Hi, Steemers!

I decided to write this article, because once upon a time my life was so nervous and full of concerns, so I had to look for solution how to improve it, how to stop worrying. As well I had pain in my leg and couldn’t understand why. Later I knew that it was outcome of long stress, that happened to me several years ago . This article will help people who have anxious life or who are big on sport. This is also an idea for your future development and research.

Nervous system and muscles

First of all it’s important to understand how the nervous system and muscles are connected. So let’s describe this in further words. Most of us know that the nervous system manages muscles. Our brain sends a signal to a part of body that we want to move and contraction of muscles sets it in motion. This is going on when we want, for example, to take a cup of tea, standing on the table. But what happens, if it’s too hot?! We all know that we just jerk away our hand.
There are another converse way. Receptors, sensory nerve endings, get information from exogenous stimulus and send it to brain. It helps to survive and correct the activity of an organism.
We can see this process at this picture:

So we came to main conclusion that nervous system plays a key role in functioning of our body. But what happens to our muscles if the nervous system suffers from disease or stress?

How does stress affect muscles?

Since childhood our life is full of different emotions, not always positive. We can’t even consider that stress is able to influence our body. Long negative situation may lead some our muscles to inability to relax entirely. As a result, these parts of our body won’t work correctly. So you may feel pain, muscles resist stretching and some new diseases can appear, for example flatfoot, scoliosis.

Some of us often suffer from headaches. In modern society, this is very common problem. The most popular reason is rigidity of muscles of neck and shoulders. Frequent stress makes us exert them, so they become too firm.
But not only stress makes our body work less effectively. Sport, hard physical exercises also weaken our muscles.
Now It looks like only words. Let’s go to practice.

Rigid muscles. Where are they and how to recover them?

Rigid muscles are very noticeable, because you can feel it with your fingers and at that moment it becomes painful. The best way to get rid of it is massages. You can ask some close person or go to professional massage therapist. You should look for the most painful and rigid muscles and try to knead them. You can begin with your neck and shoulders. First time it will hurt a lot, but later these places will relax.

If you don’t have anybody and don’t want to go to massage therapist there is another way to outdo your body.
You can take tennis ball or other ball, lie on the floor and put it under the place you want to relax. In a few minutes you will notice that pain is getting less. You can put your ball anywhere, and if you feel pain, you found a sick place.
Sometimes it doesn’t help, because there are mistakes in work of your nervous system because of long stress. In that case you should go to the doctor, as I did. And maybe he makes you take antidepressant medication. It can reconstruct problems in your nervous system.
But it is better to be careful.

How to relax and reduce influence of stress?

Of course, the best way is to get rid of a situation that freaks you out. But sometimes you can’t do this. So there are some techniques that can help you restrict fears and concerns.

We all know how breathing is important. At least one time in life, you make yourself breathe deeply to calm down. This is yoga exercises, which use breathing as a tool to relax.

1. First of all just try to breathe. You should sit with straight back and concentrate on breathing. Do it freely, calmly, without breaks. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…
2. Now try to use only your belly. When you breathe in, your belly should expand but other parts of body are motionless. And when you breathe out, you tighten it. Nothing shouldn’t put you off. You need to be very attentive. Do it 5-10 minutes.
3. Do as in 2 point, but with your chest. Don’t use other parts of your body. And always be composed and concentrated. Do it 5-10 minutes.
4. Now expand your breathing in 3 point, slightly exerting your collarbones and neck. But if you feel dizziness, decrease amplitude of breathing.
5. And final point. Do it, if you understood 2-4 points. There you should combine them. You begin to breathe in with your belly and finish with your collarbones, like a wave, and then breathe out in converse order. Do it slowly and try to forget everything, it’s just you and breathing.

If you feel anxious or want to relax after hard day, use these easy exercises and you will be more calm and content with your life.
So this is the end. I hope it was helpful. Don’t repeat my mistakes, take care of yourself!

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With Love,
Kate!