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Massage Therapist Self-Care — Restore Yourself!
I am bound and determined to break myself.
That is my conclusion after the third time I bump my right elbow (read: olecranon process) on a variety of things. The other thing that has happened seven times just this week is that I have rammed some part of my right foot into chairs, walls, tables, etc.
It is the end of the year. I have traveled quite a bit this year. I have touched many, many, many people. I have given to scores of people, both personally and professionally. I do not know if I keep hitting my right olecranon to make myself stop working or if I am just unfocused at this moment in time. What I do know is that I have bruised the periosteum and I cannot stop working yet, soon, but not yet. An achy foot would not stop me from working, but hitting it seven times in one week suggests I am scattered. So I find myself in need of some self care.
Yesterday morning I pull out the self-care video that Patti, Rhonda, and I made. I had already begun doing self massage and, although one of my students wrote this,
“Holy Mother of Self-Care! I just did the first 30 minutes of your new self-care video for massage therapists. AMAZING! I have been complaining about the soreness in my arms, hands, wrists for months. Every night I do contrast therapy, compression, etc. NEVER have I had the release in my arms, hands and wrists that I just got while following you in this video. I am so excited about my first class with you in December. THANK YOU for this self care video; can’t wait to watch the remaining two hours.”,
I cannot imagine wanting to watch myself on video, so I go to Rhonda’s restorative yoga segment. I have done a substantial amount of yoga in the last twenty years, and own around 75 yoga DVD’s, and Rhonda’s restorative yoga is one of the best practices I have found. Not only does my elbow feel better, but I feel much more balanced and centered when I am done.
This morning, I treated my foot by doing Patti’s foam roller segment. She does quite a bit of foot work on the half roll. My foot thanks me by no longer aching. I am good to go. But I think I will repeat both segments over the weekend because taking care of me helps to ground and focus me, which, hopefully, will stop me from bumping into everything.
Get Full Circle’s self-video at https://efullcircle.com/products/self-care-massage-therapists-dvd/
