Massage

Where Did All the Massage Therapists Go?

Massage PSAs /
A Facebook post to Birmingham LMTs group that reads: For anyone looking to move, Terrame in Huntsville is booked up 4 weeks out and needs good therapists. They have 2 locations that offer massage. The bottom of the graphic is another Facebook post that reads: If you are considering a new career - licensed massage therapist are needed in HIGH DEMAND right now!

Have you tried to book a massage lately? Were you successful or were you met with, “Not accepting new clients right now,” or “It’s going to be 6 weeks before I can get you in”? Or worse, you were seen, but had a less than stellar experience? Where did all the massage therapists go?

That graphic over there was something I pulled in less than 5 minutes from two different massage forums on social media seeking massage therapists for their organization. These kinds of posts appear all day, every single day in massage forums and if they’re not looking for massage therapists they’re asking how to find massage therapists. It’s disheartening.

According to the 2022 AMTA Massage Research Report the number of massage therapists decreased in 2021. This, I believe, is partially due to COVID-19, but also a consequence of decreasing enrollment at massage schools nationwide and the shuttering of many massage programs. Many massage therapists walked away from our industry as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic overtook the world. Forced to close businesses or laid off with no other way to support their families, many of them haven’t returned.

Massage school enrollments were down and schools had been closing at an alarming rate before the pandemic. And even though studies show our numbers have increased by 14% over the last decade, without adequate enrollment or places to obtain the necessary education, the number of qualified massage therapists must fall. Many schools closed and did not re-open after government mandated shutdowns reducing the potential for massage therapy graduates even further.

We were already experiencing a shortage of therapists before COVID-19. The massage therapy industry is now entering a crisis period. And it couldn’t happen at a worse time. As we are potentially emerging from a pandemic that forced people into their homes and social isolation, where touch became so dangerous many of us still won’t hug friends or family for fear of passing them a death sentence, people are in critical need of touch therapy and stress relief.

Why Don’t MTs Just Take More Clients?

It seems like the most obvious solution for those of us still working. Just take more clients per day and there will be less people in need of touch therapies. Unfortunately, it’s not a sustainable option. Most of us have already been taking more than our physical limit and are reaching the wall. It’s sort of like when someone leaves your job and your manager brings all their work to you. And then someone else leaves and your manager is standing in your office with another pile of work.

Massage therapists must first protect their own bodies before we can continue serving others. A hurt massage therapist is not a massage therapist that can help anyone with pain or stress. A sick massage therapist is definitely not going to be able to help anyone and they may make you sick to boot.

And Then There’s Burnout

Burnout is a real thing. We’ve seen the news stories, read the articles, and talked to our friends in the healthcare industry and everyone seems to understand that they are fried. Massage therapists aren’t experiencing the same level of awareness or care as the healthcare industry workers, but oftentimes we are laying on hands as many hours a day as these healthcare workers with even more waiting in the wings that aren’t being seen. The mental health arena is experiencing a similar phenomenon currently. Read here about listening to your body so you can hopefully prevent burnout.

As we continue to service more and more individuals at the cost of our body, family time, creative time, and rest time, we burn out. Giving becomes extremely difficult when we have pushed ourselves beyond the limit in service of others.

Many of us are regularly doing phone consultations for how to manage pain until we can get clients into the office. Which is pushing the limits of our scope, but what does one do when the one person in their circle of trust can’t get them in and they’re hurting?

How Do We Fix the Shortage?

The short answer is make more massage therapists. The long answer is make more massage therapists. If a student started right now it would take 6-8 months (minimum depending on the school) to be qualified to take the national exam and apply for a license in the state of Alabama.

That doesn’t seem like a long time, but it is a long time to work hoping that someone is coming to help relieve an already overstressed system. So now the question is, how do we get those students into an entry-level massage therapy program?

