RELAXATION

Kelly Phillips, owner of Serenity Med Spa, offers tips on how to relax and relieve stress, from massages to dietary changes.

There’s no shortage of stress these days. Work, family issues, politics, the economy, medical problems, the list of things that worry and stress us out seems to grow by the day. It’s likewise becoming increasingly important to manage stress levels. However, not all methods of relaxation and management are created equal; some, like binge eating or excessive drinking, only exacerbate the problem.

One place that specializes in relaxation is Serenity Med Spa. Located off West Street, the business opened its doors in 2007, and has been helping customers de-stress ever since. Owner and manager Kelly Phillips gave some pointers to the Post-Searchlight about ways to relax and manage stress, be it a spa treatment or a simple home remedy.

For those who are more active, play sports or exercise regularly, cramps, muscle fatigue and burnout are all things to be wary of. One obvious solution for muscle fatigue Serenity offers are massages. “We have a lot of different services that are relaxation services,” Phillips said. “We have facials that we do… they massage the face, massage the shoulders. They do a deep cleansing, a steam, and a mask, hydration.” She continued, “Definitely for someone’s that’s done a workout, we have the massage that we offer.” Serenity caters their massage specifically to the individual’s needs, be it a light surface massage, or a deep-tissue massage for more intense cases. If a person has just one part of their body that needs care in particular, their masseuse will likewise tailor the treatment to that.

Obviously, there are other long-term issues that can stress the body. It’s become a common joke that Americans are increasingly overweight, but it’s a joke that has basis in reality. And obesity is just another factor that stresses the body and mind, with both negative body image and long-term health issues. Serenity offers treatment programs for weight loss as well. “If they’re having issues with their weight, if that’s stressing them out, we do have a weight loss program,” Phillips said. She described the program, saying, “Our program is medically managed by our physician, so it’s not one of these fly-by-night programs that say you’re gonna lose 20 pounds in a week, and then as soon as you stop you’re gonna gain it back.”

Weight gain, usually caused to stress-related binge-eating, is just one sign of stress people should watch for. Other signs include hair loss and muscle tightening or fatigue, as well as acne break outs. Some dietary recommendations for binge eating include eating smaller meals, as well as the typical advice of cutting down on carbs and fat (bread, grains, pasta).

For those that may not have the time or money to make a trip to Serenity, Phillips recommended several home stress relief methods. “As always, taking a long bath,” she said, “You know, we all don’t like to exercise because it’s hard and it takes time, and it takes effort, but exercise is a great stress reliever because, especially if you’re taking long walks or doing any kind of yoga or meditation, those are all wonderful ways to relieve stress, because that’s gonna work all the endorphins in your body. It’s gonna relieve all that stress and tension that’s built up.”

Of course, while stress inevitably has negative repercussions on the body, mental issues and deeper problems that can stress a person cannot always be treated physically. While Serenity is not necessarily the place to treat these issues, Phillips did offer some pointers on how to manage them. She described one of the leading causes of such stress: “Most of the time it’s just getting in your head, and letting everything pile up and thinking that you’re not able to cope with it, or able to work any of it out. It starts building up in your head, and it starts building up in your body. All that stress in your head is gonna relate to your body as well.”

One simple way to manage this build-up, according to Phillips, is simply having someone to talk to. For those that are religious, prayer is another method she recommended. “They say, ‘Let go and let God’… some people aren’t religious, some people don’t have those same beliefs, but I know, for me, that’s a good stress reliever.”

Another way to relieve tension, or alternatively, help ease distractions, is listening to white noise. “A lot of times it does help help for people, and especially for people that are on the spectrum, that have some autistic tendencies, things like that,” Phillips said. “Even if you’ve just got distractions, ADD, or even just mentally, other things that are bothering you in your head, or outside around you, the white noise helps a lot.”

These days, it seems stress levels have skyrocketed, with more and more issues piling up. Constant 24-hour news coverage on the TV, the computer and our phones means there’s no escape. Economic issues follow us from the gas station to the grocery store. And for some, the family they come home to may cause just as much stress as everything else.

When asked for her opinion about stress levels in Bainbridge, Phillips said that Serenity has been busy lately. “I think everybody’s stressed these days. I think we all try to do too much, we put too much on ourselves, with children, with jobs,” she said. “We try to do everything we can, and we don’t take time to slow down, to enjoy the little things and relax.”

Phillips concluded by driving home the importance of self-care. “Take time for yourself, a lot of us don’t slow down and take time for ourselves,” she said. “You’ve gotta take care of yourself before you can take care of anybody else. And the more you take care of yourself, the rest of your life is gonna fall into place, be better, and less stressed.”

For those looking to avail themselves of Serenity’s services, their offices are located at 404 S West Street, next to Bainbridge Family Dentistry, and can be reached at 229-246-4567.