This too shall pass

I think we all can appreciate just how different our lives look at the moment for a lot of us. Many of us have been self-isolating for quite a few weeks now due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the ensuing restrictions on many occupations. Myself included. As I write this I am starting my eighth week of being at home after my massage business was shut down.

At the beginning of this, I had grand plans for all sorts of projects that would be completed! I was going to plant a vegetable garden, I was going to video a series of at-home stretches and exercises to embed on my business website, I was going to complete a course and get my finances in order and I was definitely going to exercise every day and eat really well. I was going to come out of this pandemic in control and looking like a million bucks!

Good looking grey hair
(If I looked this good with grey hair I wouldn’t touch it!)

Fast forward to today and the vegetable garden consists of one lemon tree and one lime tree, the series of videos are five stretching videos I uploaded to my Instagram page (check them out here), I’m one week away from finishing/redoing a six-week massage business course and I gave up on one other course that just couldn’t hold my interest. I’ve been emailed a spreadsheet to complete for my accountant to get this write off of a financial year completed but it’s yet to have the numbers input and despite the newfound skills of my husband at applying the grey hair cover up colour to my hair, I’m a long way from looking a million bucks ( I miss you, Sam, my hairdresser!!).
Basically what I’m saying is this, all the best-laid plans are often interrupted by stress and anxiety and can leave you feeling generally like crap. If this is something that you resonate with you are not alone. Many of us have a day, or even a couple, where we feel like we are in control and ticking off all of the things on our to-do list, this is quickly followed by a day/s of not being able to get out of our own way. AND THAT’S OK!!

The good news is that there are steps you can take that should help you feel a little more in control of life at the moment.

grounding
(my favourite way to ground myself)
  • If you are a person that likes to literally tick boxes, then make a list of tasks you would like to achieve today or this week. Add really obvious ones like have a shower, brush teeth, and then CROSS THEM OFF AS YOU COMPLETE THEM! I don’t know about you, but I always feel better when I’m ticking completed tasks off.
  • Make deals with yourself. If all you want to do is sit and watch Netflix today then do it! BUT, only after you go for a 30-minute walk, or spend 20 minutes stretching. You may surprise yourself and keep on keeping on!
  • Call a friend and have a mutual whine (perhaps over a glass of wine!). It’s perfectly fine to complain every now and again. Getting things off your chest gets it “out of your system”. Just make sure you are letting your friend have their turn as well and you don’t try and turn it into a game of one-upmanship!
  • Make an appointment to get a massage! Do it now – here. Massage clinics are now allowed to reopen and providing you are healthy you can look forward to doing something just for you. More than just making your body feel physically better, massage is a fantastic tool to address stress and anxiety symptoms. Have a read here about my specific massage for mental health!
  • Take a walk around your garden, or on a beach, without your shoes on. This is called ‘grounding’ and studies have shown a direct correlation between walking barefoot on the earth and the effects on physiology and health. These effects relate to inflammation, immune responses, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
  • Above all else, BE GENTLE on yourself. These are unprecedented times. There is no rule book on how to get through this. YOU DO YOU and everything will be ok. And please remember to reach out if you need to. We are all in this together and many of us are feeling a little frayed around the edges at the moment. Lets all support one another.

My period of lockdown will be finishing very soon as I will be returning to work next week on May 18. Suprisingly the past eight weeks have gone faster than I expected! Now that it is coming to an end and I am reflecting back on it, I feel supremely grateful for the time that I have been allowed to truly focus on what is important in life. Really, how lucky are we that we live in a country where in such uncertain times we are still afforded the comparative peace of mind that we have enough money to pay our bills and the security of staying safe in our homes, free to create, learn and just be. I look forward to connecting with you again, next month.

Naomi

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Finding the Art of Living in the midst of a pandemic

The start of 2020 in Australia has felt like a VERY BAD soap opera!

If we weren’t living it we wouldn’t believe it!! After years of drought, which still continues in parts of the country, we were subjected to catastrophic bushfires which, by the time they were under control, had cost us 18.6 million hectares, destroyed over 5900 buildings of which 2779 were peoples homes, at least 34 people lost there lives and over 1 billion animals were incinerated driving some species to the brink of extinction. You can read more detail here on that.

Almost immediately part of New South Wales suffered more loss from torrential and sudden rain causing flooding and many road closures and more loss of property.

Just as we started to catch our breath stories of a fast-spreading virus killing people in our neighbouring countries started to be reported. Fast forward to today, 9 April 2020, and the virus called COVID 19 or Coronavirus, now officially known as a pandemic has spread across the world with more than 1.47 million confirmed cases and almost 87,000 deaths. Here in Australia, our share is 6,052 cases and 50 people have died. (Read more here.)

With these sobering facts and statistics of all of these crises we were asked to lock our selves away from our fellow citizens to try to stem the spread, or “flatten the curve”.

Safe at home during Covid 19

With the social distancing and self-isolation protocols in place it meant many of us lost our jobs, myself included. As a massage therapist, it is 100% impossible to maintain a distance of 1.5m from my clients, it is also 100% impossible to offer this therapy as an online or telehealth alternative. I had no choice to close my practice doors for the foreseeable future. This was devastating and I miss my clients and routine!