I see this question asked a lot on social media, industry publications, and industry conference panels. And no one seems to have an answer to this question. Is it awareness? Yes! Is it advertising? Yes! Is it getting in front of kids while they’re young to let them know how important touch is to their health? Yes! What do we do about it? Nothing or very little, apparently, and what is being done is not effective as illustrated by falling enrollment, fewer training programs, and “exhausted, on the verge of quitting” massage therapists.

What Happens If We Do Nothing?

If we do nothing, qualified massage therapist numbers will continue to decline. Safe and accessible massage therapy will become very expensive then disappears altogether as therapists age out of the system, burn out, or simply leave the industry.

If we do nothing, massage therapy chains will either disappear altogether or find funding to become industry monopolies. Quality of massage therapists and therapies will go way down while prices go way up as happens when an industry is controlled by just a few entities.

If we do nothing, more unqualified, untrained people will perform touch therapies that may or may not lead to public health issues, unsafe practices, consumer injuries and/or infections, a rise in human trafficking, and declining consumer confidence in the massage therapy profession.

None of that seems good.

What Can We Do?

Consumers

  • Use your platform to talk about your massage therapy experiences and how it has helped you. Challenge yourself to talk to one person a week about massage therapy.
  • Write reviews for your massage therapist(s). Thank you in advance!
  • Talk to your family, friends and anyone else who will listen about how massage therapy might be a viable career option. Talk to your massage therapist about where to steer prospective students. Many of us are glad to talk about massage therapy to the curious public.
  • Suggest your massage therapist or massage therapy school for career days, job fairs, or health fairs.

Massage Therapists / Students

  • Use your platform to talk about your positive career experiences as a massage therapist, get specific about why it’s so satisfying and talk about it often. Challenge yourself to post on social media once a month about your satisfying career choice.
  • Talk to your clients, friends, family, and anyone else who will listen about how massage therapy might be a viable career option.
  • Educate yourself on the massage school options in your area and be prepared to steer people toward these schools if they show an interest.
  • Contact your local school system and make yourself available to talk with school kids (and high schoolers) about how massage therapy might be a viable career option.
  • Provide your clients and cohorts with the words to speak respectfully and positively about the massage therapy profession.

Massage Therapy Schools

  • Use your platform to create awareness campaigns about the massage therapy profession and run them continuously.
  • Show up at career days, career fairs, and health fairs to promote the massage therapy profession.
  • Educate the public as to the continuing need for massage and touch therapies.
  • Teach students how to be ambassadors for our profession and challenge them to continue recruiting new students into our profession.

Let’s Do Something!

I know I’ve pointed out some not so optimistic points in this article, but I think it’s important we know what can happen if we continue to ignore the problem. I hope this gives you some ideas about how you can help the massage therapy profession in your day-to-day. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a massage therapist your first order of business is to find a school and do some research. Feel free to reach out directly to me if you want to talk or you can go here to find state approved schools in your area.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Where Did All the Massage Therapists Go? Read More »

Gift Certificate Changes

Massage /
A dark colored gift box with a bright blue ribbon

In order to continue serving my existing and waitlist clientele in the most sustainable manner possible, beginning March 10, 2022, I will no longer be selling online gift certificates.

Moving Forward

  • Gift certificates will only be sold for current clients or those I have seen within the past calendar year
  • If you wish to purchase a gift certificate you must contact me directly
  • Credit will be applied to the recipient’s account, no physical or electronic gift cards will be provided
  • For those holding unexpired gift certificates, please contact me to get on the schedule

The new Gift Certificate Policy and Gift Certificate Cancellation Policy is now available for review.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Gift Certificate Changes Read More »

Sharing Social Media Content

Massage /

Part 1: How to Ethically Share Someone’s Social Media Content on Instagram

I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, maybe you’ve even been a victim of someone sharing a cool piece of content you created for your business or organization and never linking back to you. It doesn’t feel great, so I thought I’d share some thoughts here on how to ethically go about sharing someone else’s content on Instagram.

