Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/812910
Don't Lose Sight We've seen veteran massage therapists get complacent with their self-care and pay the price with injury and early retirement. And we've seen young therapists forget the lessons of their massage schooling and damage their shoulders, elbows, wrists, or thumbs early on by working consecutive 10-hour days without proper concern and care for the needs of their bodies. But we've also seen many of you work hard to maintain good self-care routines. And we hope you continue to embrace what self-care means—from your body to your mind to your spirit and the spirit of your practice—and be proud of yourself for taking the time to make it happen. Your body, and your career, will thank you for it. So, How's Your Self-Care? It doesn't take much to veer off the self-care path. Is this you? You don't schedule your own massage therapy or bodywork as often as you should. Whether it's your fi rst year as a therapist or your 10th, bodywork should be part of your self-care routine. Pay for your services or trade for your services, but schedule frequent sessions of massage, bodywork, and other complementary therapies you fi nd helpful. Write your own self- care into your appointment schedule, and practice what you preach! You don't give yourself the proper downtime between clients. You might be able to handle clients back to back, but what are your limits? At what point does your work suffer and your body start to fatigue? Are you giving the last client of the day the same quality massage you gave the fi rst client? How much time do you schedule between sessions, above and beyond changing the sheets and washing your hands? It's important to give yourself time to grab a small snack, get a breath of fresh air, have an aromatherapy moment, B Karri Osbor Did you know that up to 50 percent of massage therapists leave the profession within the fi rst two years of practice, largely due to the physical demands of the work? 1 That's a lot of people giving up on a career for something that's largely preventable. In this fi eld, self-care is truly a critical component of how successful you will be as a therapist. Don't undervalue its importance. Sel-Car STARTS HERE 50 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 1 7