If you’ve been following along over on my Facebook page, you’ll have seen the video that I did talking about this new project I’m developing to help everyone experiencing stress, anxiety, and pain right now. I decided to call it Idle Sole Wellness because, well, my soles aren’t working right now and I need something to keep myself busy!
I wanted to go ahead and get this information out into the universe even though not everything is in place yet. This is just a sample of the kinds of bite-sized, actionable wellness tips that I’ll be pushing out regularly for you to use to manage and hopefully improve your life!
Since a lot of things are going to be changing rapidly, I just wanted you to know what to expect when you come in for your massage in the next while. I also wanted to put together a resource that you can use to find information on this latest iteration of the coronavirus. Keep yourself and your family safe and if you need help, ask for it. If you see someone in need, help them or arrange to get them help. We are going to get through this together!
What to expect at your next appointment!
Starting Monday, March 16th, 2020, we will be implementing a few new screening procedures upon your arrival at the office. Be prepared to answer the following questions and perform the following activities.
Have you or anyone in your family been diagnosed with COVID-19?
Do you have or has anyone in your family or workplace had a fever in the last 72 hours?
Do you have or have you had a sore throat in the last 72 hours?
Do you suffer from seasonal allergies?
Have you traveled in the last two weeks? Where to and by what mode?
Have you been in a large crowd within the last two weeks?
Please wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before our session begins.
I’m also pumping out more information through my Facebook page. Please follow along over there for not just COVID-19 specific information, but all kinds of uplifting, fun things to do while we’re all getting through this. And if you need someone to talk to, call me! Don’t be scared and lonely. There are lots of people out here in the world who are more than willing to be a listening ear and friend.
In case you missed the Facebook post and the email I sent out regarding COVID-19 and how I plan to deal with it, here is the info along with some helpful links for additional info. Also, I’m as tired of reading/hearing/thinking about this mess already as you are, but being a business owner who touches folks for a living I’m sort of on the front line having to keep an eye on this. So…
Now that Alabama has their first confirmed cases of COVID-19, I just wanted to let you all know that nothing has changed here at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy & Reflexology. I’m still seeing clients, still taking appointments, and still doing all the laundry.
That being said, we are stepping up our cleaning and hygiene game and wiping down everything several times a day in addition to the normal and customary between client hygiene routine. The landfill will be choked with bleach wipes if we have anything to do with it. This makes me a little sad, but I don’t know any other way to kill this stuff and keep us all safe from the COVID cooties.
I trust that you are also doing your part to keep us all safe and healthy by taking all the common sense precautions we’ve all been reading and hearing about. However, if you are sick, think you are getting sick, or think you might have been exposed in some way to something, or are just not willing to take that chance for whatever reason, please reschedule your appointment. I will totally understand and respect whatever decision you need to make that is best for you.
I will in turn keep my office as clean as possible and I swear if I feel even a sniffle coming on I’ll be rescheduling you. Part of doing that will entail turning visibly sick clients away at the door. Don’t make me do that. Please. I know the Bradford Pears are blooming and everyone’s allergies are going berserk already. Please reschedule. There’s no way for me to protect everyone coming in after you if it’s not just allergies. And I don’t want to get sick or inadvertently become Decatur’s Typhoid (COVID) Mary.
Considering that testing effectively began Thursday in Alabama, I believe we are going to see a steep climb in the number of cases over the next week of people who are already sick. I am closely monitoring CDC and state and local health department advisories. Schools will be closing next week and I expect more closures will be forthcoming. If the situation degrades to the point where it’s unsafe and/or unethical for me to remain open, I will let you all know.
Be well, my friends and know that I’m rooting for us all! Now, go wash your hands again…
These decade challenges that are making the rounds got me thinking about what I was doing 10 years ago… I was a student, still learning barefoot massage (who am I kidding, I’m still learning barefoot massage).
I recently ran across a meme that said, “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.” I shared it in a Facebook post because so many of my clients come to me the first time with their body screaming or complaining loudly. Regardless, waiting until you’re in pain before seeking help is not the greatest of ideas. Convincing your body it can heal itself is much easier and results occur much more quickly if you learn to listen when your body is whispering.
The idea of the body whispering intrigued me because you don’t often see hints and tips on how to identify the pre-emptive rumblings of physical malfunction. So, I spent some time talking to my regular clients and asking them what they considered whispers that prompted them to schedule a massage. Then I spent some more time with a couple of my massage communities asking the bodywork experts what they considered the early, early warnings. The following list is what I learned from exploring this idea.
How to tell
when your body is whispering…
Hello, Listen!
First you have to tune in and actually start listening to your body. So many of us ignore the small aches, pains, rumblings, and grumblings that our body has. Start tuning in to those things. Here are a couple of articles that talk more about this subject.
