07/10/2025                                                                            
                                    
                                                                            
                                            🌿Anxiety🌿
Many of my clients have struggles with anxiety, whether it be generalised every day/overthinking/anxiety attacks. I can relate, as I’ve suffered with anxiety attacks for the last 10 years, and I can’t begin to tell you how debilitating they are.
Anxiety doesn’t just affect your brain. When you’re experiencing high levels of Cortisol rushing around your body, it can massively impact you physically (the side of it that nobody sees). These many physical symptoms can leave your body feeling drained/tense/aching and in need of a reset. 
Massage is my reset. This, however, is after the event. So what can you do in that moment of heightened anxiety, to help yourself? See the image below for some ideas to try. 
The main thing that helps me is tapping. Tapping stimulates the vagus nerve, providing a soothing and calming effect, counteracting that awful Cortisol. When my fight or flight kicks in, tapping and distraction (such as listening to calming music or having my hair brushed - sounds silly I know) are the only things in the moment that help my body and brain to come out of that heightened state. 
Have you ever had a massage with me, and I’ve started tapping on your head, or doing a ‘chopping’ movement on your back and legs, and you’ve thought “that’s weird but it feels quite calming”…? Well, that’s because your vagus nerve is being stimulated and is sending out ‘happy chemicals’, to calm and soothe.
Every body is different, and we all have different triggers. The sooner you can figure out what your triggers are, and the more you can learn about the science behind anxiety and attacks the better, as it will absolutely ease that anxiety just knowing the science. Knowing what stages your brain and body are going through and when it’s likely to happen. It gives that sense of predictability, which can play a vital role in easing that ‘unknown’, which in turn, eases the anxiety. 
If you’ve gotten this far with reading this, then I’m guessing you’re a sufferer too. So please try maybe just one of these techniques, next time you’re triggered into an anxiety attack building. Take a deep breath and give one of these techniques a go. What have you got to lose? 
And next time you’re having a massage with me, and you want to disclose that you’re someone who suffers with anxiety, please just tell me, as I can promise you that I understand (and I might just do a bit more calming tapping for you!) 
🤍 Hayley 🤍