Self Care for Massage TherapistsAs a massage therapist, self care is one of the most important things you can do for yourself whether you own your own business or work for someone else. Most massage therapists just think of self care as having good body mechanics while doing massage. This is just a very small part of self care for massage therapists How you take care of yourself is a reflection about the beliefs about yourself and how much you value yourself. One of the simplest things you can do to build your business is to make sure that you are getting a massage once a week. What client would want to come in once a week themselves and do something that you are not doing yourself? Self care also includes how you take care of yourself financially, as well as mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Charging less than you are worth or not doing the marketing you need to get the clients you need to support yourself is poor self care. You need money to take care of yourself and family - to pay the bills, take vacations, pay for healthcare and save for retirement. How you set your fees, cancellation policies and boundaries for your massage business is all a reflection of self care. Understanding how your money psychology relates to how much you can or want to make as a massage therapist can also help you to uncover your beliefs about money. It is really your beliefs about money that are holding you back from making the money that you need to make. Your emotional needs - needing to be needed and appreciated are also best to have met outside of your massage practice. When you count on your clients to provide the feeling of being needed it can influence the therapeutic relationship which is really the basis for healing. When the therapeutic relationship is compromised it can create problems which can result in working with draining clients or less than ideal clients. The need to help that is so often a basis for becoming a massage therapist can also create challenges in the client/therapist relationship. Helping usually has another side to it. We help thinking that if others need us they won't leave us. Helping is really a reflection of how needy you are yourself. Learning about helping and discovering the reasons why you help are addressed in peer supervision groups or individual supervision sessions. The more you take care of yourself in whatever form that is good for you , the better your chances of being successful. Your massage practice is a reflection of your beliefs about yourself which include your ideas about success. Getting the support you need is crucial in self care. So many massage therapists just think they have to do it all alone. Getting the support you need in the form of mentoring is one way. Hiring a Clinical Supervisor is another. Supervision is the process of working with a more experienced therapist in whatever it is that you really need help with. I am now offering online consultations and supervision through Skype Video Calls. You can read more about peer supervision or contact me for more information. See also:Setting Your Fees for massage - This is one of the highest forms of self care along with anything that has to do with money and finances. So many massage therapists end up going out of business when they don't set their fees competitively and raise their rates every year. Self Care Articles Online - List of many online articles on self care for massage therapists. Explore your Beliefs about money on my blog at www.thebodyworker.com The Code of the Caretaker - how helping can often be a code for actually wanting help yourself. Share your opinion, comment or other story on this topic.Voice your opinion, comments or story on this topic. What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Common Mistakes Massage Therapists Make
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