Massage & Bodywork

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2015

Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/588318

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 106 of 133

technique ENERGY WORK Burned Out? Cool Down with Subtle Energy By Cyndi Dale I believe burnout is one of the most prolific diseases or causes of "lack of ease" in the modern world. Unfortunately, you don't know you've caught it until you are symptomatic, and by then, you're too tired to do anything about it. The most popular antidotes for a full-blown case of burnout are physical in nature. These include altering your diet, exercise level, and work schedule, and if you're lucky, indulging in a much-needed beach vacation. Utilizing bodily solutions, however, depends on your access to resources, including time and money. The good news is there is a different type of treatment. It's free. It's easy. You can do it anywhere. And it takes almost no energy to apply. It's subtle energy healing, which uses subtle energy (also called psychic or spiritual energy) to supercharge your burnout therapy. This column highlights three easy subtle energy healing processes that can help you deal with burnout at any of its major stages. THE STATE OF BURNOUT Before showcasing these techniques, I want to first examine the state of burnout, and, specifically, why bodyworkers are so susceptible to it. Burnout, called caregiver burnout when related to those who serve others, is a state of exhaustion. 1 As a bodyworker, you experience daily the fatigue associated with physically and emotionally helping others. Imagine the professionally related chronic and acute stress you incur on an ongoing basis. And how about that personal life? Most likely, at 104 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5 some points in your life, you have struggled with at least some of the numerous signs of burnout, which include changes in appetite, sleep, or weight; exhaustion; getting sick frequently; irritability; loss of interest in life or its pleasures; mental fatigue; mood changes; and more. 2 My own personal indication that I've gone too far is that I don't even have enough energy to care that I have no energy! The physical and professional demands of massage therapy can be challenging. So challenging, in fact, that many new massage therapists, eager to work on as many clients as possible, end up biting off more than they can chew. Referring to a recent study of membership patterns by Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP), ABMP President Les Sweeney says, "The most challenging period for massage therapists seems to be the first 18 –36 months after graduation." Because of this, many schools advise you see no more than 4 –6 clients per day and take breaks between sessions, especially in busier employment environments. 3 This practical advice is vital, as are other concrete burnout solutions. For most of us, however, attempting to control the often-uncontrollable situations of our lives is equivalent to putting a Band-Aid on a bleeding artery. It's for this reason I recommend incorporating subtle energy solutions into your burnout recovery or prevention regimen. SUBTLE ENERGY TECHNIQUES Subtle energy is the invisible stuff of quantum physics that forms and supports measurable reality. 4 Shift the subtle energy involved in a problem and you'll experience equivalent, if not greater, changes in physical reality. One way to

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Massage & Bodywork - NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2015