Self-Care Tips for Massage Therapists Practicing During COVID-19

As much as you may have missed your clients and work, returning to your massage practice during these times can be incredibly stressful. Worry about finances, client safety, your safety, and liability may be weighing heavily on your heart and mind. For those of you who have returned to work, it’s important to implement practices and routines for self-care. 

1. More prep = less stress

Have a plan for sanitization/safety protocols. When you have a solid plan in place you will create a sense of control and reduce your anxiety. The research shows that when we take actionable steps towards a goal our stress and anxiety levels are reduced. Check out our free, printable sanitization checklist to help!

2. Community support

Cultivate and utilize your massage therapist community as a support network. You may have a small group of local massage therapist friends or maybe you are a part of some massage Facebook groups. Utilize these resources to bounce ideas off of, vent, and encourage each other! This is the time to pull together and support one another. If you haven’t already, check out our Facebook group - we love to post inspirational, relevant, and practical tips for massage therapists. 

3. Put it in your calendar

Take time for self-care! You are providing a critical self-care service for others - but what about yourself? You are likely experiencing a much higher level of stress than usual. Think about incorporating yoga or mindfulness into your daily routine. With so many services being offered virtually now, you can find yoga, Yomassage, and online meditation resources easily. 

4. Be flexible

Create a plan for moving forward, but be gentle with yourself and allow for flexibility and going with the flow as things change. Check out our “Taking Your Massage Practice Online” course for helpful information for expanding your practice to include virtual options that can help you withstand any storm. This will give you some peace of mind during these unpredictable times. 

5. Stay present

Be in the present moment. Chances are if you are reading this, right now, at this very moment, you are safe. It’s understandably challenging, but try to stay in the present moment as much as possible by avoiding thinking about the unknown future or what has happened in the past. One way to do this is to focus intently on exactly what you are doing. For example, if you are cooking - keep your focus on the movements of chopping, the scent of your dish, etc. If you find yourself mindlessly chopping, while your to-do list is running in the background of your mind, gently bring yourself back to the present moment. This is a foolproof way to spend more time in your parasympathetic nervous system, and less in your fight or flight mode! 

We have created tons of other resources for massage therapists during this time like Re-opening Toolkit and Are Consumers Ready to Return? to support you in your practice during this time. You can find them here.

If you want to join the Yomassage community to get exclusive offers and insights from the founders on the Yomassage trainings, you can do so through our free Yomassage Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/yomassage. 

For more info about Yomassage, follow us on Instagram and listen to our podcast!

Learn about our Yomassage trainings and how to become a Certified Yomassage Therapist here.