Self-Care

It takes some time to figure out what helps bring you physical relief, and especially how to care for yourself in a way to not enter that zone, or have it happen less frequently.

Movement, breath, sleep, and diet are important factors to focus on when it comes to back pain. However, there's also small actions we can take, such as daily dry brushing, which are essentially free and just take a couple minutes.

About fifteen years ago, a holistic endocrinologist suggested that I try body brushing with a natural bristle brush. I thought I was supposed to almost scrub my skin, which didn't feel good. I never kept up the practice.

When I was pregnant, my stretched skin would feel itchy, and I found a lot of relief from gentle body brushing. Since my pregnancy, I've been dry brushing daily. This practice just felt good to me, and I didn't realize that it had other health benefits.

The dry brushing action stimulates circulation of blood and lymph, which is good for circulation. Dry brushing also stimulates the nerve endings in our skin, which is incredibly important in areas that are not getting the necessary stimulation to stay healthy, such as a painful area we aren't moving. The practice is soothing and may relieve pain for some people.

I do a soft dry brushing before getting in the shower, and prefer my brush with a long handle. I love the habit so much that I also have a smaller brush to take with me when I travel. I may have even brought it camping last summer.

Some added bonuses are the exfoliation for softer skin and a lift in energy.

Try out this self-massage technique and let me know what you think.