With the enforced business closure I have had a lot of self-reflection time. Luckily I completed a diploma of counselling skills last year so I have a new appreciation for the value in taking the time to sit with a situation and pull it apart to see what lessons can be learned from it.

Having the time to do this is, in itself, a luxury. When do we really ever take the time to do this? Life is generally lived at a hectic pace. I’m also very aware of how lucky I am to live in a country where the government has recognised, and quickly acted on, the need to provide an income to ensure we can continue to pay our bills and buy food free from anxiety. This is a privilege not afforded to many across the world and many of our poorest people will make up much of the final record of deaths from this terrifying plague.

With that being said I intend to try to come out the other side with new perspectives from a personal and business view.

One of the first things I have tried to define is why do I do what I do? What is my mission for my business as a remedial massage therapist? I have had the privilege to work with many elite athletes and sports professionals performing at the top of their game. These people showed me what commitment and dedication look like. I loved working with them.  I learned so much about sacrifice and plain old ‘nose-to-the-ground’ work attitude. Whatever exercise, stretch, nutrition advice was offered was never thought of as too hard or too inconvenient if it promised to improve their performance. You might think that these people would be the perfect client? Wrong. They’re almost too easy!!

balance

Who I really love working with are the people who are like me. For example, I love good, clean food. In fact, I’m an educated nutritionist! But that doesn’t stop me from eating a good burger and chips, enjoying a great wine or eating an overly large slice of cheesecake from time to time! I also love the feeling of being fit and strong, I’ve worked as a fitness professional for the last 20 plus years of my life. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have days when the last thing I feel like doing is moving my body in a way that even remotely resembles a workout. Does all of these opposites make me a hypocrite? NO! It makes me a human who enjoys a balance in their life.

These are the people I love, they are my tribe. Those people who really do love life, who are trying their best to be better, move better and feel better. Those people who aren’t afraid to admit that they struggle sometimes and need help with motivation. Some of these people have been dealt with an unreasonably crappy deal and suffer from chronic pain, personal loss and terrible illness both physical and mental. Yet, they keep on keeping on. I LOVE these people. The chance to play a small part in easing the burden or pain is an immense privilege. I’m so lucky to be a part of their lives.

In all of my toughest life lessons, and I’ve had a few, I have come out more resilient, more courageous, empathic and with an overall feeling that these situations are what makes us the amazing individuals that we are. Not that I wish for any more dark times!!! But, the ones I’ve had have taught me who I am and who I want to surround myself with.

These messy and painful times are what I believe creates the art of living. Or if you want to get fancy and sound educated say it in Latin – Ars Vivendi.

When life returns to normal – whatever and whenever that may be – and if you feel that you and I could work well together I would love to meet you. I plan on starting up a monthly emailed newsletter in the very near future. It will have some tips on basic health at home advice and I can keep you updated on re-opening dates!! Message me your email address either via this website or on either of my social pages on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to meet. x

my people
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Other things you can do to prevent the spread of Coronavirus that aren’t toilet paper related…

I would personally love to know who was initial instigator in the great Toilet Paper Panic Buy of 2020. Why did they pick toilet paper as the number 1 item? Why not sandwich size zip lock bags, or bottles of Worcestershire sauce?? It makes just as much sense. That been said, there is some logical thought in the idea of not spending any more time in crowded areas than absolutely necessary, so perhaps that person is someone who likes to spend more than a little bit of time in the smallest room in the house….??

So, what are some things you can do that might actually make a difference to your own and your family’s chances of staying healthy?

  1. Make sure your diet is filled with lots of leafy green vegetables, and anti-viral vegies like garlic, onion, capsicum and ginger.
  2. Drink plenty of water to ensure that toxins are easily flushed through your body systems.
  3. Get plenty of sleep. Sleeping is the bodies number one time to fight off infections and do any repairs needed.
  4. Get some regular exercise. You don’t need to go “all out” just move your body for 30-60 minutes every day. This will also give those feel good hormones like serotonin and dopamine a boost which in turn, boosts your immune system.
  5. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water. Hand sanitisers are good, but soap and water are even better. Find out why here.
  6. Get a massage. Here are three reasons why –
remedial massage
Massage has been shown to boost your immune system

*Increase in White Blood Cells:  Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre conducted a study to find out what happens to your body during and after a massage and found that people who received a 45 minute massage saw an increase in white blood cells, which are vital in helping people fight off disease in general, not just small colds or flus.

*Reduced Cytokines:  people also had lower levels of cytokines, which are molecules that can increase inflammation in the body.  Anyone who is experiencing inflammation is much more    susceptible to illness of any kind.

*Hormone Levels:  participants also had a lower level of cortisol, a stress hormone, after the massage.  Anyone who has high levels of cortisol is much more likely to suffer from disease of all kind.

7. Reduce your stress level (see point 6)

The Great Australian Toilet Paper Panic of 2020

Whilst we don’t need to panic about the Coronavirus, although the toilet paper debacle made for some pretty hilarious memes, we do need to care. Not just about our own health but that of the community we live in. To read a more elaborate, amusing and properly researched article on why we need to care, I encourage you to click here to read award winning author and blogger Mark Manson’s latest article on this exact topic.

See you in the massage room soon for your immune boost!

Book here

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Just what the DR ordered

Read more
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