What if that “anything” meant doing something just for you? As a mom, you naturally want the best you can provide for your family. You’re doing everything you can think of to make sure they are safe, happy, and healthy. And some days that to-do list looks huge. And you’re not sure how you’re ever going to catch up, and you’ve just had it! You’re tired, and overextended. Enough already!
Sound familiar? I’m going to ask you to take a few deep breaths, and consider one thing: Are You on your ‘to-do’ list?
As a mom, you are awesome! But when you don’t take care of yourself, you deplete your ‘Awesomeness Reserves’, so you’re more likely to be tired, irritable, easily frustrated, and exhausted. Your battery just runs down, and when you let it, there’s no more You left to give.
I don’t think it’s right that we allow ourselves to become run down and less than we’re capable of. Less than we were meant to be. Less than we deserve, and less than our families deserve. What would it feel like if you made taking care of yourself as important as taking care of your kids?
Massage can help you recharge and get back to your fully awesome potential, both as a mom, and as a woman. At Soothing Space Massage, I’ve created a practice centered on Moms and our unique needs. My son turns four this September, and I’ve been there. I want to work with you and empower you to create and nurture your own self-care. For too long massage has been thought of as a luxury; a birthday indulgence during a girl’s afternoon. And that’s great, but it doesn’t actually address what we need. We need to commit to taking care of ourselves, so that we can…
- Have a better quality of sleep. If we can’t fit more sleep hours into our day, let’s make sure we’re getting the most out of the ones we have.
- Reduce our pain and anxiety. When we are in pain we cannot allow ourselves to relax, it gets in our way of being our best selves. When your body relaxes, your mind relaxes.
- Strengthen our calm. When we make a habit of taking care of ourselves, we create that calm space within ourselves. This is strengthened and nurtured through the rhythmic relaxation responses within massage.
- Create space for ourselves. When we regularly make a commitment to get out of the house, and relax, in the same space, with the same people, we go through an entrainment process. What this means for massage is that you’re able to enter your internal calm space more quickly with each frequent session. When your mind relaxes, your body relaxes, and your massage becomes even more effective.
So, yes massage has several benefits; from detoxification, relaxation, better decision making, to improved digestion, and reducing headaches. However, the underlying benefit is knowing that you are taking great care of yourself and that’s what is necessary to take great care of your family! I will help you get there.
A Variety of Massage Sessions:
Getting a Massage:
Yes, there is more than one style or type of massage! I focus on sessions designed to relax the body and mind, while removing stress, tension, and pain. Most sessions start off with a moist hot towel near the shoulders or on the feet, and each massage ends with a warm cup of rooibos tea. Each woman gets to her calm space differently, so pick the type of session that best resonates with you today:
Relaxation Massages:
Based on techniques that work with the circulatory and immune systems, these are light to medium pressure sessions on a massage table. Gentle stretching and extra time may be used to address specific tension concerns.
Pregnancy Massages:
Nine months of pregnant bliss… uhhu. Let’s face it, you’re growing another person. For most of us, our bodies are growing at such a rapid pace we have not experienced since puberty. Things are stretching, shifting, swelling, and pinching. And whether we like it or not, the majority of our energy is going into that new human being, so that they can thrive and grow and be awesome.
Whether you and baby are working together in a nice laid back team, or you keep asking yourself why you thought this was a good idea, massage can help. Based on your needs that day, my pregnancy sessions include techniques to lessen swelling, release tension in your back from that shifting center of gravity, and gentle stretches designed to help your body adjust and prepare for birth. Frequent massage sessions help you relax and quiet your mind as you adapt to your new role. And through a neat aspect of our nervous system, regular massages can help pregnant moms feel less clumsy as well. Yes, I am comfortable working on women as soon as they are aware of their pregnancy. A lot of growth is happening in nine months, lets work together to make them as peaceful as possible.
Postpartum Massages:
The first few weeks of having your baby at home are wonderful… and rough. Combine lack of sleep with your body recovering from all that strain and growth, and you have a wonderful setting for massage. This is also an ideal time to continue to nurture your own self-care; you’re demanding more of yourself, and you need to make sure you have the resources and support system to help you.
My postpartum sessions use gentle applications of heat, compressions, and stretching to reduce tension, increase your sleep quality, and help your body return towards its non-pregnant state. In my dedication to working one-on–one with my clients and really getting to know their needs and stress cues, I recognized the need for my pregnant clients to think about their postpartum sessions before baby is born, as part of their postpartum support. When clients have worked with me regularly during their pregnancy, we can easily transition into in-home massage sessions as well, once their newborn is home.