Early on, as I was learning about Instagram, I’m sure I shared something along the way that wasn’t correctly credited back to the creator. I didn’t know any better, but as I’ve learned, I’ve done better and I want to help you do better too.

Now that I know better, I do better.

Maya Angelou

The first thing you’ll need is an app that allows you to share content from Instagram. It’s not hard to find, you can Google “apps to share content on Instagram” or search that term inside your device’s App Store. The results will give you plenty of options to choose from. Each of them are different, many of them have free options and you’ll need to evaluate each one to see if it fits your needs.

If you’re just starting out in business or using a personal account, one of the free options will probably do. If you’re into scheduling posts out ahead of time you might want to look into some paid options. Google will be your friend here in determining which paid option is best for you.

Sharing Other Creator’s Content on Instagram

In order to be successful at ethically sharing, you need to know what I’m talking about when I say “content”. Content is anything someone creates whether it be a photograph, an altered photograph, an image created for advertising, a meme, and any caption (text) that goes along with it.

So now that we know what content is and we have an app whose job it is to reshare that content, here are things to keep in mind when sharing content from other creators.

Always link back to the content creator’s account

Most apps do this automatically when you select the option to preserve the caption. I recommend you let the app do its thing here cause it gives your account visibility through the app’s fans, the creator’s fans as well as possibly a hashtag the app creator’s use to tag their work.

Preserving the original creator’s captions

I asked a bunch of folks what their feeling was on this and here is what came out of those conversations:

  • Sometimes the app malfunctions if Instagram has changed something and needs a minute to catch up so you might not be able to preserve the original caption. I actually use two different apps in case one hasn’t caught up yet. If you don’t have the bandwidth for learning two apps, in this case you need to manually make sure the link back to the creator’s account happens some way in your caption or by tagging the image.
  • Sometimes you may want to add to the caption or refine the caption’s message. In this case, add to the caption, but make sure the reader knows where the original caption stops and a new contribution begins.
  • Sometimes it’s all about the image or graphic the original creator shared. Ethically, just share it, tag it with the creator, and preserve the caption. Just sharing the image as your own work is unethical. Don’t do that…make sure that somehow the creator is credited for their work.
  • Always make sure your app tags the image in some way. The creator’s IG handle should appear directly on the photo, if it doesn’t, explore in your app to turn that option on. Most of them have options for placement and whether they appear dark or light.

How to know what you’re looking at…

The following graphics explain what a shared post looks like, who shared it, who created it, how to figure out the tags, and what is different from the original caption.

Illustration of a shared piece of content on Instagram

The graphic above illustrates the content that was shared in one of my Instagram posts recently as well as identifies who is sharing the information and the tag back to the content creator.

Illustration of a shared content caption on Instagram

This graphic illustrates how some re-sharing apps tag and hashtag to attribute credit to the creators and themselves. This might seem weird that they would point to themselves, but their livelihoods also depend on views, just like so many of our businesses. This graphic also illustrates the original caption and the additional information added to the end of the caption.

What about Instagram Stories?

I didn’t address sharing to Stories on Instagram. Those are somewhat of a different beast. The Instagram app itself has some capability to share to Stories and takes care of attribution so I’m going to let you figure that one out on your own.

I hope this discussion on how to share social media content on Instagram has been helpful for you and helps you feel more confident when sharing other people’s content. Now get out there and socialize!

Part 2: How to Ethically Share Someone’s Social Media Content on Facebook coming soon!

Sharon Bryant teaches for Center for Barefoot Massage at Alabama Barefoot Massage Training Center!

Sharing Social Media Content Read More »

Ayurvedic Head Massage for Beginners – A Book Review

Massage /
It's a picture of Sharon reading a book

Press Here! Ayurvedic Head Massage For Beginners: A Practice for Overall Health and Wellness by Hillary Arrieta

I should start this review by disclosing that my knowledge about head massage before reading this book consisted of watching a few videos on YouTube of a guy in India doing Indian Head Massage. It looks violent, but the receivers seem to enjoy it very much so perhaps vigorous is a better description. After reading this book I would definitely have to go with it’s all in the hands of the practitioner. I will definitely try it someday.

