Do you ever get bored? (Massaging)

DO YOU EVER GET BORED?

For a maybe a second?, let's be honest! Do you ever find yourself getting bored during your sessions? It's okay to admit it. Some days it just seems you are on the repeat button, and often every customer/client melds into one. Even the most passionate professionals occasionally experience a lack of motivation. 

Why Boredom Strikes?

Let us first talk about the reasons why boredom could arise:

Routine: It's normal to feel as though you're caught in the treadmill of 'its just a job' and the repetition is driving you a little crazy when you've been doing the same thing every day. 

Lack of Challenge: It's common to lose interest in oneself if you're not pushing yourself to learn new skills or knowledge. 

Energy Drain: Massage therapy can be emotionally and physically draining. Occasionally, boredom may indicate burnout and it’s time for more self care.

Now that we know why it happens, let’s dive into how to shake things up!

Add some “zing” to your Techniques.

Learning new skills is one of the simplest ways to keep your work interesting. Here are some suggestions:

Enroll in a Course: There are always fresh approaches and techniques to investigate. Continuing your education, which of course part is part of our Continuing Education requirements, whether it be through an online course, researching articles to better your understanding of the human body, or even a weekend workshop - all can rekindle your spark for massage.

Customer feedback: Find out what your customers like the best about your sessions, maybe whoop up the routine by adding something different to enhance the session, ever thought of stones as massage tools?  BTW - RemStone Therapy coaches you in the RIGHT way to do this!

Customize Each Session

Adding something new to every session helps maintain interest: 

Set up Goals: Establish a clear pathway that steers your sessions with objectives for each session.  My favourite is over 3 sessions over 3 weeks, not too long and not too out of reach.  Small wins can be attained realistically giving you the sense of achievement and gaining a purpose as a result. 

Create Themes: Assign a topic to every session. For instance, one week can be devoted to working just on the feet, then moving up to calves.  Or if you do lighter massage, focus on the tactile areas people instantly feel relaxed, like starting with head massage, then rest of the body, paying particular attention on hand and feet then finishing with a head and face massage again. This maintains interest and variety.

Use Music and aromas: To generate distinct atmospheres, switch up your playlist and aromatherapy aromas. It's a minor adjustment that can have a significant impact on how the session goes. But as my last Blog stated, "Mozart or Miley Cyrus?", be mindful that music is so subjective, read the Blog, it's also an interesting read!

Self-Care Is Key

Taking care of oneself helps keep you motivated and prevent burnout:

Frequent Breaks: Ensure that you plan regular pause times for your day. Stretch, drink plenty of water, and take a moment to refresh yourself. Go for a walk around the block, or go outside and look at a tree, take your shoes off and walk on grass, because grounding yourself is a fabulous way to gain back some equilibrium. And don’t forget to eat!  Just small meals, and maybe even just smoothies as massaging after a highly loaded meal can make you sleepy, go for the easily digestable meals as your body is using all the energy to break the food to make energy, and that's why you feel sleepy.  And psst, Stay away from refined, processed food and quick sugar fixes, which includes juices, go for the whole apple, not just the juice, as these spike your blood sugars and then send them down leaving you lethargic...(Trust me on this, I've been a Type 1 Diabetic for 30+ years!)

Timeout and mindfulness: Taking the time to spend moments on and for you is utmost.  If you aren't okay, how on earth are you going to help the health of someone else? After a day’s sessions lowering your frequency rates is important as you are dealing with other people’s frequency rates. So that's why I have a routine of 'here, help, hear, no hinder'.  Which means 1.I accept where I am, 2. Understand I am in that moment to assist, not cure 3. I listen not only with my ears, but with my eyes and my hands 4. I do no harm, I do not take on other people's 'stuff', nor do I intentionally transfer my 'stuff' onto my customers. Massage is a very up close and personal thing, and I don't know about you, but I can sense instantly the mood of my customer before any words are spoken!  Being mindful and having awareness to your sessions can help you both be more present and engaged with your client. I so often go into a zone, maybe it's the music, the strokes or due to the ambience of the surrounds.  It’s a lovely space for me to ‘zone out’ as I focus on the task at hand, be it muscle dysfunction or the pursuit of relaxation.

Stay Active: Regular exercise, stretching and releasing your own muscles will help you maintain physical fitness, which can increase your energy and motivation for work. Keeping active doesn’t necessarily mean a gym, it can be walking or riding to work instead of driving, or walking upstairs instead of taking a lift.  There are always ways to add that little bit more activity to your day. When I was an avid snow skier, I used to do hold my squats and lunges whilst massaging, it helped my legs get ready for the impending ski season!

Establish Contact with Your Peers

Occasionally, all you require is a little motivation from your colleagues in therapy:

Join a Group: Networking with other massage therapists can offer fresh perspectives and encouragement, whether it takes the form of an online forum or a local meet-up.

Tell Tales: Exchange stories and ideas with your colleagues. You may get a new perspective or learn a new method, and we all know the interesting things that can happen on our massage tables!

Collaborate: For co-treatments or workshops, team up with another therapist. It's an excellent method for learning and maintaining motivation.

Being bored need not be a negative thing. It indicates your readiness for development and change. By mixing up your techniques, personalizing your sessions, taking care of yourself, connecting with peers, and reflecting on your practice, you can keep your work exciting and fulfilling.

So, do you ever get bored? How do you keep things fresh and engaging in your massage practice? Would love to know!

Check out our foundation course for under $200 to utilise stones as massage tools! >

Love your work! Keep up your great skills my fellow Massage Therapist!

Samantha Colliton 

FOUNDER | REMSTONE THERAPY