You have an injury or twist your neck in your sleep. Better call the massage therapist to “fix” it.
But wait a minute, you think. I’m doing this every month! I wonder if I was to just schedule for a massage once a month if I would feel better in my everyday life.
You may just be onto something here.
The number one question that I get asked in my practice is: “How often should I get a massage? ” The easy answer is not necessarily the most practical. After all, in a perfect world, we would all be getting massages once a week. But everyones answer will be different depending on your individual situation.
Answer the following questions honestly to help figure out how often you should get a massage.
What are your bodywork goals?
Everyone has different reasons for getting massage. Be honest with yourself and really consider what you want to accomplish with regular massage.
- Are you an athlete who wants better performance?
- Are you looking to alleviate those pesky aches and pains we get as we get older?
- Do you simply need time out to relax and rebalance?
- Is there a specific issue you want to address? For example: a frozen shoulder you have been dealing with for months, knee problems or carpel tunnel.
The answer to these questions will help determine how often to get a massage along with helping your therapist to decide what specific treatment is necessary.
When, and how often can I carve out some time for myself?
We are all busy. And sometimes the hardest thing to do is finding time for ourselves. Some of us work long hours. Or maybe you are a caretaker for an ailing family member. Kids need to be fed and driven to school. Dogs need to be walked. Dirty dishes are piling up in the sink.
There never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done.
This inevitably leads to stress and feeling overwhelmed. Wouldn’t it be great if you could stop the craziness before it happens? You can- by taking time for yourself to recharge. Massage is a great excuse to shut the world out for an hour.
And the great thing is that you don’t have to get a massage every week to feel the benefits. Once a month works for many people.
What does my budget allow?
This is a really important question to ask yourself. Be honest with yourself.
Too many times, someone gets a massage to address some chronic pain issues that have been going on for years. You feel great after the first massage. You haven’t felt this good in years! So you book a massage once a week to keep the good feelings coming. But after a couple of months as your bank account dwindles you decide that massage is a luxury that you can do without. And hey, you do feel better, so you must be cured.
And so you completely cut massage out of the budget. Fast forward six months from now. You have fallen back into your old habits that brought on your original pain. And you haven’t had any bodywork to counteract the abuse to your body. So what’s happened? You guessed it! You are back to square one. You call your massage therapist to work it out, you feel better, and the cycle continues. Why not be proactive about pain and set up a regular routine of massage?
Which brings me to my final point.
Massage and bodywork is a lifestyle choice.
You exercise, right? You try to eat healthy, right? You want to feel better, right?
Life has a way of lodging itself into our body. Sometimes that crick in your neck is really just a manifestation of stress. For example, the boss wants you to work weekends, or the kid has the flu.
Regular massage helps to dislodge life’s petty annoyances. Make the decision to lead a healthier lifestyle, book yourself a massage.
Do you get regular massages? Let me know in the comments your thoughts on this subject.
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