Posted by Judy Moon
I get asked a lot of questions – ranging from “is that your real name” – yes it is, to “are you a vegetarian”- no, I’d consider myself a flexatarian- plant based with occasional meat products included. It makes me smile to think that most people assume as a massage therapist that I’m vegetarian, I do yoga every day, I don’t drink, and that I’m calm all of the time. The reality is I like a bloody steak once in awhile, I love red wine, I do stretch everyday, but I don’t have a formal yoga practice and ask my husband – I freak out just like everyone else on the planet.
But the number one question I get asked repeatedly is – “how often do YOU get a massage?”
That question used to make me squirm. I honestly used to put myself on the bottom of my to do list and my own massages were sadly not that frequent. I would wait till I was in pain, or beyond stressed out. Not exactly setting a good example was I. I finally committed to getting a massage every other week and it’s been that way for a few years now. It’s the best thing I have ever done for myself.
It’s a pretty physical job doing massage therapy and I know a lot of therapists who have burned out from lack of self-care – not me baby!
As I said, it made me squirm when people would ask me that – how could I possibly expect and inspire my clients to take care of themselves if I wasn’t doing the same. I felt like a fraud.
I smile and feel proud and authentic now when someone asks me that question. I can honestly say – every other week. It feels good to know that I have made that commitment to myself and that I hope I can inspire someone else to make their self care a priority.
For me because of what I do, every other week is what I need, but I tell people all of the time to do what your budget and schedule allows. For some that’s weekly, for some that’s monthly, for some it’s every six weeks. There’s no one size fits all when it comes to frequency.
I will say that it makes my heart sing when I’m looking at my schedule and I see my massage penciled in – mmmmmm, self care – it’s a good thing!