This may sound all too familiar, but please, stick with me on this:
Get up, get the kids up, get the kids washed and dressed, organise breakfast, sort out lunches, encourage the use of hats, coats and shoes, herd them into the car, drop them off at school and then take yourself off to work. (Hopefully you’ll find time in there somewhere to get yourself washed and dressed and grab some breakfast of your own) Collect the kids, help with homework, fix dinner, adopt the role of entertainer or taxi driver, put them to bed, collapse in armchair, go to bed yourself, get some sleep. Get up, start all over again.
The tragedy of the routine described above is that it’s less of a cliche than you might think.
Somewhere in that routine is a frighteningly accurate description of me… and it wasn’t that long ago.
The lifestyle I once had, allowed absolutely no time for me, or me time to be specific. Sure, my better half chipped in, but if I entertained any notion of putting myself first, it was very quickly replaced by the next immediate task in a very full and hectic schedule that revolved around everyone but me. I just couldn’t contemplate anything different.
What set me straight was a gift from a friend. The gift was a facial massage and a manicure. My friend knew perfectly well that there was no way I would organise this for myself, it was just too much of an indulgence as I understood it then. And besides, even if the notion ever entered my head, when was I going to find the opportunity to step out of my routine and do something purely for me?
Well thankfully my friend made my gift specific to me and made sure that it could only be enjoyed by me, and I’ve never been so grateful. In accepting that gift, I had no idea of the lasting effects it would have. If nobody had made me aware, I would never have been exposed to the benefits that massage and massage therapy can and do bring.
In terms of the range of benefits that massage therapy brings, they can be as basic as feeling a whole lot better (special) for a short period of time to transforming your life for the better, for as long as you want. Without sounding too dramatic, massage therapy can be life changing. Just because massage and massage therapy sounds like a luxury and an indulgence, doesn’t mean it is, in fact the opposite is true.
Massage and massage therapy is an essential element in your health and wellness plan. It can have a fundamental impact on the quality of your life, and in no way should it be considered a luxury, and it is certainly not the preserve of the wealthy.
Having the awareness that you need to regularly schedule time for your health and wellness alongside your everyday routines may be an awkward concept, but please consider this as a proposal that you must develop. There is no maybe here, it is a must.
Maybe you’re the person I described above, and you just can’t see the wood for the trees because you just aren’t aware that there’s a different way. Who knows, maybe one of your friends will give you the same wonderful gift that I received and you could be on your way to a whole new you. Who knows.
The truth is, if you’re reading this right now, you don’t need any further prompt. My message is crystal clear: Schedule some time for your own health and wellbeing as a matter of utmost urgency.
Start small, start big, but just start, the possibilities are endless.
To your continued, outstanding health.
