massage for depression/funky mood?

[Pompal 09.]

Was talking to a friend today, she says her SO is in a funky mood/depressed. There are several reasons for this, he's working too much, got a huge project to finish by August (it's just March now!), he's not taking time to exercise much or enjoy his hobbies, which include bike riding, which is exercise.

She was asking if any massage techniques would help with this moodiness and if it would be better for him if he were to initiate the massage session, rather than her buying a GC and giving it to him, saying BTW, you are scheduled for Tuesday at 7. She is all the time encouraging him to take some time off, to bike, to join her at yoga, at the gym, etc. I don't think that she is nagging, either.

Thoughts and opinions welcome, thanks!

 

[Lea~ is a "Mean Girl"~]

In situations like this I pull out my best swedish massage with my most relaxing music. Works like a charm. They can vent or not, but I try to encourage less talking unless the talking seems to be helping them.

Maybe she could schedule the appointment as a surprise and bring him to it. As I am sure we all know, It can be difficult to get a stressed/depressed person to take care of themselves.

 

[dark bubble]

add a little EO :wink:

 

[Tiffany T]

Oh yeah, I'm with mush on this one. There are several essential oils which are good for depression.

Frankincense, Sandalwood, Bergamot, Sage, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Lavender, and Ylang Ylang come to mind for instance. Some books even add Basil, Rosemary and Juniper to this list.

I have made a blend of Lavender, Sage and Peppermint in the past... it's very uplifting and left everyone feeling both relaxed and energized.

And since we're in "The Great White North"... a nice citrusy antidote to snow might be in order.

If things are too hectic for him to take a vacation... make that hour or 90 minutes on your table... the get away he not only deserves... but desperately needs. :wink:

Heat the room up, bring in a small fan to create soft zephyr breezes , throw in some tropical music with waves and let the aromatherapy "Whisk him away..."

 

[Garf F]

Thank you for your replies. For some reason I keep forgetting those EO's down in the basement.

I like the idea of tropical-ness even though our winter was nearly tropical this year. Good thing we got more snow today! Anyway, we'll see what happens. Thanks again!

 

[Trendy]

Maybe a home visit might be easier for your friend than trying to lure SO to the table Not sure if you do home visits, so may be a silly suggestion. There is always teh friend could book appointment for her, feel too sick at the last minute too late to cancel and send him instead (home or clinic visit)

And essentail oils as mentioned before if it's a late appointment, depending on the sleeping habits, you might not want to do the uplifting blends, but go with a sleep one - if he's having trouble sleeping sedating blend, if he is having trouble being awake, uplifting blend.

 

[Naomi]

I think Swedish is ideal for the funky-mooded. I wish I had been getting regular massages when I went through some very down times. If I ever figure out a way to do it, I'd like to "target" my massage practice to people going through depression and other mood imbalance/disorders. But of course like you guys said, a halmark of someone who's depressed is difficulty getting around to doing anything at all, much less something for him/herself, even MUCH less doing something viewed as a "luxury" such as massages...

 

[Sebastian]

"target"

I think Swedish is ideal for the funky-mooded. I wish I had been getting regular massages when I went through some very down times. If I ever figure out a way to do it, I'd like to "target" my massage practice to people going through depression and other mood imbalance/disorders. But of course like you guys said, a halmark of someone who's depressed is difficulty getting around to doing anything at all, much less something for him/herself, even MUCH less doing something viewed as a "luxury" such as massages...

Seebs, did you ever pursue this idea of targeting this audience? I'm curious about this as well. I began looking for something for depression other than meds. I'd like to look into aromatherapy diffusion in the bedroom - have no experience of aromatherapy, so I definitely need to do more research, but I thought this would be a great target market. massage and aromatherapy as a way to prevent further slipping into a deeper depression...