Our feet deserve more love than they get. Think about it… They support and carry us in and around the world from when we’re about a year old to an ripe old age if we’re lucky to live that long.
Stress is rampant in today’s modern society and something that many people don’t know is how stress can affect your ankles and feet as well as the rest of your body. In your feet, the symptoms of stress can most often be experienced as:
- Cold feet
- Dry and/or cracked skin, including eczema and psoriasis
- Tingling (pins and needles), a burning sensation, or other discomfort
- Muscle cramps and spasms
Being overweight or obese can also contribute to feet aches and pains because there is extra weight adding strain to your ankles and feet.
Exercises
- Pick up small objects with your toes, moving them all onto one pile. First do this with one foot, then with the other.
- Stand up straight and then rise onto your toes (holding onto something for balance at first) and lifting your heels off the ground.
- Move your feet up and down, pointing your toes and then relaxing your foot again.
- Make circles with your ankles (preferably while standing).
- Take a tennis ball, golf ball, or a bottle of frozen water (Put a sock over the bottle or wear socks to prevent your feet from becoming too cold.) and then roll it beneath your feet to massage your foot soles.
Foot massage
Tip: When you’re out and about make sure that it’s not your shoes or socks that are causing your foot pain, tension and problems.
Another good way to relieve stress, tension and pain in your feet is with a good ol foot massage. Foot massages are not only relaxing and pleasant, but they also allow for the blood to circulate easier and more effectively around the body.
Here’s how to do a foot massage:
- Start by warming up your feet and hands by performing light strokes.
- You can proceed by make use of a massage oil, cream or lotion and spread it around the palm of your hands before applying and massaging it on your feet.
- Try to massage your whole feet up to the lower parts of your shinbone and calves.
- Try circular movements when straight strokes aren’t as effective on certain areas, like for example your heels.
Heat & cold
There are many ways relieve foot pain and tensions, not only the ones mentioned above but also cold immersion like say turning it to as cold are you can bear it before ending your shower or why not ice packs applied topically after a long day or a warm foot soak/bath with epsom salts for 10 minutes if you find that your feet has been cold and rigid for a while (only do this if your feet aren’t inflamed as the heat can make the inflammation worse).
Conclusion
Our feet deserve our love, but the care they should get by all of us is often neglected by most people. Luckily you’re one of the few that know the importance of caring for your feet, and hopefully these above mentioned ways provided you with an useful idea or two!
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