Top It Up

I am constantly being asked by my clients how much therapy I receive and I always feel very blessed when I can honestly say that I have hands on treatment each week from another therapist. So today's post is a very personal response to the 15 people who asked me this one question last week, and I hope it helps you see therapy in a new light as well!

I love treatment; I think that it enables me to function fully and happily in my body. Everything from one-to-one pilates, yoga, massage, shiatsu, skin care treatments, osteopathy and haircuts. They all work wonderfully to help me help you. After 14 years of working I can honestly say that I haven't had a work related injury and I personally think it's because I take care of my body well - it's my working tool! My husband pays a lot for his work gear in the IT world, so I do the equivalent for my work.

Therapy is a bit like a gas station. You happily drive yourself around in your body, doing this and that, going from one place to the next, but you run out of gas, so you have to go to the nearest gas station to fill up otherwise you'll stop in the middle of the interstate. The best way to keep a car going is if you never go lower than a quarter tank full. So treat your body the same way as your car; keep it constantly topped up and fill it with the best gas you can afford.

I see different types of therapy simply as different types of gas station. Sometimes I go to see my Osteopath each week for a month to iron out my ongoing neck issue, but then I won't see him for a while after he has worked his magic as Pilates and yoga may be releasing it for me on a more active level.

I need haircuts and skin treatments to keep me looking at my best, and that helps with my own confidence and so I can take on the world and do amazing things! Also, if my skin is red, itchy, angry and painful I will be uncomfortable and in a constant state of inflammation, which is no good for anyone.

I realize that this constant topping up for me is quite high, but as all therapists will tell you, the gas runs out quickly when you're doing 20 treatments a week, (which is my own personal limit).

My pit stops are personal to my energy flow, but I would encourage you to work out your output and match it with the input.

The one thing that I get irritated with is when therapists don't make time to get treatments themselves. Not only does it seem a bit odd to me that they will encourage their clients to make regular visits for time on their couch, but won't do the same for themselves, but I also think that they loose the sense of experience.

I have had the dubious pleasure of lying through two really quite awful facials this month. I wanted to see what was out there, who was doing what and the level of experience that was in my town. Not only did it reassure me that the treatment I offer my clients are top notch, they also gave me new ideas on how I could improve, what I could change and thoughts started to role. Everything from clean sheets, (my pet hate is when I am offered to climb onto a couch with sheets that have been there for goodness knows how long), treatment procedure and product sales came into view and if I hadn't made the financial and time commitment to go out there and just experience it I would never have changed and moved forward.

The fantastic treatments I do get from my regular therapists keep me on my toes! They always set the bar so high that I have to totally engage with my work on a daily basis to keep mine going skyward. Without their pace setting I couldn't do what I do, which is offer amazing treatments with measurable results.

It's great to ask your therapist when the last time they were on the couch was. See what they say! It's quite telling and will show you how important they see therapy in their own lives. It's a big challenge, but one they may need.

This week's challenge for you then is to work out what you need. Do you need to join a meditation group at your local church, synagogue, temple or yoga studio to refill your spiritual depletion? Do you need cranial sacral treatment to help rebalance your spinal fluid? Is massage the gas station you need to visit or will you fill up on an awesome skin car treatment?

It takes time and money, and this may mean that you need to take a look at your diary and budget, but it's worth the investment of both. If you need to change going out three times a week to once or twice, then maybe that's not such a bad thing? Work this out for you, but I hope my personal journey can help you along your way.