Massage for performance throughout life.

Nerves, anxiety, stress, excitement; they are all pressures we experience when we need to perform in any area of our lives.

I want to talk about managing energy, managing our nervous systems when under pressure for any kind of performance.

Whether it's on stage, in the workplace, in relationships, competition, any arena of life, we experience stress to our nervous systems. 

When I prepare for a performance, I'm not only considering my physical energetic output, but am actually thinking about balancing my parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system with my sympathetic (fright or flight).

I want to avoid becoming mentally and emotionally fatigued, even when my performances are not physically strenuous. 

There is a benefit to considering our entire lives as a performance.

During a performance season, performers are prioritising sleep, rest, moderation, nutrition, hydration, and calm.

I avoid anything too stimulating, and I get a massage!

Perfomers use massage to stay calm because performance stress is a fully body, nervous system experience.

Massage down regulates the sympathetic fight or flight response.

Performing triggers adrenaline; think increased breathing rate, muscle tension, heart rate, and racing thoughts.

Massage activates the parasympathetic system.

It is important to have the appropriate amount of stimulation in the sympathetic system, to promote energy and activity, but too much can send us into a sense of loss of control, when we are so nervous we can't even focus.

This can happen in day to day life too.

Massage before a performance can release muscle guarding and tension, so the body feels grounded, not jittery or braced.

Breathing can become deeper and slower when he muscles of the diaphragm and surrounding structures are relaxed.

Breathing is directly related to our performance and management of stress.

Massage regulates the sensory load, providing rhythmic and predictable input to create a grounding experience.

A calmer nervous system from massage can allow for sharpened focus, clearer thinking, stronger emotional regulation, and mental presence. 

So whether you're going on stage, or dealing with "performing" in any part of your daily existence, massage can help.