I should also probably disclose that the author is a friend of mine.

About the Author

Hillary Arrieta is a massage therapist, massage educator, aromatherapist, and overall badass. She owns Gaia Bodywork, LLC in Dallas, TX, and teaches barefoot massage with Texas Barefoot Massage Training.

About the Book

This book covers everything: the what of Indian Head Massage, basic principles of doshas, chakras, and marmas, different aspects of preparing for the massage, recipes to prepare your own hair oils to use during the massage, and instructions and illustrations for performing eight different Indian Head Massage rituals for working with clients as well as self-care.

Overall, I found this book unassuming and very accessible. It seems comprehensive for a beginner technique book without becoming a tome. It is easy to read and use with a handy index that makes it quick to find exactly what I’m looking for. I appreciate that the author took the time to illustrate both the self-care technique for each ritual as well as the client-care techniques. And the illustrations being inclusive just points to how much thought and consideration was put into this work.

If you’re interested in learning more about this technique without sinking a ton of money into a continuing education class, this would be a great place to start.

Find the Author

You can learn more about Hillary Arrieta and her book at her website.

Happy Reading!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Ayurvedic Head Massage for Beginners – A Book Review Read More »

Massage is Weird – A Book Review

Massage /

Massage is Weird: How to Beat Burnout and Kick Butt as a Massage Therapist by Ian Harvey

This book is actually very much a breath of fresh air in the massage industry. It’s a return to logic and common sense with a bit of social psychology thrown in and none of the usual social media mother-henning and overly emotional responses.

He addresses self-doubt, boundaries, educating clients, germs, creeps, trauma, business topics, client communication tactics, different causes of burn out, massage myths, and of course Ian’s specialty, massaging like a sloth! In short, anything that seems to professionally contribute to burnout, he’s covered it. And it’s all delivered in a coherent, gentle, and well thought out manner.

Overall I found this book very well organized. And while there’s nothing earth shattering or even new here, I would recommend this book for every new or struggling massage therapist because the information is succinct, applicable, and accessible. The layout is such that you can locate the topic of interest without having to read the whole book to find what you need. I do recommend reading the whole thing through at least once though. For those of us who have been around a while, I recommend reading it to support our industry cohort and to see the unique perspective his background offers to our work.

Happy Reading!

Ian Harvey’s Massage Sloth Website is here if you want to learn more about him and his Massage Sloth style.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Massage is Weird – A Book Review Read More »

FasciAshi ROM: Stretch Therapy

Massage /
A photo of Sharon performing a ROM stretch to the client's arm

What is ROM?

FasciAshi ROM is Range of Motion: Stretch Therapy and I’ve been waiting to take this class for over a year. Covid-19 really kicked the can down the road as far as marking goals off the list, but it finally happened.

Years ago, I’d taken a Thai-inspired barefoot massage class and I’ve used it for years, but this was totally different. Perhaps I’ve thrown a stretch or two into a session in the past, but I always found it difficult to integrate those moves because they were designed for the client to stay clothed. With these new ROM skills you’ll find more stretches during your current barefoot massages because they’re easier, not only on my body, but to just throw a stretch in here and there without having to worry about exposure.

One of the other things I found with this class is attention to the ‘Why’. Why would I use this particular stretch or compression? The attention to ‘Why’ makes it much easier to know when it’s appropriate to use these techniques. Got a Charley Horse? There’s a stretch that addresses gastrocs and soleus (the muscles that are typically involved in that kind of cramp). Hip flexors tight and sore after training and running that 5K? There’s a stretch for that, a few, actually. And then there’s those stretches that feel great but are sneaky effective in areas you wouldn’t expect. Fascia is amazing that way and ROM most certainly addresses the fascial system.

How Do I Get My ROM?

