How bathing like an ancient Roman did wonders for my health

I was stressed, anxious, and aching. But in Italy's therapeutic waters, all that melted away.

A Roman spa.
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

T.S. Elliott famously said April is the cruelest month. For me, it's August — at least this year.

It's hard to say what, exactly, put me over the edge this August. There were a number of culprits: reporting a political story in the most contentious climate in recent history; an attempt at whistleblowing gone haywire; a traumatic falling out with someone close to me. But after a month of daily bouts of full-blown panic, the psychological began to manifest physically: My neck went berserk. My chiropractor was particularly displeased about the numbness in my right arm. My well-meaning mom pointed out I was hunching over, inducing more panic and existential dread that my life was deteriorating, and my body was, too.

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Hannah Seligson

Hannah Seligson is a New York City-based journalist. Her works has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes among other publications.