Who Takes Care of You?

To preface this piece, it was written from a massage therapists perspective...but, it pertains to anyone that cares for others. Moms, nurses, therapists...anyone. The main question is: Who takes care of you? As I began my journey to become a massage therapist, I thought back on many of the therapists that I have known. These are all giving people. I can't recall a time that they weren't helping others in some way. It was seldom that these people took the time to take care of themselves. But, how does someone that is always looking out for others make a commitment to themselves as well? A benefit of the profession is having something in your back pocket to bargain with. You can always offer to barter with another therapist and treat each other monthly. But aside from taking advantage of bodywork for yourself, there are a number of other ways that you can treat your mind and body to a little respite so that you are fully fueled for another year, or decade, of work in a physically challenging career. My Massage & Bodywork Magazine recently published an article entitled, "Taking Care of Yourself" by Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa. In the article, she sites that supplement users had a far lower risk for disease than non-users. Check! Hooray! I am in that category...and double check for being a multiple-supplement user. Cutting the risk for diabetes and heart disease is important to me and just by taking supplements I may have cut my chances in half. Now, if I could only convince my husband that having the cabinet full of supplements will cure our entire household. The ultimate challenge comes in keeping joints healthy. Repetitive strain injuries are the number one cause of therapist drop-off. We tend to push our bodies to extremes in order to please our clients, work out that last knot or even to give extra time to someone that "deserves" a little bit more. While we can't offer them much more than our very best, what have you offered yourself? Did you opt for caffeine or sugar for a burst of energy? Did you select the fruits and veggies that your body will thank you for in the long run? Did you push forward and take on another client when your body was requesting some rest? Being burned out can lead to anxiety, depression, fatigue and stress. No matter how many supplements you are on. No matter how healthy and clean you eat. No matter how much you sleep or how many deep breaths we take. Making the best choices for our own bodies will ultimately serve our clients best. Being present. Being compassionate. Being strong in our own bodies and minds. Isn't that what makes us good at anything? When your career and your livelihood depend on it... start putting some time in your calendar for you. See your acupuncturist. Schedule that well-check. Book your own massage as well. Don't you want to remember how good it feels after all? Give yourself permission. You don't necessarily need it, but you probably won't ask unless someone tells you. So, here. I am here to give you permission to spend time on yourself so that later you will have time for your other responsibilities. The life you live outside of being a massage therapist. The life you became a massage therapist for.