Since the world has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the majority of office jobs have been performed from home. As we are gradually moving towards a new phase, companies opened their offices again but many of us still work at least half of their week via remote. What is the impact of such a big change of habits on our health and well-being?

Main effects of working from home

The most noticeable effects of working from home are physical: even if gyms and fitness instructors have been producing quite a sizeable offer of online training programs and outdoor exercise has always been allowed, the simple absence of work commuting or travelling for any other business have drastically reduced the average physical activity. It has not been easy to be disciplined and stick to a home workout, or go for a walk every day, when it’s basically down to oneself to organise a daily schedule.

Also, we need to consider the impact of working from home on our mental health, which might have not been immediately visible but, nevertheless, has been extremely strong particularly for vulnerable people or for all the ones living on their own. Loneliness, anxiety, depression have dramatically increased during Covid-19 and comfort eating or alcohol consumption have been quite often a copying mechanism.

All these effects, combined, led many of us to put on weight, feel tired, struggle to focus and in general experience a lower well-being. Now that the isolation is ending and the restrictions are more relaxed, we can finally adopt a healthier lifestyle and massage therapy is a powerful ally to counteract the impact of working from home.

How can massage therapy help?

Deep tissue and remedial massage, working through all the layers of tissues and tendons, act as a circulation boost and promote a correct body posture. Sports massage targets sore muscles and helps enhance fitness and prevent injuries, thus facilitating an active lifestyle. Swedish massage promotes relaxation and fights stress and anxiety, by lowering blood pressure and heart rate.

Overall, massage therapy not only makes you feel invigorated, refreshed and focussed, but has also a calming effect on mood as it balances hormonal levels, helping the nervous system produce dopamine and serotonin (the so called “happiness hormones”) and keep in check cortisol, which is the hormone responsible for stress, anxiety and negatively impacts the immune system.

After many months of isolation and limited interactions, receiving a massage is one simple step towards reconnecting not just with physical touch, but also with positive emotions.

Booking a massage

All the aforementioned treatments are available here at the Massage Centre. Our reception team will be happy to assist you to select and book the most tailored massage to your needs and our therapists will provide you with a pre-treatment consultation and a post-treatment advice on every session. We look forward to welcoming you to our Chiswick clinic!