There’s something wholesome about kindness. It has got an aura of peacefulness, enabling those who embrace it and gift it to be hugged by its warmth and uplifted by its power.
And what’s more, when there’s kindness in touch, there are benefits to be reaped. Here are three of them that can help you in mind, body, and spirit.
#1: It Signals Safety and Trust
An article from Greater Good Magazine by the University of Berkley highlights studies showing that “touch signals safety and trust, it soothes. Basic warm touch calms cardiovascular stress.”
A warm tough also releases the “feel good” hormone, oxytocin. And with the flow of oxytocin comes:
- Lower levels of stress
- Less anxiety
- Positive mood shift
- Feelings of compassion
- Builds connections
Simply put, the kindness of touch can have a calming effect and influence your emotions and mental health.
#2: It Reduces Anxiety and Stress
Touch can also increase your dopamine and serotonin levels, the chemical messengers in your brain.
A healthy dose of dopamine help regulate your mood as well as helps you “strive, focus, and find things interesting,” according to WebMD. Serotonin, on the other hand, helps “relay messages from one area of the brain to another, influencing your mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behaviour.
In fact, touch is so beneficial that one study on breast cancer patients found that the touch movements from massages helped increase their dopamine and serotonin levels. The results reported: “The immediate massage therapy effects included reduced anxiety, depressed mood, and anger. The longer term massage effects included reduced depression and hostility and increased urinary dopamine, serotonin values, NK cell number, and lymphocytes.”
#3: It Boosts Immune System and Lowers Blood Pressure
Thirdly (although most probably not lastly), the kindness of touch has been shown to improve your immune system.
According to an interview with Dr. Tiffany Field, head of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, the findings from her research shows that touch from massages help lower the levels of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. She says, “cortisol kills natural killer cells, and so if we can reduce the stress hormones, we can save natural killer cells.”
How to Reap the Benefits of Touch
The spa is the best place to reap the benefits from the kindness of touch. Here are some options you can find at Energy Spa & Wellness:
- Relaxation Massage
- Energy’s Signature Hot Stone Relaxation Combo
- Swissline Maintenance Facial
- Coconut Polish Body Scrub
- Organi Brown Sugar Scrub
- Coconut and Organic Honey Wrap
- Hydrating Aloe Wrap
It’s always good to discuss with your spa therapist on what kind of spa treatment you love and what they would recommend to you. To know more about our spa treatments, call us at 03-4256 8833 or emails us at ampang@energymindbodyspirit.com.
