The best way to start a blog for a massage therapy business, especially for a first post, is to...
I find myself asking the following question constantly in today's world. Is there only one (correct way) to do something?
I think this is a good bridge into point #1
1) You don't have to follow other's experiences, rules, suggestions, opinions, etc. You can create your own! If you find that a process works for you, use it!
To elaborate on point #1, just because someone else's experience was x, doesn't mean your experience is going to be the same 100% of the time.
Now, I would say the only caveat to this would be if someone achieved a result using a specific, repeatable process and you tried it and it worked... you can give yourself permission to try the process in hopes that you may achieve the same result. Right?
2) Listen to your own body
So many times, I've heard people say that they "don't feel connected" to their own bodies. My tip to you is to listen to your body and what it is telling you. Is your body telling you that you're hungry? Is your body telling you that you're full and don't need any more food or nutrients?
These are the kinds of questions you can train yourself to automatically ask or be in-tune with, sort of a dialogue with yourself.
3) Eat what makes you feel good
Do you feel better when you eat meat, vegetables, vegan, gluten-free, non-gmo? I've found that eating regularly at the same "relative" time on a daily basis tends to makes me feel more balanced. Giving the body a schedule aids in a more regulated digestion-cycle. More to come on this topic in a future blog post.
4) Got to start somewhere and that somewhere is where you currently are.
Fear of success and fear of failure are real things. Fear is a core-emotion that can be used to motivate or it can be used to stop you dead in your tracks. For example, some people look up a ladder and think, "Gosh, there are so many rungs on this ladder. I'd rather already be at the top. This looks way too hard and I'm afraid of heights so...I'll just stay where I am. "
Others look at a ladder and think: "My steps are clear and I'll just take one step at a time and eventually I will get there!"
Which of these approaches do you take?
My suggestion for #4 is to think about succeeding with your goals for yourself as a "process". A series of actions or events taken that achieve a particular end. Once you follow concrete steps or events over a period of time, the process will show success. Promise!
5) Breathing deeply once in a while
Often times when we are so engrossed in completing our daily tasks that we forget to breathe deeply. We get caught up with the "got to get it done in the most efficient way possible attitude". I am guilty of this because I believe what I am doing is being done the way I want it to be done or that it is being done because it's convenient to me. Throughout this process, I forget to breathe deeply and am doing what experts call, "shallow-breathing". During this shallow-breathing, I am only breathing to the depths of my voice-box (larynx). The oxygen filling my lungs is not giving my body's muscles or organs enough oxygen that it needs, causing more stress and a domino effect. Sometimes I think it's because breathing is a involuntary function of the body but it can actually be voluntarily depending on it's purpose. When I take a deep breath, if I am feeling stressed, helps me to calm and center myself and my thoughts. I would suggest this to anyone who is feeling a good deal of tension as well because it also has a positive effect in the muscular system - more to come on this in a future blog post as well!
All-in-all, I truly believe that these are some nice, easy things you can do for your health that will engage you with your body, help you start progressively achieving your own goals for the new year and are, overall, a good well-balanced, general approach to your own well-being.
