I'm good at...

So I admit, I'm kinda following a "post a day" thing so I can have some suggestions to get my brain working.

Today's post is explaining something I know a lot about, or something I'm good at.

Several years ago I went to a career counselor, and what was interesting was that she could tell that I'm very detail oriented and I like to work with my hands. Detail oriented makes me good at what gives me a paycheck; working with my hands is what I do on the side - a massage therapist.

I think often people are afraid of massage - face it, you're putting yourself in a vulnerable position (naked or mostly so, under a mere bedsheet) and essentially at the mercy of the massage therapist. Or they think of it as intimate - which, ok, it is, but not in a sexual way. (at least not for the legitimate of us.) Believe me, the first time I went to a massage therapist, I went with a girlfriend to a male therapist and we were in the room together, getting massaged one at a time. He was completely professional and very very good. After that I was more comfortable going on my own. But I have friends who are creeped out by the very idea of anybody giving them a massage (though apparently a sports massage doesn't freak them out). My preference? None really - overcame many of those fears when I myself went to massage school and we all worked on each other. I've been worked on by both men and women. If you go to a spa and do some sort of package, though, consider what all is involved in the package and if you would feel comfortable if a member of the opposite or same sex worked on you.

However, let me just tell you - that massage therapist is working to make you feel better, whether just to find relaxation, work out some knots and trigger points, or assist with recovery from injury. TELL the massage therapist if you have any concerns. TELL the massage therapist if whatever they are doing does not feel good. For example, years ago I went to a massage therapist but for whatever reason, I did not feel comfortable telling her that the amount of pressure she was using was not near enough. As a result, I felt like I did not get the massage that I wanted--not that it was a bad massage, but for my preferences I'd call it a weak one. And I should have told her that I was really uncomfortable with her playing with my hair - straight-haired people really seem to enjoy that and find it relaxing, but I think generally curly-heads like myself find it stressful because it can make our hair poofy and bigger. I still felt somewhat relaxed at the end when it was over, but in hindsight it really could have been so much better had I spoken up. When I work on my own clients, I always tell them up front to tell me if anything doesn't feel good - if the pressure is too much, or not enough - and ask them if they have ever experienced some technique during a massage that they did not like. Because some people like a lighter-touch massage, and others like a pretty darn firm one, some people feel some benefit from various pressure points or tapotement (think karate-chop massage as often seen in the movies). So do not be afraid to tell them what you like or don't like!