taken a toll on your health, or if you’re ready for a lifestyle shift, reach out, and we’ll guide you through.
Club Health’s scope of health services is designated as essential, according to the current measures against the spread of Covid19. Therefore, the Club remains open following strict measures to ensure both staff and patients’ health and safety.
For any questions or to book an appointment, you can reach us by phone (+44 20 7823 1273) or email (reception@clubhealth.uk).