All that to say, ROM is definitely on the menu. You’ll find it under Stretch Therapy if you’re trying to book it yourself. Otherwise, just ask me next time we book your appointment if you’d like to try it. I can integrate it into your regular barefoot massage appointment, or we can go straight up Stretch Therapy with a blend of ROM, facilitated stretching, and some of that Thai-inspired barefoot massage.

Can I Learn FasciAshi ROM?

For those of you wanting to learn FasciAshi ROM, Dawn Dotson from our New York Campus will be here at Alabama Barefoot Massage Training Center in May! Register here. Class will be small, and yes, we will need clients for clinic. If you want to come experience the classroom version of ROM, let me know!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

FasciAshi ROM: Stretch Therapy Read More »

Fennel & Lemon Tea: A Digestive Soother

Wellness /
dehydrated lemon slices and fennel seeds

All the Thanksgiving foods have my tummy feeling off…

If you, like me, ate too many things you’re not accustomed to while celebrating Thanksgiving this year, never fear. I have a tummy soother that is tasty and easy to make with basic kitchen ingredients.

This Fennel and Lemon Tea has only a few simple ingredients:

  • Fennel Seeds
  • Lemon
  • Hot Water
  • Your Sweetener of Choice (optional)

So you’ll need a cup and a tea ball or infuser. In the tea ball, you’ll want to put about a teaspoon of fennel seed. Crushing the fennel seed will give you a stronger, more potent experience, but it’s not necessary. Drop that in your cup and throw in a lemon wedge or round and top with hot water. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove the tea ball (unless you really love fennel, it gets strong and bitter after a while) and add your sweetener of choice. Honey is always good if you can tolerate it. I usually opt for stevia for a no sugar experience. Be sure to take a moment to savor the warmth in your hands and the aroma of the steam. This is a really nice cup of health, enjoy!

Why it Works!

Fennel seed has a mild flavor that you’re probably already familiar with. For me, no mild Italian sausage is right without the distinct flavor of fennel. It’s also used in a candy everyone knows, licorice! Fennel seed also contains several vitamins and minerals that are important for more cellular functions than I care to list today. It is anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, some studies have shown it mildly curbs the appetite (which may be helpful after eating so much for Thanksgiving), has anti-cancer properties in concentrated form, helps bring in or improve milk for new mothers, and is helpful for our colicky little ones. And this is an abbreviated list of uses without even getting into the particulars of cooking with it.

The reason I’m writing about it today is because it is well-known for improving digestion and relieving gas pain. The fennel seed has a diuretic effect which helps with bloating (hello, Thanksgiving!), it has a lot of fiber which helps the digestive tract work more efficiently, and also features chemical compounds that allow the muscles of the digestive tract to relax which allows gasses to exit as designed. The only drawbacks to fennel seed that I can find is that it can be an estrogenic. If you’re struggling with estrogen dominance you may want to try another herb.

Lemon for flavor, a little acid kick, and to stimulate digestion. Acid? Yes, acid. Now if you are already suffering from excess acid, you want to be careful with how much lemon you’re using. If you have low acid, this will be very helpful for getting the stomach contents moving out into the intestines. Lemons stimulate digestion through a fiber called pectin. Pectin is also a good pre-biotic which gives your gut microbes good food to chew on for longer term intestinal health. You’ll notice in the photo the lemons are dehydrated. These work as well though the acid profile is different than fresh lemon or lemon juice. I prefer the dehydrated lemons because the sugars have caramelized, and the flavor is amazing. Also, they don’t grow a green sheen in my crisper drawer which is very likely to happen to fresh lemons in my house.

Stevia, my typical sweetener of choice, is also an herb. And it has its own digestive benefits as it’s full of inulin fiber which is again a powerful pre-biotic. If you’ve never used it, start slow. It has a tendency to go bitter in large amounts and the fiber can cause gas if your digestive tract isn’t accustomed to handling fibers.

Bonus Belly Herb

If you’re experiencing gripping or cramping, try adding a couple of coins of ginger. Powdered ginger will also work in this Fennel & Lemon Tea.

