Fair warning, my dear readers.  This post is a bit more lengthy than normal and I completely understand if you prefer to skip this one.  However, before you leave please note that the main point of this post is to urge you all to try a massage therapy regimen if you are dealing with a lot of anxiety or stress.  I do believe that it can do you wonders.  Also, make sure to scroll down for the knitting bonus tip!

I had an epiphany this past weekend. I have heard of this for a quite some time but never fully understood it until now. We hold a lot of our stress, negative emotions and trauma in our muscles. It is SO important to release that negative energy from your body. Over the past few weeks, I have been focusing on managing my stress levels and giving my type-A personality a break. And by break, I mean that I am trying to not be frustrated with myself as much if I fall short of my expectations and just breathe.

One of our recent discussions during one of my lectures at IIN was discussing “being bad” and what we do for ourselves (or not do) to give balance. It comes into play because as one journeys on a new path, whether it be for better health or a new career, it is easy to overdo it and lose sight of the big picture. It is great to drink green juices and cut out processed junk food, but it is also ok to have a juicy burger and fries now and then (GMO free, grass fed of course). 😉 This is after all, our one life and we do have to live a little! It struck me when a fellow student mentioned that she gifts herself a massage every week without fail. That is her way of keeping things in balance and at peace. Now, I understand that not all of us can afford that (or can we?) I looked at my budget and moved some things around and discontinued certain monthly expenses that were nice to have but didn’t directly contribute to reducing my stress levels. I also found an amazing place near my home that offers an excellent rate for monthly massages plus reduced rate additional massages within the month.

I went in for my first massage this past Sunday. I believe that things happen for a reason and fall into place when needed. I met an angel that day. She is a young woman named Ali who is passionate about what she does and is a natural healer. As she was working out my knots, I began to cry. I hadn’t had a good cry in a long time. It was such a release of stress and emotion and weight. I am pretty sure that Ali could tell I had been crying but was kind and let it be and didn’t mention it. A little while later, she was having some trouble working out a knot and asked me if I had anything on my mind. It was like she was a mind reader. I had been thinking of my late father whom I had a sporadic off and on relationship with. I had not thought of this memory for over a decade at least. We were having a rare heart-to-heart conversation in the backyard of his house watching the flow of the river.  During that conversation, and he massaged my shoulders and noticed how many knots I had in my back. He then warned me that this next part was going to hurt as he was going to press hard and deep into the knot to let it release. The deep tissue massage brought me back to that moment many years ago with my father. I told the massage therapist this story and let out another big cry. She offered to give me a few minutes but I told her I would be fine (mistake looking back – I should have let her so I could just really cry without reserve).   I have not truly mourned my father since his passing, as I believe I have been in some state of denial about it.  After releasing all of this emotion and sharing my story, the knot was gone. Completely and totally gone.  According to my massage therapist, this is more common of an occurrence than one might think.  This experience completely changed the way that I think of massage.  Harboring stress is an incredible disservice to your body.  Over the next month, I am going to conduct a personal experiment.  I have scheduled to get a massage every week and will note/journal my stress.  I have been keeping a lot of this stress bottled up for some time and I am finally ready to let it go.

Now it is your turn.  Have you considered a massage regimen?  If not, write down five things that you would gain from getting a massage.  Then write down 5 things you could go without for the next month and see if you can work it into your budget.  Your body and soul will thank you.  Namaste. <3

Knitting Bonus!

How to avoid injuring your fingertip with super sharp needle tips – we all love Signature Stilettos but those points are sharp!

Happy Knitting and Happy Health 🙂