Thai Mat Massages:
Oh, these are fun! Different from the table style sessions, Thai massage is like someone doing yoga to you. I work with my clients through a series of gentle stretches, compressions, movements and acupressure to create a holistic relaxation experience. We work together on a covered soft mat, on the floor, and both of us are in loose yoga style clothing (yes, sweat pants and t-shirts are fine!). Then I’ll ask you to act as a rag doll as much as possible, with small exceptions during some of the stretches. Feeling anxious about how many times you’ve read “stretches” about Thai Massage? It’s ok, take a few deep breaths. Here, as with all my sessions, I work together with you for your own relaxation experience. Whether you’re Gumby, or feel stiff as a board, we ease into each movement to slowly unwind the tension.
Why You’re Not Allowing Yourself to be as Important as Your Children:
Excited, but still allowing yourself to come up with reasons not to schedule a massage? Let me help you.
It’s too much time….
Let’s unpack that. I’ll assume you’re overwhelmed, because you feel overcommitted and here I am asking you to do one more thing. That’s not quite true. I need you to dig down deep, and ask yourself not just as a Mom, but as a person ‘what do you do to take care of yourself?’. The benefits from massage accumulate, so I’m only asking for at least one hour of your time, at least once a month. More if you can, but I’m wearing my realist shoes here. In return for investing that time back into yourself, you’ll be healthier, more relaxed, and not as tired. Mix that together, and you’re able to accomplish more of the things you need to do, better, quicker, and more efficiently as a result
It’s expensive….
Massage may be more affordable than you think, especially when you consider the benefits. It’s an investment in yourself, and as a result you’re better able to care for your family. It’s also a preventative health measure. When you allow yourself to become overextended the exhaustion, fatigue, and stress accumulate. This leads to a continued stress response cycle, so not only are you not acting at your best, you’re wearing down your own longevity.
You’re used to finding a way to pay for and accomplish everything your family needs. Your family needs you, and you need to take care of yourself. Once you make a commitment there, everything else tends to fall into place. A regular monthly session costs less than your average chain cup of special coffee a day. And you’ll be better rested, which may diminish your coffee expense!
Want to make that commitment to yourself and work with me, but still don’t see a financial way to get there? There are discounts available for massage packages, which also make great baby shower and mom-appreciation gifts. Coming later this month I’m starting the Relaxing Monthly Renewal option; which gives you a strong discount off the sessions, and any gift certificates you purchase, as long as you’re ready to commit to taking care of yourself with at least one session, once a month.
It’s a luxury…
Nope, it’s a necessity. We need to allow ourselves the grace to be one of our own priorities. Perhaps not our first priority, but we need to stay on our own lists. This is not just an impulse purchase you’re making at the mall; it’s an investment and commitment to taking care of yourself as well so that you don’t burn out. You would do anything for your kids. You’re doing this for yourself, and so that you can continue to thrive for your family.
What’s Next…
Great! You’re ready to keep that commitment to yourself. Use the online calendar to create your session. You can also see the gift certificate and massage package options here.
My office is within The Healing Arts & Massage School, at Lake Boone and Blue Ridge. Working within the massage school helps me stay up to date on information and you benefit from a beautiful Soothing Space in which to relax.
Trust is an important issue with massage; if you’d still like to talk with me before scheduling your session, or if you’d like to see what the space feels like before committing your time, I have Meet ‘n Greet 15 minute appointments on my scheduler too. Have a little one and would like to learn how to give him or her the awesome benefits of massage? Come play in the group [Baby Massage Classes!
A Vend Raleigh Community Perk!
I love working with the Vend Raleigh Community. As an added Thank You, I’m giving you a free half hour with your first session! Just use the online calendar to create your one hour or hour and a half massage, and mention you saw this Vend Raleigh blog post. I’ll apply your discount at the end of our session.
See you soon!
Let Massage Help You
Veronica McMullan, LMBT 10277
Soothing Space Massage
Vend Raleigh Directory Member
This is a sponsored blog post. Would you like your business featured on Vend Raleigh? Contact us!
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Comments
Love, love, love this article! Veronica, everything you’ve ever brainstormed with me came out beautifully in this blog post. It has made me think even more about not taking care of myself. I keep saying I will but don’t make the changes. I will definitely be scheduling my appointment soon!