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Practicing massage can take its toll on your physical and emotional well-being. We've got real-life suggestions from experienced therapists
that will keep you invigorated.
by Jacqueline Herbach, LMSW, LMT
As massage therapists, the amount of physical and emotional energy that we put out can be very demanding at times. We know we need to take the time to fuel the energy we so easily give away. Like many of you, it's a balance I've struggled to find in my 21 years as a massage therapist…but I'm getting better.
Recently I had the opportunity to go hiking in New York State's Shawangunk Mountains, which is home to acres of a delicate ecosystem that includes wildlife, plants, waterfalls and lots of beautiful rocks. I have spent my whole life living and working in New York City, and the only rocks I am familiar with are the ones in Central Park. For a long time I thought they actually qualified as mountains, or at the very least, hills.
As my friend Anna urged me on as we hiked and rock scrambled the Shawangunks, I was filled with both fear and excitement, a feeling I hadn't felt since childhood. After our adventure, we found a tranquil spot to have lunch. We sat by a lake that had lily pods, fish, and our choice of butterflies and dragonflies. Anna is a massage therapist and uses many modalities in her work, but she also has a wonderful gift of being able to facilitate her client's awareness of what's happening in their bodies. We started to talk about how the day's hike had caused a change in my body. When we first began, I brought to the table my typical work-hard, play-hard attitude, and now just hours later, I felt a softness in my body and a focused alertness within my mind. What I discovered was that I had been truly in the moment when I was hiking and climbing. I didn't have time to think about anything else except where my next step or handgrip was going.
On the bus ride home, I had my CD player, books and knitting ready to keep me occupied, but all I could do was nap. My mind, body and spirit had been fed and now wanted to rest. I didn't realize how starved for care I was, and decided that I would need to learn to take time out for myself-and not just to sit and watch TV or go to the movies-but time out to nurture and feed my soul.
I began to think about massage therapists who have been practicing as long as me or even longer. What did they do to fuel their energy? How did they nurture their bodies, minds and spirits? To help those of you wondering the same thing, I interviewed a talented group of therapists-some with as much as 20-plus years of experience-to get their secrets for how they have sustained themselves and their practices. Here's what they had to say.
1. manage stress
Keeping stress levels in check can be easier said than done. The American Academy of Physicians recommends that if you're already too busy, don't over-commit yourself to still more things. In other words, set limits.
This is something Carole Osborne- Sheets has learned to do, but it wasn't always easy. A somatic practitioner since 1974, she is especially experienced in family issues, including childbearing, nurturing, self-image and abuse. "Because many of my clients are dealing with intense, often traumatic experiences, I've sometimes felt overwhelmed or anxious about their healing process when I allow myself to feel egotistically over-responsible for the outcome of the work we do together, Osborne-Sheets says. "The death of a client or a client's baby has been heart-wrenching for me. I have had times when I was trying to juggle mothering, my practice, writing and teaching. Having so many balls in the air sometimes was very difficult."
But with such experiences also came maturation. "I've learned that I'm not responsible for either the health or disease of my clients. I know this to be intrinsically true so I have less stress related to my session work." Now Osborne-Sheets makes lists to prioritize tasks and responsibilities. She's also learned the times of day she works best at specific activities and also delegates when she can.
Armand Ayaltin, a doctor of natural medicine specializing in herbal medicine and a systemic deep tissue therapy practitioner based in Vancouver, has been practicing for 30 years. And while it's rewarding work, it also can take its toll. "Dealing with people and their diseases-whether structural or internal-is always a stressful job, particularly as we're trying to find the contributory-underlying causes to their symptoms," Ayaltin says.
"We are not just applying a formula [therapy] to everybody and hoping it'll work." Getting a regular massage is one of the easiest things you can do to keep your stress levels in check. Sometimes massage therapists are the last ones to take advantage of the stress-reducing power of massage, but be sure to schedule a regular appointment for yourself. You also might try getting a handle on what triggers your stress by keeping a stress journal. This allows you to keep track of situations that caused a negative physical, mental or emotional response. Where were you? Who was involved? Was it a particular client that stressed you out? What seemed to cause the stress?
Also, describe your reaction. How did you feel? What did you say or do? The MayoClinic.com suggests using a scale-1 (not very intense) to 5 (very intense)-to rate the intensity of your stress. Keeping track of your stress levels will also help alert you to when you need to seek outside support.
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American Massage Therapy Association®
