GET A MASSAGE, THEY SAID.

You hear others constantly tell you, "Go get a massage! It'll fix that."

I am just as guilty of being skeptical as the next person, and probably. moreso than many. Yet, for some reason I was drawn into Massage Therapy later in life. I tend to hold out, and really analyze any situation before making a final conclusion that sticks. Some people call that stubborn, I prefer to call it thorough. With massage, I took my time in really evaluating what my experience (and research) told me with what exactly can massage can help someone?

Don't get me wrong, I knew that I felt great after massage. However, I also knew that if I didn't feel comfortable on the table it could be a totally miserable experience. If I didn't like the person giving the massage it was horrible. If I was in pain and nervous, I couldn't relax. If I had had a bad day, that usually stuck with me, through the whole session. If I was getting a massage, hoping it would fix something, but knowing deep within that it wasn't a miracle cure, it wouldn't be.

I've learned many things in the last several years as a student and professional massage therapist.

Massage DOES make you feel better, if you're ready.

The biggest thing about massage is that getting one is an act of receiving. If you're not open, you're not ready or you have some hesitation, you're going to get a sub par massage, no matter the therapist. What does that mean, be ready? We'll discuss that in a different blog. For now, just know that it takes a willing recipient to get the most out of a massage - and literally ANYTHING can block that receptivity.

Undeniably, massage increases blood flow to tissues that may not have had optimal blood flow to them. Increased blood flow and reactivation of nerves and muscles that have somehow gotten out of sync does wonders for the perception of pain we feel. Most people feel like they've had a great workout, sans effort - and that is a great feeling.

Massage is NOT for everyone.

Sometimes someone isn't in the mental or emotional state to receive (a massage). Think about a time you approached your partner in a loving way and they were totally disinterested in anything of the sort. Fighting that resistence aggressively makes things worse. This closely parallels how the body innately responds to a threatened pain signal. We jump away. We startle, pull our limbs inward and tighten our muscles around that potentially painful experience/area. Our heart rate increases.

Being comfortable during a massage is vital. If the client is unable to relax and let the therapist work, there will be no relief of tense muscles, period. If the client isn't able to lie down for very long for medical reasons, receiving a traditional massage may be difficult to impossible.

Luckily you need not lie on a table to receive a massage, and generally speaking massage is a possibility for most.

Regular massages can be a game changer

Learning to care for yourself is a skill we as American's don't often learn to do is a skill worth learning.

Suck it up buttercup,

Tough through it,

It'll go away,

Its not happening if I don't think about it,

Work hard and you can do anything.

These are all phrases at the core of the projected American values. Schools, parents, friends, sports all teach us these values. These things often go unsaid directly, but are well understood. I believe this to possibly be the worst detriment our culture has inflicted upon us. Learning to ignore your body and distrust your instincts keeps us all in doctor's offices asking OTHERS what is wrong with our bodies.

I am an American, raised in the south. I fall right into this category and have learned this through personal experience. I played sports, even in college at a competitive level. I kept playing/living/working on a torn posterior tibias tendon for 7 months. I asked for help, but didn't know I needed to be a better advocate for myself. Later, I ignored things which bothered me in the effort of maintaining the best possible life I could provide for my children. I have said all of those phrases many times in my life. However, I've learned in my adult life that our intuition, our immediate responses are quite possibly more accurate then anyone else could ever tell us. We know instinctively something is off. If we respond to that stimulus quickly, we keep bigger ailments at bay. If we don't, we run into long term, chronic, excessively painful experiences.

If you listen to your body, not only do you NOT have to fake feeling good, but you can ACTUALLY feel great. Sometimes you just need a massage, and nothing else will do. A regular practice of self-care is vital to learning to listen closely to your body, but also. to your overall sense of wellness.

If you are someone who has ascribed to the traditional American story and have found yourself in a great deal of pain, book a massage. Frankly, I suggest you book 4, and give yourself time to rest in between. Spend time thinking about how your body feels when the massage therapist works on your hamstrings or your feet. Take note of anything which feels loud, and speak up to your therapist at that moment. It doesn't have to be a big deal, but even just acknowledging your sensations gives you more personal power and control of what's going on and how you can direct your life to help you feel good.

Massage is a give and take relationship that helps you to learn to listen and respond to you body.

Massage can uncover more issues

When you get a massage you usually find at least some relief from pain and discomfort, immediately. When we have well adapted to this habit of ignoring our bodies - we become more and more like an onion. Often the gentle peeling back of the layers of discomfort happens when one pain was masks another. Once you relaxed & connected enough with yourself and your body you can pull back the older, dryer layers on the outside. Underneath you may find fresh, healthy layers or you may find more that needs tender care. 

Feeling immediate relief is a wonderful feeling, but sometimes you also find that you have more underlying tensions and concerns you hadn't noticed before. experienced this myself and still find myself learning more each time. The most vivid example of this in my life was once when I first started receiving massages, I noticed the sensation was different on the right side. Eventually, as I progressed with the therapies, I realized that change in sensation is pain.It wasn't a loud screaming pain, it was a reminder of the deep inner aches that I had learned to ignore over the years. I later discovered that I had a torn labrum, which I had been ignoring for years. Often one pain was masks another, but we don't notice it if we're accustomed to discomfort. Once you pull back the older, dryer layers of discomfort what lies beneath is always closer to the root problem. This is when it is even more important to stick with a therapy if you're finding the most effective relief.

Peeling the onion can be refreshing and relaxing or it can be suprising at just how deep those layers go.