So, there it is… a little cup of herbs and spices for a happier belly. This tea will be a lovely addition to your digestive repertoire. It’s mild, tastes good, the ingredients are easily accessible, and generally regarded as safe even for kids.

Let me know what you think in the comments if you try this Fennel & Lemon Tea!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Fennel & Lemon Tea: A Digestive Soother Read More »

Learning in the Time of COVID-19: Part 2

Massage /
Certificate of Completion for The Roll Model Method Correspondence Course

So in this next edition of Learning in the Time of COVID-19, I want to tell you about a correspondence course that I took early on in our shutdown phase. It’s called the Roll Model Method and it’s something I’ve been interested in for a while, but just never had the time to really dig into.

Time definitely hasn’t been a problem with this Stay at Home and now Safer at Home business so when I discovered they had a correspondence course I jumped at it!

The correspondence course came with a textbook and a complete set of the balls that you need to make your way through the coursework. Which is a plus since it comes right to your door and you don’t have to be traipsing all over the place looking for equipment.

What is it, exactly?

rubber ball rolling for elbow pain

Good question! It’s a self-care modality using squishy, grabby, rubbery balls to give yourself a myofascial “massage”. I’m using those quotation marks (#quotationmarksmatter) around massage because it’s NOTHING like what happens on a massage table with a professional, trained massage therapist. But it does give you some of the benefits of a massage – like pain and stress relief. Is it going to “fix” an issue? Maybe, maybe not, but it gives you some agency over your healing in a time when you can’t get to your massage therapist.

Why do I want to give myself a “massage”?

Because right now, if you can find a massage therapist who is working, they’re swamped and you can’t get in to see them. And because you probably have some sort of pain that could be helped with a little bit of attention. And if you can’t identify any pain, you probably have some stress, anxiety, or grief happening.

Wait, these balls can help with stress?

Yep, I was skeptical at first too, but as I made my way through the coursework I started to notice that the time I spent with with the squishy orbs became meditative and was activating my parasympathetic system (rest and digest). And if you’ve been around me at all you already know there’s a lot of science behind meditation and parasympathetic activation. Oh! AND, I learned a body hack to activate the parasympathetic system while taking this class. It makes so much sense and I already knew it, but had never put the science with the actions until I was talking to a colleague who was also taking the class. If you want to learn more about that, take a look at my Idle Sole Wellness Series where I talk about a lot of body hacks (including this one) for taming stress and anxiety.

Want to learn more?

Well, you can go get your own correspondence course or you can call me and we can customize a plan for you that targets your specific issues. And, best of all (for right now), we can do it virtually so no worries about transmitting those COVID cooties to one another!

But…I’m having trouble concentrating right now

Totally normal. No, really, there’s a lot of evidence that when we’re in states of high stress it’s really hard to concentrate. That’s why I’m introducing you to this form of self-care and giving you the option of working with me versus having to read the whole textbook. Anything that helps us drop out of that sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze) nervous system state into the more relaxed, rest and digest state is a good thing to learn!

Peace, y’all! I hope everyone is well and safe and learning in the time of COVID-19 in whatever form those lessons may be.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Learning in the Time of COVID-19: Part 2 Read More »

Learning in the Time of COVID-19: Part 1

Massage /

So it’s not that I wanted to spend even more money on learning in the time of COVID-19. What with still not being back to work, but I figured it would be less stressful to get my NCBTMB Board Certification requirements done. Last night I spent a couple of hours getting my Ethics hours done, filling out the NCBTMB application, and of course paying the fees.

I got my paper saying that I passed the test, the email saying my application was accepted and under review, and now I wait for my new certificate to come in the mail.

What are you learning during the time of COVID-19? If the answer is, “I can’t concentrate on anything right now,” there’s a reason for that and it’s perfectly ok. I had a hard time getting through this ethics course because it’s so hard to concentrate right now.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Learning in the Time of COVID-19: Part 1 Read More »

Day 28: How Much Longer?