Unexpected Emotions
If you’re normally a pretty even keeled person, but find yourself weepy for no good reason or losing patience with people or situations that normally would be no big deal, that’s a pretty loud whisper. Maybe you’re suddenly angry at situations that normally wouldn’t bother you or you feel the green-eyed monster creeping in when your friend gets some good news. Unexpected emotions are sure signs of stress whether it be work-related, family issues, or not getting enough rest. In cases like this, a good massage can help take the edge off and down regulate the nervous system allowing you to get back to your normal self.
Poor Quality Rest
There are a lot of reasons people have trouble sleeping or getting good rest. If you find yourself feeling tired or just generally lethargic then it’s time to take action. Check out your sleeping area. Make sure it’s quiet, dark, and free from attack kitties. Consider an herbal sleeping draught before bedtime. If these things don’t seem to be working it might be time to get some bodywork to see if it’s low-grade pain or stress keeping you awake. Click here to read more about creating bedtime rituals.
Discomfort
You know when your hip sort of catches when you get up from a sitting position and you have to stand there and let it unwind before you can take off, that’s the kind of discomfort I’m talking about. Or if you catch yourself absentmindedly rubbing that troublesome spot on your neck. I’m talking about those little aches and pains we ignore so we can get a little further through our day. Then there’s the restlessness that won’t let you sit still. A lot of times that is caused by discomfort that we’re not even aware of. These types of discomforts are the harbingers of real and sometimes very painful soft tissue and even structural issues. What most of us consider small, inconvenient pains can be eliminated by receiving regular bodywork and may head off looming issues that can keep us from working and enjoying life.
Reduced Function
Maybe nothing is hurting, but one day you notice you’re just having more trouble bending over to tie your shoes. Or there’s an activity you have been doing forever that suddenly is much more difficult than it used to be. Or maybe one day you just can’t do something that you did just fine yesterday. This is where your massage therapist can really shine by getting you back into fighting shape.
Apathy
When you stop caring about people, pets, your home, or activities that used to bring you joy, it’s time to sit up and really pay attention. This can also manifest as a lack of motivation, feeling overwhelmed, lack of joy, feeling fried, done, or burned out. All of these feelings are serious clues to something being wrong in our world. Perhaps we just need some downtime away from the usual stressors where we can take care of ourselves and our mental health. But sometimes it can be more serious than that and we need to see a doctor or mental health professional to guide us through it.
Where do we go from here?
So what do you do if you’re reading this and realize that your body is whispering to you? I believe there’s no magic bullet when it comes to fixing tissue issues; it takes a multi-disciplinary approach. Massage therapy is going to be one of the first things I recommend for almost everyone who has a whispering (or screaming) body. It’s minimally invasive and helps to relieve all sorts of physical, emotional, and mental issues. I usually recommend massage therapy first before seeing other bodywork and medical personnel unless someone is clearly injured, sick, or showing tendencies of self-harm.
For learning to listen to your body I recommend some form of meditation. There are an avalanche of studies being published almost every day about the benefits and value of meditation. For other more active relaxation techniques, movement, flow, and binaural beats music are invaluable tools. And finally, plant medicine, don’t forget the beautiful herbal tonics and remedies that are available to us for relaxation and healing. If you don’t know where to start with herbs, let me know and I’ll give you a referral to an herbalist.
Maybe you read the post I wrote a while ago about how you get what you pay for when you search for massage therapy services. If so, you probably already know what my opinion is going to be concerning cheap continuing education. *This post may be more directed at massage therapists, but massage therapy consumers can benefit by knowing a bit more about how to find a better massage therapist.
Recently, I’ve
been seeing a lot of chatter on social media about how expensive massage
therapy CEs are and how massage therapists really want to stop, “Paying an arm
and a leg,” for continuing ed. I’ve seen comments concerning giving up their
first born, pints of blood, and other ridiculous exaggerations on the costs of
classes.
Continuing education classes cost money, some more than others. Online classes are a lowest common denominator situation with canned curricula that leaves a lot to be desired when learning hands-on techniques. They are however good for ethics, business classes, and refreshers for book work. Live, in-person classes cost more than online classes with good reason. Having an instructor prepare, teach, demonstrate, observe, troubleshoot, and correct deserve money and respect. Specialty classes, those that involve certifications in specific methods that not all other massage therapists offer, cost even more.
If you want to learn a new technique or improve your current skills, your computer is best used to find an instructor and their teaching schedule. Evidence is mounting that learning is best done when we are engaging with the world and without screens.
