Massage and Perspective
Just when you think you live in unprecedented times…I found a newsletter that I wrote over 10 years ago entitled in part: “Making Choices in Difficult Times”. Surprisingly (but maybe not), it feels pretty relevant.
It talks about my, then, 9 years old’s personal daily struggle with anxiety and fear as a reflection of our collective struggle with the global events of our time. Back then it was an economic crisis and global warming. Hmmm.
My son, Cooper, would often give himself a pep talk. “Don’t worry too much about what’s going on. “Enjoy what’s happening now.” “You can do this.” He recognized that fear would rob him of something he could not afford to lose and waged heroic battles every day, far beyond his diminutive size and age, to replace the despair with optimism and hope. He fought harder than anyone I have ever known to gain and keep perspective.
As we did then, we now live in times of great stress, You can even add a few more things to the list of global issues above. We can not help but be affected by the changing world around us but we can help how we react to it–even thrive in it.
Cooper, now 19, has come a long way but still wrestles with anxiety. He still gives himself pep talks. I still hear, “You got this.” He’s got a few more tools to keep life from being overwhelming: art, the gym, our decrepit beagle aka his therapy dog, friends, forgiveness–oh, and he’s a big fan of massage as a way to slow the world down for at least a little while.
An article put out by the Mayo Clinic states that studies on the benefits of massage therapy demonstrate it can be an effective treatment for stress and often produces feelings of comfort, caring, and connection. Echoes of Cooper’s pep talk.
So here we find ourselves in these unprecedented familiar times. As you look for ways to navigate through them, take care of yourself in ways where you can preserve your empathy and perspective. Find the place, person, activity, thing that protects, nurtures, and encourages you. Consider massage as part of your tool kit. Now, go out and save the world. “You got this.”