|
4. take care of yourself
Leonor A. Horden, LMT, has been practicing for 23 years. She's learned the importance that taking care of herself has on her business. "Massage shines as a wonderful restorative and preventative measure, but not if we're chewing our client's ear off with our own pursuits and worries."
You may not be able to control how a client treats you or problems you face with your employer, but you can control how well you take care of yourself. For Horden, that means finding ways to quiet the mind and to feel the purpose of her hands' work. She meditates, regularly exercises and gets a massage every two to three weeks. She also eats organic when she can, drinks lots of water and tries to get a good night's rest, all of which go a long way to keeping her at her best so she can focus on her clients. She's onto something: When an overwhelming situation strikes, it's easy to fall into bad habits-habits that can actually leave you feeling worse.
According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), when our moods change, so do our body chemicals. And feeling stressed can lead you to crave carbohydrates because they boost serotonin, which has a calming effect. Instead of reaching for simple carbs-like candy and sugar-opt for complex carbohydrates like whole-grain breads or vegetables to boost the nutrition content.
Scheduling time for exercise will also keep you balanced and ready to deal with stress. According to the American Heart Association, daily physical activity releases tension, helps you sleep better, improves self-image and counters anxiety and depression, while increasing your optimism.
Some good bets for exercise? Movement that involves a spiritual component, such as yoga, tai chi or qigong. Or anything that you can do for your entire life, such as walking and swimming.
5. keep learning
When Byron Eddy, LMT, hit the 16-year mark of his massage career, the demands of the job began to take their toll. He was feeling burnt out. By chance he took a class at a retreat center near Boston with Josef Dellagrotte, a student of Moshe Feldenkrais. "That one weekend changed everything for me as I learned awareness of movement is the key to everything and that doing less can be more beneficial. Somatic movement education has added years to my career by giving me ways to stay injury-free."
Seven years later, Eddy is still happily practicing massage-and staying healthy doing it.
Stephen Yates has been self-employed in a sports medicine/orthopedics clinic for 22 years, and practicing massage for 30. While life-long learning is important to your overall career, he advises newcomers to the field not to learn too much too fast.
"Master Swedish massage first. Can you get the therapeutic results with it? After that, study a modality that you really are drawn to in depth before you go on to another," Yates says. "Don't spread yourself too thin with a bunch of half-learned modalities That will stress and frustrate you. If you have a long career there will be plenty of time to learn things. Have patience and smell the roses."
> > >
This is exactly what I'm planning to do. I'm taking this advice and planning another trip to visit Anna. She is promising new terrain and swimming in a lake. Now, I feel relaxed about the idea and am feeling excited about it. I will be taking care of myself and giving myself the space and time to heal, recharge and connect to something bigger than all of us-something we all need to remember to do.
Back <1
2 3 >
|
American Massage Therapy Association®