Self-Care /

Well, today is 28 days since I had to (temporarily) close Harvest Moon Massage Therapy. It has certainly been an eye-opening ride. I started off the first week by bolting out of bed, showering, getting dressed, putting on makeup (gasp!), and filming a bunch of videos for Idle Sole Wellness. That lasted 5 or 6 days before my energy and enthusiasm began to flag. What I discovered is that I was running from all the feelings of grief, panic, uncertainty, etc. Then about day 21 something inside me broke open and I finally relaxed.

Once I began to deal with the feelings, I spent some time figuring out what to do. I’m not one to not be busy or productive. I find it difficult to just sit and watch tv. So, I thought I would give you a survey of what I’ve been doing with my time.

What I’ve Been Doing

  • Learning to edit and splice video footage together to create a not-so-professional video wellness series. Again, why not, I have the time and it can only help in case of future projects. Want to see it? Click here to sign-up!
  • Trying to figure out what to do with all the stuff that’s in our “to donate” pile, but can’t go anywhere yet.
  • Crocheting and trying to figure out how I have so much yarn and unfinished projects!
  • Sewing masks, it’s a fabric de-stash project that’s helping me feel like I’m still relevant. The word “non-essential” is just rude!
  • Zoom happy hour with a great friend from Birmingham. She’s single, I worry about her.
  • Spending time outside in the sun in between the rainstorms and dodging the rumbling bumblebees
  • Getting my garden ready for planting day!
  • Cooking a lot and rejoicing when I can do curbside!
  • Baking cookies and bread and then eating it. I have visions of my table groaning every time I take a bite!
  • Replacing a dryer vent (that was hard)
  • Applying for unemployment and the EIDL loans/grants. Both new adulthood experiences
  • Keeping up with the changes in sanitation recommendations for when we do get to open back up
  • Taking a correspondence course. Because, why not? I have the time and I’m just holding my breath hoping I get back to work soon and can use it!
  • Cleaning and cleaning and cleaning some more
  • Checking in with family to make sure they’re all safe
  • Designated grocery shopper and pharmacy runner
  • Watching gobs of movies and Netflix and TV and Amazon Prime
  • Learning to create and run a t-shirt fundraiser to help with business expenses while we’re shutdown (it’s over now, but I have a few extra shirts if you’re interested)
  • Zoom happy hour with my barefoot massage peeps. Tiki Style!
  • Drinking too many adult beverages and sodas. Our favorite Mexican place did margaritas by the gallon last Friday. I’m happy to report we still have some of it left!
  • Canceling my next Ashiatsu class and trying to figure out if that needs to extend into May’s Fijian class
  • Walking laps around the neighborhood when it’s not raining
  • Staying up too late and getting up at a time my grandmother would have considered scandalous!

If you’re also in quarantine, I’m sure your list looks similar-ish. If you’re not in quarantine, know that I’m rooting for you to stay healthy and strong.   

How Much Longer?

As to how much longer it’s going to be before I’ll be back in the office and accepting clients…I’m not sure. Right now, the Alabama Department of Health and the Governor’s order says no sooner than April 30th. I don’t think the state even knows what re-engaging “non-essential” businesses is going to look like.

I know it’s not the answer any of us want to hear. I’m ready to get back to work. The part of me that doubted I could be my own boss for long (inner voice: “because I’m too lazy”) is starting to rear its ugly head again. I’m ready, ready, ready to move and groove and get everyone back on the table. There’s so much stress and pain and pressure and uncertainty and EVERYONE needs a massage right now and probably a hug. I hope you have someone to hug.

Oh, and have you seen these quarantine bingo cards? No… scroll down to find one! I hope it brings a little bit of fun into your day! Once you ‘Bingo!’, treat yourself!

Self-Care Bingo Card!

If you’ve made it this far into this unfocused and randomness, I hope you’re having a wonderful day!
Peace,
Sharon

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Day 28: How Much Longer? Read More »