There’s no doubt that physical health can greatly affect mental health, nor that the brain is crucial to human functionality, including behavior. I don’t disagree that who we are is deeply tied in with our bodies. What I do take issue with is your asserion that who we are is nothing but our bodies, and your identification of the mind with the brain. The mind-body problem is one of the most fascinating and perplexing issues in philosophy, and no side has presented any conclusively convincing defense of their position. Probably because it’s impossible to, which is quite frustrating.

If your personality and behavior are indeed nothing but the biochemical makeup of your brain then your decision to schedule a massage or two a month is no different from a rock falling to the ground (and not floating in the air) or a sunflower seed developing into a sunflower (and not a tulip or an elephant). In other words, from the very first instant of the Big Bang it was completely inevitable that your brain at some moment would have a certain biochemical makeup, and that that biochemical makeup would cause you to decide to schedule one or two massages a month. It was also completely inevitable that I’d be writing this comment on your blog. That may very well be the case, but it’s far from settled.

This is merely a philosophical objection. I think your plan is good and I’m sure that the massages and yoga will help relieve your stress. Take it easy.