There’s
Nothing Wrong With a Bargain
Don’t get me
wrong, I like bargains and there’s nothing wrong with them. Unfortunately, as
professionals, the continual seeking of bargains when it comes to continuing
education leads to stagnation and sometimes degradation of our skills. Imagine
graduating from massage school and never taking another hands-on class again.
How do we expect to progress and mature in our profession if all our continuing
ed is done online for the cheapest cost possible? And without being
professional and discriminating in how we spend our CE dollars, how can we
expect to be taken seriously by the community, medical or otherwise, and also
be valued and paid for our experience?
And what about our clients?
Now imagine
what our clients think. Maybe they don’t care? Maybe they care a lot that the
person they pay to be an ally in their healthcare cares enough to spend the
money to be the very best.
I simply can’t
afford it…
Check out
your local AMTA chapter. Members get a discounted rate on CEs and even
non-members get a pretty good rate. Most chapters host nationally certified
instructors once or twice a year. Check out your local massage schools. They
also bring in nationally certified instructors occasionally and while the cost
is usually more, you can save by not having travel expenses.
You Can’t Afford
Not To
I know it’s not what we want to hear, but it’s important and it’s what sets the good massage therapists ahead of the bargain hunters. You simply cannot afford not to budget for and spend your CE dollars on quality, continuing education.
So last year when I was in D.C., at the AMTA National Convention I took a class on Balance and Postural Stability. I don’t really remember what I expected from that class. Maybe some gait analysis and strategies on how to troubleshoot and assist with balance issues. I know I didn’t expect to learn quite so much about the inner workings of the foot. The taping for plantar fasciitis and bunyons was also a bonus.
It was a great class and I brought home a whole new set of tools to try with my clients. I also use a lot of the techniques for my personal self-care regimen. After all, I work with my feet so it’s really important that I take care of my feet!
Recently, I was contacted by a reporter who interviewed me about that class. It was fun getting to talk about how much I enjoyed the class and how much of it I’m still using. She actually quoted me a couple of times in the article.
A common refrain from barefoot therapists and clients alike are questions about how to clean your feet before, during, and after a barefoot massage session.
Some therapists have beautiful bowls they cleanse in and ritualize the process, but it’s really not necessary. It can be as simple as cleansing with a little soap and water before and after the session in a pan or bowl or even sitting on the side of the sink.
Since most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have a foot bath available in our treatment room, table-side we always recommend a final spritz. It not only makes the client feel comfortable that our feet are as clean as possible, but it also ensures that anything you may have picked up since the last soap and water cleanse is washed away.
Where Do You Get Foot Spray?
I don’t know if you can buy a cleansing foot spray commercially. It’s so easy to make at home I’ve never really looked for it. Also, I like being able to control the ingredients that touch my skin and by doing it myself the cost is less than any commercial product is likely to be, especially with the volume a barefoot massage therapist will go through. I use A LOT of foot spray. There’s also the issue of client allergies to consider so making it takes away the guesswork on ingredients and potential reactions.
Make Your Own Foot Spray!
I know folks who use a combination of alcohol and water or those alcohol-based anti-bacterial gels. Those work, but can be very drying for some especially when used long-term.
I prefer to make my own from simple ingredients. First you’ll need a spray bottle, I prefer the trigger style as they’re easier to use even when you’ve been handling oils, creams, or lotions. I find the pump bottles almost impossible to hold onto if I’ve used any product at all. The other ingredients are distilled water, witch hazel, and essential oils.
For the oils, I prefer ones with anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. And after a recent conversation with my friend and aromatherapist, Hillary Arrieta, from The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage in Dallas, TX, I have started adding lavender essential oil to combat the drying nature of some of the other essential oils.
A Foot Spray Recipe
4 oz. spray bottle (trigger bottles tend to work better than pump bottles) 1 oz. distilled water 1 oz. witch hazel No more than 24 drops combined of essential oils of melaleuca, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, and/or peppermint.
Combine all and shake well before each use. Spritz feet liberally table-side and dry with a towel.
This foot spray can also be used as a room spray, linen spray, to clean and refresh clients’ feet, or on those really hot days when your deodorant fails, can be pressed into use as as a body cleansing spray.
A COVID-19 Compliant Foot Spray
8 oz. 99% ethyl alcohol 1 Tbsp. household peroxide 1 tsp. vegetable glycerin 50 drops of essential oils of your choice 2 oz. distilled water
Combine all and shake well before each use. Spritz feet liberally table-side and dry with a towel.
Do not use for room or linen spray.
I hope this has answered most of your pressing questions about barefoot massage and foot cleansing. If not, drop your questions in the comments or give me a call and we can talk about it!
It’s going to be a fantastic class with myself and Jeni Spring (one of the founders of Center for Barefoot Massage) teaching together! You don’t want to miss this, it’s going to be epic!
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